# Nova Island vs Rage Mage

Nova Island and Rage Mage both sit at 4.3 stars, but that hides the real split: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 52% of Rage Mage's. Rage Mage's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Nova Island sells 66 one-off in-app purchases and Rage Mage sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Nova Island against 4.2 for Rage Mage. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 237 and 579 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 60% of Nova Island's written reviews are positive against 52% of Rage Mage's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nova Island | Rage Mage |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.3 (237 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111/reviews)** | [4.2 (579 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rage-mage/id1660215397/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 237 | **579** |
| Positive reviews | **60.4% of reviews** | 51.8% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 262 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thirteen Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1526357113) | [Modo Game](https://appshunter.io/developer/1485200031) |

## What reviewers say

### Nova Island

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nova-island/id1526357111)

Engage in strategic card battles with cute anime-inspired characters. Collect friends, powers, and skins while competing in PvP matches or embarking on an adventure. Build decks and master unique playstyles.

**Highlights:** Collectible card battles, Strategic deck building, PvP and PvE modes, Character collection, Cosmetic customization, Daily challenges, Draft mode

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (66)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 90 Island Credits | $0.99 | one-time |
| Researcher’s Starter Bundle | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 2 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Bundle 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| 4th Anniversary Emotes Bundle1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Halloween Juice Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Max Halloween Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| Artillery Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Doodle Branehart Emote | $0.99 | one-time |
| 75 Island Credits | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Power Outage Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Researcher's Starter Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Circuit Boiz Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Rerun Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Sprynk Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hackmaster Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Escape Pod Activate | $1.99 | one-time |
| Novas Special BF | $1.99 | one-time |
| Food Emote Bundle | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Legendary Skin | $1.99 | one-time |
| Cannonball Level Up | $1.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $2.99 | one-time |
| Mage Rerun | $2.99 | one-time |
| Oddball Filthy Clean Skin | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |
| Giving Tree Level Up | $2.99 | one-time |
| New Season Novium Special | $2.99 | one-time |
| Greenhouse Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Daily Login Bonus | $3.99 | one-time |
| Rainbow Gemma Skin | $3.99 | one-time |
| Gemma Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| EOY Winter Skins 2024 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Sparki | $3.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Giving Tree | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmicosi Activate | $3.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Kitten | $3.99 | one-time |
| Arcade Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Ghost Blazer | $3.99 | one-time |
| Candy Weade | $3.99 | one-time |
| Frankenjazzy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 575 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| ULTIMATE Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Party Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bloom King BC Special | $4.99 | one-time |
| 80s Sparki | $4.99 | one-time |
| Observatory Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| 225 Island Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Intranet Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| Activation Starter Bundle | $5.99 | one-time |
| One Cent and IP | $6.99 | one-time |
| Khrys and Flutter | $6.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Cats | $8.99 | one-time |
| 1175 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nova Tree Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Welcome Bundle 5 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack C | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hooligan Bundle | $9.99 | one-time |
| Boost Pack B | $9.99 | one-time |
| 480 Island Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Ancient 9 Skins | $14.99 | one-time |
| EOY Credits Special 2024 | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2400 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Super Boost Pack C | $19.99 | one-time |
| 1020 Island Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| 2155 Island Credits | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Unique gameplay mechanics
- 🎨 Appealing art style and animations
- 💰 Completely free-to-play, no pay-to-win
- 🕹️ Engaging strategic depth
- 🌟 Underrated and deserves more attention

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🎲 Excessive reliance on RNG
- 🔁 Repetitive and swingy gameplay
- 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy unlock system
- ⚖️ Unbalanced card/character power levels
- 🐛 Occasional crashes and connectivity issues

**Reported bugs**

- Soft-locking tutorial
- Inconsistent performance on some devices

**Requested features**

- Offline mode or paid full version
- Ability to play with friends
- More character/card customization options
- Improved tutorial and onboarding experience


### Rage Mage

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rage-mage/id1660215397)

Embark on a magical adventure on a mysterious island, drawing cards to acquire powerful equipment and upgrade your abilities. Explore ancient runes, forge mystical gear, and engage in strategic duels to conquer a world filled with challenges.

**Highlights:** Card drawing for equipment, Equipment upgrading, Star chart and gem bonuses, Mystical altar and rune upgrades, Ranking battles and magic duels, Stage challenges and strategy building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purchase Diamond 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| In-game purchase service 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Month card | $3.99 | one-time |
| stone month card | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Diamond 2 | $4.99 | one-time |
| In-game purchase service 3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| In-game purchase service 6 | $14.99 | one-time |
| In-game purchase service 4 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Diamond 3 | $29.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Diamond 4 | $49.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Diamond 5 | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- ⏱️ Efficient auto-play features
- 💎 Generous free-to-play progression
- 🤝 Engaging guild system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Heavily pay-to-win
- 🕰️ Repetitive and grindy progression
- 🔍 Lack of content and endgame
- 🤖 Unbalanced PvP matchmaking

**Reported bugs**

- Account reset issues
- Unreliable drop rates and event rewards

**Requested features**

- Faster card opening and rune activation
- More diverse character customization options
- Cross-server communication and events
- Improved guild management tools


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nova Island free?

Nova Island is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Rage Mage free?

Rage Mage is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Nova Island or Rage Mage?

Nova Island is rated higher. Nova Island averages 4.3 out of 5 from 237 ratings, while Rage Mage averages 4.2 from 579 ratings.

### Do Nova Island or Rage Mage have ads?

Neither Nova Island nor Rage Mage shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nova Island or Rage Mage?

Nova Island ships an update every 3 weeks, and Rage Mage every 3 weeks. Most recently, Nova Island was updated on October 22, 2026 and Rage Mage on October 27, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*