Comparison

The Startup vs Suzerain

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

The Startup

Build and manage your own Silicon Valley startup in this interactive role-playing simulation. Recruit a team, develop products, secure funding, and navigate business challenges to become a successful tycoon. Your choices shape your unique startup story.

Highlights
  • Build and manage a startup
  • Recruit a team of specialists
  • Develop and market products
  • Secure venture capital
  • Real estate management
  • Choose-your-own-story gameplay
  • Business simulation
Features
Read full description

Would you like to be the CEO of a new startup company in Silicon Valley? "The Startup" is a new exciting role-playing simulation game that will allow you to be the head of a huge and promising startup. You'll have to recruit an awesome team of specialists, create your own exciting product, bring it to the market, find venture investors, and get rich. You have control of the most ambitious startup in Silicon Valley. Can your company become successful and be on top? With multiple episodes and chapters, you'll face a variety of business challenges and have the opportunity to craft your own unique startup story through the choices you make. Play as a business sim, testing your skills in a realistic setting, and feel like a true business tycoon. The Startup: Interactive Game is a perfect blend of business game and interactive story for those who love both story games and role-playing. Everything depends on you in the new exciting game - "The Startup"! Features: - A realistic setting that allows players to feel like a true business tycoon - Business simulation gameplay that allows players to make financial and real estate decisions to grow their company - Choose-your-own-story element where players can craft a unique startup story through the choices they make - Multiple episodes and chapters that provide a variety of business challenges for players to overcome - Real estate management gameplay that includes buying and selling properties to expand the company - Interesting and unforgettable story - The sophisticated role-playing management system of a company - Micromanaging your own company using your budget - Multiple endings - Various role-play mechanics - Intuitive and user-friendly game interface Subscription: Recurring billing. Cancel anytime. You can subscribe to get ads-free gameplay, no waiting time and all the chapters of the game or subscribe to access in-game banking plans for the duration of your subscription. The subscription is $4.99 weekly, $39.99 yearly and $4.99, $9.99, $19.99, $29.99 weekly*. You'll be able to get ads-free gameplay, no waiting time and all the chapters of the game for the duration of your subscription. Payment will be charged to your iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off for at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period at the cost of the chosen package. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. You can read our privacy policy and terms of use at https://ledgroup.org/terms. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication. *Prices are equal to the value that "Apple's App Store Matrix" determines is the equivalent of the subscription price in $USD. By using Startup, you agree to our Terms of Use and Community Guidelines available at https://ledgroup.org/terms

About

Suzerain

Engage in a narrative-driven political simulation where your choices as a leader shape the destiny of nations. Navigate complex decisions, manage resources, and guide your people through pivotal moments in a branching saga.

Highlights
  • Narrative-driven political simulation
  • Branching storylines
  • Leadership decision-making
  • Nation management
  • Multiple endings
  • Political intrigue
Features
Read full description

Step into the fictional Suzerain Universe, a narrative-driven political series from Torpor Games, that explores the complex world of political leadership and decision-making. Whether you take on the role of President in Sordland or King in Rizia, your choices will shape history. Navigate complex decisions and guide your people through pivotal moments across an epic 1.5m-word branching political saga. Please note: Suzerain is only available in the English language. REPUBLIC OF SORDLAND: Assume the role of President Anton Rayne and guide the nation of Sordland through the challenging times of your first term. Every choice you make has consequences in a world of corruption, political intrigue, economic recession, and international conflict. Will you bring reform, or will you fall into the traps of the past? How will you lead? KINGDOM OF RIZIA: Take on the mantle of King Romus Toras and lead Rizia through the challenges of your reign. Your decisions impact shifting alliances, noble rivalries, economic hurdles, and looming threats. Will you restore Rizia's glory through diplomacy or expand its borders by force? Engage with powerful nobles, manage resources, and navigate the complex web of politics. How will you reign? Experience the Suzerain Universe: - Play with Ads: Access the entire game with ads at the end of each turn. - Premium Ownership: Players can purchase individual story packs (Sordland and Rizia). Premium players have full access to their purchased story packs with extra perks such as story points on purchase, and no ads. - Subscription System: Enjoy Suzerain content without ads with flexible subscription plans ranging from 1-day to 1-month passes. Subscribers gain timed access to both the Republic of Sordland and Kingdom of Rizia story packs. - Lifetime Pass: For dedicated fans, the Lifetime Pass offers full access to all current and future content in the Suzerain Universe, with no ads and forever. This includes any future DLC and additional story packs, providing the ultimate premium experience. REPUBLIC OF SORDLAND FEATURES: Decisions Matter: Make critical decisions on security, economy, welfare, and diplomacy. Your values will be tested beyond the confines of your office. Build Your Legacy: Drive Sordland towards one of 9 unique major endings and more than 25 sub-endings. What will your legacy be? Duty vs. Personal Values: Witness how your presidential decisions influence the country and your family and relationships. Manage the Recession: Take control of the nation's budget and economic growth, and strive to bring Sordland out of an ongoing recession. Pass Reforms: Work with politicians to amend the constitution, and sign or veto bills into law. KINGDOM OF RIZIA FEATURES: New Kingdom, New King: Assume the role of King Romus, the newly crowned leader of the Kingdom of Rizia. Explore South Merkopa, an expansion of the Suzerain Universe. Geopolitical Challenges & New Resources: Start dialogues with new national leaders. Will you forge new alliances or make new enemies? Oversee the management of new invaluable resources such as energy and authority. A Game of Houses: Engage in discussions on religion, family, and romance. Dive into the intricate dynamics of a royal family and houses where relationships intertwine, merging the realms of love, duty, and politics. Build Your Nation: Sign dozens of Royal Decrees on topics such as order, economy, and welfare to develop and improve Rizia. Will you be the guardian of peace or the catalyst for conflict? War Mechanic & Military Build-up: Experience the strategic and tactical military challenges in a turn-based experience. Build up the Rizian Armed Forces and train units to intimidate neighbors. Rich Character Interactions: Encounter a diverse cast of 20+ characters each with unique backgrounds and motivations. The fate of nations rests in your hands. Are you ready to lead?

