# Tiny Space Program vs Ellipse

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Tiny Space Program | Ellipse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.5 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-space-program-sim-tycoon/id1552882487/reviews) | **[4.7 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ellipse-rocket-simulator/id6738509541/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | **79.6% of reviews** | 77.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 32 MB | 245 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jerry Neimann](https://appshunter.io/developer/926098645) | [Starwelds](https://appshunter.io/developer/1895565220) |

## What reviewers say

### Tiny Space Program

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-space-program-sim-tycoon/id1552882487)

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.

**Highlights:** Space program management, Build off-world colonies, Launch rockets and spaceships, Research technologies, Mine resources from celestial bodies, Astronaut progression, Simulates orbital mechanics

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporting the game, thank you | $1.99 | one-time |
| Helping out, many thanks | $4.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Plasma Space Ship Package | $8.99 | one-time |
| You are great! Many thanks | $9.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Colonizer Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Experimental Dragon Ships | $9.99 | one-time |
| Aerospike space ship pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| A big pile of credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Biggest box of credits | $49.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 4 | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome game
- 👍 No ads or pay-to-win
- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Lots of depth and content
- 👍 Great for space enthusiasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔧 Confusing UI and menus
- 💰 Difficult to earn credits/resources
- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🤔 Unclear tutorials and instructions

**Reported bugs**

- Buttons not working or unresponsive
- Disappearing ships and resources
- Crashes and freezes after updates
- Quests and missions not tracking properly

**Requested features**

- 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


### Ellipse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ellipse-rocket-simulator/id6738509541)

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.

**Highlights:** Rocket design and customization, Realistic orbital mechanics, Explore celestial bodies, Dynamic physics engine, Space exploration simulation

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

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Large Parts | $2.99 | one-time |
| Heavy Lift Program | $4.99 | one-time |
| Expansion | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Realistic simulation
- 👍 Fun and entertaining
- 👍 Good graphics
- 👍 No ads
- 👍 Inspires interest in spaceflight

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 No delete button
- 🐛 Physics issues
- 🐛 Unrealistic re-entry
- 🐛 Laggy performance
- 🐛 Difficult to control rockets

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Tiny Space Program free?

Tiny Space Program is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ellipse free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Tiny Space Program or Ellipse?

Ellipse is rated higher. Tiny Space Program averages 4.5 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while Ellipse averages 4.7 from 2K ratings.

### Do Tiny Space Program or Ellipse have ads?

Tiny Space Program shows ads; Ellipse does not.

### Which is updated more often, Tiny Space Program or Ellipse?

Tiny Space Program ships an update monthly, and Ellipse monthly. Most recently, Tiny Space Program was updated on September 23, 2026 and Ellipse on September 25, 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.*