Comparison

BattleBase vs Faction Battle System

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

BattleBase

Manage your tabletop wargaming battles with guided setup, phase-by-phase turn tracking, and automatic scoring. Keep track of command points, stratagems, and victory points effortlessly. Connect with friends and review your battle history.

Highlights
  • Guided battle setup
  • Phase-by-phase turn tracking
  • Automatic victory point scoring
  • Command point and stratagem management
  • Connect with friends
  • Battle event logs
  • Dice roller
  • Chess timer
Features
Read full description

WARHAMMER 40,000 ROSTERS & BATTLES Build and validate army lists, then run the game from setup to final score, all in one place. BattleBase is built for matched play with current mission packs, and stays in sync across phones, tablets, and the web. ROSTER BUILDER Create BattleBase rosters with detachment rules, validations, tags, and filters. Browse faction datasheets, run Mathhammer on your units, print or share lists, and export to Yellowscribe for Tabletop Simulator. Import lists from other builders when you already have a list elsewhere. GUIDED BATTLE SETUP Choose battle size, attach rosters, pick your mission pack, deployment, and terrain layout, set secondary objectives, deploy, decide who goes first, and work through pre-battle steps—then start the battle when you’re ready. PHASE-BY-PHASE CONTROL Move through each battle round and phase the way the rules expect. Score primary and secondary objectives at the right times, handle mission-specific steps, and keep both players aligned on what happens next. VICTORY POINT SCORING Tap to award primary and secondary VP when it’s legal. Track totals and per-objective progress during the game, including limits and end-of-battle scoring where the mission requires it. COMMAND POINTS & STRATAGEMS Gain CP at the start of your turn, see what you can spend, and activate stratagems for the current phase with one tap. Per-phase limits help prevent double-spending the same stratagem. CONNECT WITH FRIENDS Link battles to player accounts, compare head-to-head history, and follow friends’ public games in the activity feed. BATTLE EVENT LOGS & PHOTOS Review stratagems, scoring, CP changes, and other events in order. Add battlefield photos to the log as the game unfolds. BATTLE HISTORY & STATS Browse past games with names, scores, and events. View personal stats such as win–loss and average points on your profile. SHARED EXPERIENCE Both players see the same battle state—objectives, VP, CP, secondaries, and relevant stratagem info—so you’re never arguing over the scoreboard. MULTI-DEVICE SUPPORT Run the battle on a laptop or tablet at the table, on each player’s phone, or all at once. BattleBase keeps every device in sync. DICE ROLLER Roll large batches quickly, with rerolls and sustained hits when you need them. CHESS TIMER Use pass-and-pause timing for practice games or tournament prep—or so you actually finish before dinner. LIVESTREAM OVERLAY Copy an OBS-friendly overlay during setup or in-game to show scores and battle info on Twitch, YouTube, and similar platforms. RULES & REFERENCE Browse 11th edition core rules, mission packs, deployments, and missions in the app. Search factions, datasheets, players, and more from the global search tab. COMMUNITY Discover events and gaming locations, view global and faction rankings, and join leagues for ongoing competition with your group (league creation and several advanced tools are part of BattleBase Supporter). BATTLEBASE SUPPORTER Optional subscription unlocks extras such as army galleries, unlimited battle photos, King of the Colosseum, league management, deployment practice, early access features, and more—while helping fund ongoing development. …and much more! Please refer to www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ for terms of use.

About

Faction Battle System

Bring video game excitement to real-world play with this app. It structures games with objectives and tracks every action, allowing players to focus on the fun. Designed to work with specific blasters, turrets, beacons, and drones.

