# Building Arcadia vs Mars

The clearest difference is rating: Building Arcadia at 4.2 against Mars's 2.3. Building Arcadia also leads on ratings volume (52 vs 3). Mars's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Building Arcadia sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Mars sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Building Arcadia holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Building Arcadia has 52 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 23% of Building Arcadia's written reviews are positive against 20% of Mars's.

Building Arcadia ships an update every 2 months, Mars every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on July 5, 2026 and September 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Building Arcadia | Mars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.2 (52 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/building-arcadia/id1592808957/reviews)** | [2.3 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-colonization/id1644154430/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **52** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **23.1% of reviews** | 20.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 309 MB | 402 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Papanix Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/1567072174) | [Paul Noack](https://appshunter.io/developer/1541962473) |

## What reviewers say

### Building Arcadia

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/building-arcadia/id1592808957)

Build a sci-fi utopia on a new planet as the first Grand Architect. Manage resources, expand your city with futuristic buildings, and uncover ancient secrets and threats in this story-driven idle builder.

**Highlights:** Story-driven gameplay with comedy, Active design with meaningful tasks, Manage 40+ procedurally generated locations, Expand with 25+ futuristic buildings, Battle ancient evils and discover anomalies, Idle and incremental gameplay, Offline play

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Smallest Karma pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Karma pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Karma Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Karma pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Largest Karma pack | $19.99 | one-time |
| Karma Chest | $48.99 | one-time |


### Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-colonization/id1644154430)

Build and manage a thriving colony on Mars in the year 2050. Explore the planet, research new technologies, and collaborate with other colonies to overcome daily challenges and establish a new civilization.

**Highlights:** Explore Mars with Rovers, Collaborate on Mega Builds, Help Citizens with Minigames, Research New Technologies, Build Colony Structures, Collect and Study Stone Samples

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tiny Antimatter Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Small Antimatter Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Medium Antimatter Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Antimatter Pack | $8.99 | one-time |
| Small Bundle | $12.99 | one-time |
| Medium Bundle | $13.99 | one-time |
| Extra Large Antimatter Pack | $24.99 | one-time |
| Large Bundle | $31.99 | one-time |
| Medium Bundle | $34.99 | one-time |
| Large Bundle | $69.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Building Arcadia free?

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

### Is Mars free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Building Arcadia or Mars?

Building Arcadia is rated higher. Building Arcadia averages 4.2 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while Mars averages 2.3 from 3 ratings.

### Do Building Arcadia or Mars have ads?

Both Building Arcadia and Mars show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Building Arcadia or Mars?

Building Arcadia ships an update every 2 months, and Mars every 4 days. Most recently, Building Arcadia was updated on July 5, 2026 and Mars on September 11, 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.*