Tiny Space Program vs Ellipse
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Tiny Space Program
Manage your own space agency, from designing and building rockets to launching missions for research, mining, or tourism. Explore planets and moons, establish off-world economies, and advance your technology in this interplanetary simulation.
- Space program management
- Build off-world colonies
- Launch rockets and spaceships
- Research technologies
- Mine resources from celestial bodies
- Astronaut progression
- Simulates orbital mechanics
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Build and run your own space program — like SpaceX, but yours. Launch rockets, manage astronauts, mine planets, and colonize the solar system from the Moon to beyond the Kuiper Belt. WHAT WOULD YOU DO AS A SPACE BILLIONAIRE? Send tourists on a spacewalk? Start a mining operation on Titan? Build a space station around Mars? In Tiny Space Program you manage the early colonization of our solar system — based on real orbital mechanics and ship propulsion. BUILD YOUR SPACE AGENCY - Launch rockets and spaceships into orbit - Build off-world colonies, outposts, and modular space stations - Mine resources on moons, planets, and dwarf planets - Research new technologies and better spacecraft - Level up your astronauts and equip spacesuits - Establish off-world economies and trade A CHILL GAME, NOT A CHORE No forced ads, no daily-streak punishments. Play at your own pace — run an hour-long research expedition, take tourists on a quick tour, then put it down and come back later. Mines keep producing while you're away. MADE BY ONE DEVELOPER Actively updated (space stations, automation, dwarf planets, and vehicles all shipped recently). Join the Discord and help shape what comes next.
Ellipse
Design, build, and launch rockets with realistic orbital mechanics. Explore celestial bodies and experience dynamic physics for a true-to-life space simulation. Ideal for aspiring engineers and space enthusiasts.
- Rocket design and customization
- Realistic orbital mechanics
- Explore celestial bodies
- Dynamic physics engine
- Space exploration simulation
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Build your own vehicles and conduct your own space missions to explore space. Launch capsules, satellites, land on the Moon, land on Mars. - Real orbital mechanics and physics, nothing is faked - Planets based on real solar system data - Thrilling visual effects - No ads, no account required, free to download
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Ellipse at none against Tiny Space Program's shown. Ellipse also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5). Tiny Space Program's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, review sentiment, ratings volume and update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Tiny Space Program sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and Ellipse sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Ellipse holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.6K and 2K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Tiny Space Program's written reviews are positive against 77% of Ellipse's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Tiny Space Program | Ellipse |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (1.6K ratings) | 4.7 (2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 79.6% of reviews — better | 77.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | 2K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 245 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jerry Neimann | Starwelds |
Customer experience
Tiny Space Program
Ellipse
User reviews
Tiny Space Program
From 1.6K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Awesome game
- 👍 No ads or pay-to-win
- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Lots of depth and content
- 👍 Great for space enthusiasts
Room to improve
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔧 Confusing UI and menus
- 💰 Difficult to earn credits/resources
- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🤔 Unclear tutorials and instructions
Ellipse
From 2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Realistic simulation
- 👍 Fun and entertaining
- 👍 Good graphics
- 👍 No ads
- 👍 Inspires interest in spaceflight
Room to improve
- 🐛 No delete button
- 🐛 Physics issues
- 🐛 Unrealistic re-entry
- 🐛 Laggy performance
- 🐛 Difficult to control rockets
Bugs and requests
Tiny Space Program
Reported bugs
4 issues- Buttons not working or unresponsive
- Disappearing ships and resources
- Crashes and freezes after updates
- Quests and missions not tracking properly
Requested features
6 requests- Add more planets and moons to explore
- Improve the economy and resource management
- Implement cloud/online save functionality
- Streamline the UI and make it more intuitive
- Expand the research and upgrade trees
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- Add more animations and visual effects
Ellipse
Reported bugs
12 issues- Connected parts don't work
- Staging issues (last stage goes first)
- Fairings don't attach
- Cannot delete after spawning samples
- Detached parts don't detach
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Game freezes during missions
- Parachute gets cut before launch
- Expansion pack causes build issues
- Glitches on iPad
- Rocket parts don't separate
- Capsule doesn't separate from rocket near the moon
- Build area barrier
Requested features
49 requests- Add more planets
- Add astronauts
- Add a delete button
- Add more parts (solar panel, battery, antenna, wing, landing leg, chassis, monopropellant tank, docking port)
- Add electricity consumption
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- Add plane flight mechanics
- Add planet navigation (like SFS)
- Improve RCS control
- Improve plane aerodynamics
- Improve RCS in docking mode
- Add launch instructions
- Add symmetry feature
- Add staging mechanic
- Add modding or community made packs
- Add individual save slots
- Add more free stuff
- Add engine mounts
- Add SRB customizations
- Make fuel tanks adjustable
- Add emergency escape towers
- Add Jupiter and its moons
- Add Deimos (Mars' second moon)
- Add gas giants and their moons
- Add controllers support
- Add better damage and break apart models
- Add rovers
- Add Saturn V rocket parts
- Add free space shuttle
- Adjust planet speed
- Add more buildings around Earth
- Make planets more detailed
- Add more expansion parts
- Make build area better
- Remove build area barrier
- Add Saturn V rocket
- Add gas giants
- Add gas giant moons
- Add Deimos
- Add Jupiter and its 4 biggest moons
- Add more free parts
- Add tutorial on how to build
- Improve realism
- Add space stations
- Add more capsules
- Add bigger fuel tanks
- Add bigger rocket booster fuel
- Add more detailed graphics
- Add more parts to build planes
- Add a tutorial for maneuvers
In-app purchases
Tiny Space Program
- Supporting the game, thank you$1.99
- Helping out, many thanks$4.99
- Crystal Pack 1$4.99
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- Starter Pack$4.99
- Plasma Space Ship Package$8.99
- You are great! Many thanks$9.99
- Crystal Pack 2$9.99
- Colonizer Pack$9.99
- Experimental Dragon Ships$9.99
- Aerospike space ship pack$9.99
- A big pile of credits$19.99
- Crystal Pack 3$19.99
- Biggest box of credits$49.99
- Crystal Pack 4$49.99
Ellipse
- Large Parts$2.99
- Heavy Lift Program$4.99
- Expansion$4.99
Questions
Is Tiny Space Program free?
Is Ellipse free?
Which has better reviews, Tiny Space Program or Ellipse?
Do Tiny Space Program or Ellipse have ads?
Which is updated more often, Tiny Space Program or Ellipse?
Other comparisons