Highlights
  • Objective-based gameplay
  • Real-world action tracking
  • Team elimination modes
  • Battle Royale
  • Capture the Flag
  • Target practice modes
Features
Read full description

With the Faction Battle System App, all the excitement of a video game is brought to life in the real world! Bring structure to your game with objectives your team must accomplish to win. Every real-world action is tracked by the Faction Battle App! It manages the game so you can focus on the fun. NOTE: This app is designed to work with the Faction Battle System Spectre and Havoc Gel Bead Blasters, Sentinel R/C Turret, Faction Beacons, and the Faction SkyFire Drone (each sold separately). The Faction Battle System Includes - *Target Practice - Beacon - Try to get the highest score as you target the Beacon! - ***Target Practice - Drone, 1P - Try to get the highest score as you target the flying SkyFire Drone! - ***Target Practice - Drone, 2P - Pass your mobile device to a friend and have them control the SkyFire Drone as you target it to get the highest score! - ***Fly Drone - Control the SkyFire Drone with your mobile device for fun, or to let a friend target it to score hits! - *Online Target Practice - Challenge players over the Internet and try to get the best score in Target Practice! - Team Elimination - Up to 16 player action! Choose a team and try to eliminate the other side as the battlefield shrinks. Use the Faction Spectre and Havoc Blasters to chat with teammates and indicate hits, while the App tracks the battlefield in real time! - Battle Royale - Try to eliminate all other players as the battlefield shrinks. - *Defuse the Bomb - Two teams try to successfully set the bomb and defend it, or try to defuse the bomb before it goes off! - King of the Hill - Score as many points as possible while defending your position on the Hill! - **Capture the Flag - Try to capture your team’s Flag and return it to your home base! - Tower Defense - Try to capture the other team’s Tower before they capture yours! - Zombies vs. Humans - Zombies try to get close enough to the Humans to infect them! Humans try to take out Zombies before they become Zombies themselves! - Battlefield Takeover - Try to capture and hold a series of waypoints before the other team does! * Requires a Faction Beacon to play. ** Requires 2 Faction Beacons to play. *** Requires a Faction SkyFire Drone to play

Screenshots

BattleBase4 screens
Faction Battle System4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: BattleBase at 75% against Faction Battle System's 29%. BattleBase also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.1). Faction Battle System's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 4 weeks vs every 6 months). On price, ads and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BattleBase sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Faction Battle System asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BattleBase holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 142 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 75% of BattleBase's written reviews are positive against 29% of Faction Battle System's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BattleBase ships an update every 6 months, Faction Battle System every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
BattleBase versus Faction Battle System: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBattleBaseFaction Battle System
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (29 ratings) — better2.1 (142 ratings)
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews — better28.8% of reviews
Number of ratings29142 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 4 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.414.7 — better
Further details — not scored
Size119 MB113 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMark McFarlaneSkyrocket, LLC

Customer experience

BattleBase

All ratings28 ratings
Positive92.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Faction Battle System

All ratings142 ratings
Positive24.6%
Neutral4.2%
Negative71.1%
Written reviews66 reviews
Positive28.8%
Neutral3.0%
Negative68.2%

Bugs and requests

BattleBase

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Faction Battle System

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App does not detect or connect to blaster
  • Max CCU unknown error on app startup
  • Orange ring prevents device connection
  • Spinning wheel of death during updates
  • Bluetooth connection drops mid-pairing
Show 6 more
  • Gun locks after app disconnection
  • Solid blue light indicates bricked device
  • QR code shows 'Game does not exist' error
  • App freezes requiring phone restart
  • Drone motors fail after limited use
  • Update process corrupts device firmware

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to use gun without app requirement
  • Offline mode functionality
  • More game modes and features
  • Better documentation and user guides
  • Standalone gun operation without Bluetooth
Show 1 more
  • Improved QR code system for game joining

In-app purchases

1 purchases

BattleBase

Subscriptions1
  • BattleBase Supporter$4.991 Month
None

Faction Battle System

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BattleBase free?
BattleBase is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Faction Battle System free?
Faction Battle System is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BattleBase or Faction Battle System?
BattleBase is rated higher. BattleBase averages 4.7 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while Faction Battle System averages 2.1 from 142 ratings.
Do BattleBase or Faction Battle System have ads?
Neither BattleBase nor Faction Battle System shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BattleBase or Faction Battle System?
BattleBase ships an update every 6 months, and Faction Battle System every 4 weeks. Most recently, BattleBase was updated on October 25, 2026 and Faction Battle System on October 22, 2026.

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