# Vactics vs Critical

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Vactics at 71% against Critical's 18%. Vactics also leads on ads (none vs shown). Critical's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Vactics sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per 3 months and Critical sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Critical holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 56 and 147 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Vactics's written reviews are positive against 18% of Critical's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Vactics ships an update every 3 weeks, Critical fortnightly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Vactics | Critical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.0 (56 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778/reviews) | **[4.4 (147 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/critical-incremental-reactor/id6446354857/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 56 | **147** |
| Positive reviews | **70.9% of reviews** | 18.2% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 309 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Gerard Delaney](https://appshunter.io/developer/1476170004) | [WaffleStack Studio LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1523413949) |

## What reviewers say

### Vactics

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vactics/id1561887778)

Engage in tactical, chess-like combat by building powerful mechs to battle robotic enemies. Face randomly generated challenges and fight for a better future in this strategic warfare game.

**Highlights:** Mech building, Tactical chess-like combat, Randomly generated challenges, Mech and tech upgrades, Extended campaign, Leaderboard competition

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Subscribe to Vactics Pro | $2.99 | per 3 months |
| Vactics Pro | $8.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 💡 Innovative gameplay mechanics
- 👍 Deep tactical gameplay
- 🎨 Gorgeous art style
- 🎶 Excellent synthwave score
- ✨ Well-balanced gameplay

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 High price for pro version
- 💸 Expensive subscription options
- 😩 Frustrating paywall
- ❓ Lacking tutorial explanations
- 🐌 Slow restart function

**Reported bugs**

- Combo attack bonus cancelled by heavy landing
- "Restore purchases" not working after update
- Cannot equip more than one ability
- Inconsistent combat: adjacent Vactic not hitting
- Cannot mount one tech in Chassis and one in Engine

**Requested features**

- Add more upgrades
- Add more game modes
- Add online co-op
- Add infinite wave competition
- Add diverging paths on map like FTL


### Critical

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/critical-incremental-reactor/id6446354857)

Manage a reactor to prevent it from becoming critical by delivering water. Earn money over time to unlock permanent upgrades and improve your survival capabilities. Invest wisely to extend your runs and uncover secrets.

**Highlights:** Reactor management, Incremental income generation, Permanent upgrades, Research and secrets, Survival gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 100 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Remove All Ads | $9.99 | one-time |
| 225 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Pro Pack | $14.99 | one-time |
| New Player Sale | $14.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gems | $14.99 | one-time |
| 800 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| 3000 Gems | $39.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Vactics free?

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

### Is Critical free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Vactics or Critical?

Critical is rated higher. Vactics averages 4.0 out of 5 from 56 ratings, while Critical averages 4.4 from 147 ratings.

### Do Vactics or Critical have ads?

Critical shows ads; Vactics does not.

### Which is updated more often, Vactics or Critical?

Vactics ships an update every 3 weeks, and Critical fortnightly. Most recently, Vactics was updated on November 3, 2026 and Critical on November 3, 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.*