Screenshots

The Startup4 screens
Suzerain4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Suzerain at 66% against The Startup's 5%. Suzerain also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.9) and monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription). The Startup's advantage is ratings volume (20K vs 1.4K) and iOS requirement (11 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. The Startup sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per 7 days and Suzerain sells 22 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Suzerain holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Startup has 20K ratings behind it against 1.4K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 5% of The Startup's written reviews are positive against 66% of Suzerain's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 17, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
The Startup versus Suzerain: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe StartupSuzerain
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (20K ratings)4.6 (1.4K ratings) — better
Positive reviews5.0% of reviews66.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings20K — better1.4K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS11 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size153 MB848 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperWolf GamingTorpor Games GmbH

Customer experience

The Startup

All ratings20,276 ratings
Positive73.2%
Neutral1.5%
Negative25.3%
Written reviews1,182 reviews
Positive5.0%
Neutral4.3%
Negative90.7%

Suzerain

All ratings1,385 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral2.9%
Negative5.8%
Written reviews749 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral10.1%
Negative23.8%

User reviews

The Startup

From 20K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Creative concept
  • 🚀 Interesting business simulation
  • 👍 Great graphics and UI

Room to improve

  • 💰 Excessive monetization and paywalls
  • ⏱️ Frequent long wait times
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 📖 Too much reading, not enough gameplay
  • 💰 Overpriced in-app purchases

Suzerain

From 1.4K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Good game
  • 👍 Immersive and engaging
  • 👍 Impressive world-building
  • 👍 Challenging and thought-provoking
  • 👍 Excellent replay value

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes
  • 🐛 Buggy and unstable
  • 🔒 Lack of save/load functionality
  • 🔒 Restricted content behind paywall
  • 🔒 Monetization issues (ads, in-app purchases)

Bugs and requests

The Startup

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and freezes
  • Purchases not registering correctly
  • Inconsistent and confusing UI

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to go back and change previous decisions
  • More freedom and control over business decisions
  • Longer and more engaging gameplay

Suzerain

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Crashes on startup or during gameplay
  • Inability to load or progress past certain points
  • Inconsistent or buggy behavior with in-game mechanics
  • Compatibility issues with certain devices or OS versions

Requested features

7 requests
  • Add Chinese language support
  • Implement save/load functionality
  • Expand the story and content
  • Improve performance and stability
  • Add voice narration or audio options
Show 2 more
  • Synchronize progress across devices
  • Provide more flexibility in playstyle

In-app purchases

10 purchases

The Startup

Subscriptions4
  • Premium Access$4.997 Days
  • Gold Membership$4.997 Days
  • Private Banking$29.997 Days
Show 1 more
  • Premium Access$79.991 Year
One-time6
  • Step Back$2.99
  • Small Money Pack$4.99
  • Medium Money Pack$9.99
Show 3 more
  • Big Money Pack$19.99
  • Super Big Money Pack$39.99
  • Legendary Money Pack$99.99
22 purchases

Suzerain

One-time22
  • 1-Day Ticket Promo 1$0.99
  • 3-Day Ticket Promo 2$1.99
  • 1-Day Ticket$1.99
Show 19 more
  • 3-Day Ticket$2.99
  • 3-Day Ticket$3.99
  • 7-Day Ticket Promo 1$3.99
  • 7-Day Ticket$6.99
  • 30-Day Ticket Promo 1$6.99
  • Rizia$6.99
  • Rizia Promo 1$7.99
  • Sordland Promo 1$8.99
  • Sordland$8.99
  • 30-Day Ticket$11.99
  • Extended Edition$11.99
  • Rizia$12.99
  • Rizia$14.99
  • Buy Full Game$17.99
  • Sordland2 variants$17.99
  • Expanded Edition Promo 1$29.99
  • Extended Edition$29.99
  • Expanded Edition$34.99
  • Lifetime Pass2 variants$89.99

Questions

Is The Startup free?
The Startup is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Suzerain free?
Suzerain is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Startup or Suzerain?
Suzerain is rated higher. The Startup averages 3.9 out of 5 from 20K ratings, while Suzerain averages 4.6 from 1.4K ratings.
Do The Startup or Suzerain have ads?
The Startup shows ads; Suzerain does not.
Which is updated more often, The Startup or Suzerain?
The Startup ships an update every 2 weeks, and Suzerain every 2 weeks. Most recently, The Startup was updated on October 17, 2026 and Suzerain on October 17, 2026.

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