Star Duster vs TapTheGlow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Star Duster
Experience a retro-inspired arcade challenge that harks back to the 80s. Control your character through unique gameplay mechanics, including physical head movements via push-ups, and enjoy an immersive soundscape. Compete for high scores across two distinct game modes.
- Two distinct game modes
- High score lists
- Head control via push-ups (iOS)
- Retro 80s aesthetic
- Immersive soundscape
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***** "A rare Apple Watch game that's actually worth playing" - iMore ***** "A game you’ll return to" - GQ Magazine ***** "Travel back to the 80s" - AppAdvice Star Duster for iPhone and Apple Watch takes handheld games (and you) back to their origins: - Two game modes with different challenges, gameplay and high score lists! - Let's get physical! Get exercise and a new type of challenge by controlling Star Duster with your head through push ups (iOS) - A Beep-boop-ity soundscape that will get stuck on your brain! Star Duster is a prequel to the mobile arcade mayhem that is Star Jolt. Can it explain why the space junk is lined up so neatly?
TapTheGlow
Test your reflexes in this fast-paced game where you tap a glowing button before it disappears. Achieve high scores, build combos, and compete globally. Features multiple difficulty levels and daily challenges.
- Multiple difficulty levels
- Combo multiplier for bonus points
- Daily challenges for all players
- Local multiplayer (Pass & Play)
- Global leaderboards
- Reaction time statistics
- Seasonal themes and achievements
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TapTheGlow is the ultimate tap reaction game. A glowing button appears — tap it before it vanishes. Score combos, beat your high score, and see how long you can keep up as the speed increases. Simple to learn. Impossible to master. **FEATURES** - 3 difficulty levels — Easy, Normal, and Hard with separate high scores - Combo multiplier — tap fast to rack up bonus points - Daily Challenge — a new challenge every day, same for players worldwide - Pass & Play — take turns with up to 4 friends on one device - Game Center — compete on the global leaderboard - Streak system — build your daily streak and hit milestones - Achievements — 15+ hidden badges to unlock - Reaction time stats — track your average, best, and worst reaction times - Seasonal themes — special visuals for Halloween, Christmas, and more - Home screen widget — see your streak and daily challenge status at a glance - Apple Watch app — play directly on your wrist
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TapTheGlow at Free against Star Duster's $2.99. TapTheGlow also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Star Duster's advantage is chart position (#184 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (14.0 vs 26.2). On rating, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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
TapTheGlow is free to download; Star Duster costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Star Duster against 5.0 for TapTheGlow. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Star Duster ships an update every 3 weeks, TapTheGlow weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Star Duster | TapTheGlow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #184 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 — better | 26.2 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 2 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Beardybird AB | Bhavesh Sharma |
In-app purchases
Star Duster
No in-app purchases
TapTheGlow
No in-app purchases
