# Back to Earth vs Fire Captain

The clearest difference is rating: Fire Captain at 4.2 against Back to Earth's 2.8. Fire Captain also leads on review sentiment (26% vs 0%) and update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). Back to Earth's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Back to Earth sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Fire Captain sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Fire Captain holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Fire Captain has 72 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Back to Earth's written reviews are positive against 26% of Fire Captain's.

Back to Earth ships an update every 3 weeks, Fire Captain weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Back to Earth | Fire Captain |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.8 (10 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/back-to-earth-junkman/id1623749893/reviews) | **[4.2 (72 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fire-captain/id6450490634/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 10 | **72** |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | **25.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 593 MB | 533 MB |
| Requires iOS | **10.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Marine Interactive Entertainment Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1620835954) | [Fuzhou Lingyuan Technology Co., Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1553040624) |

## What reviewers say

### Back to Earth

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/back-to-earth-junkman/id1623749893)

Rebuild civilization by exploring Earth's ruins for resources, developing technology, and managing staff. Enjoy idle gameplay with offline benefits and a weekly card privilege for enhanced progression.

**Highlights:** Explore and junkpick ruins, Research and develop technology, Deploy staff and manage resources, Plan and develop your continent, Casual and idle gameplay, Offline benefits

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Special-Offer Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Dice | $1.99 | one-time |
| A few EXP | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Coins | $1.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Marbles | $1.99 | one-time |
| Heap of Marbles | $4.99 | one-time |
| Weekly Card | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Customized Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Plenty of EXP | $9.99 | one-time |
| Construction Material Pack | $19.99 | one-time |


### Fire Captain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/fire-captain/id6450490634)

Lead a team of firefighters, doctors, and engineers in this casual strategy game. Build your base, recruit specialized personnel, and tackle exciting missions across various maps. Strategize your approach to overcome challenges and achieve success.

**Highlights:** Base building, Hire firefighters, doctors, engineers, Handle exciting missions, Multiple maps and missions, Recruit different heroes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| A Couple of Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| New Player Package | $1.99 | one-time |
| A Handful of Gems | $2.99 | one-time |
| ToolPackage | $3.99 | one-time |
| Growth Rewards VIP | $4.99 | one-time |
| A Pile of Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| VehiclePackage | $8.99 | one-time |
| A Sack of Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| ToolPackageUsualPrice | $12.99 | one-time |
| VehiclePackageUsualPrice | $29.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun game concept
- 💡 Fresh strategy game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Game unplayable due to bugs
- 🐛 Frequent freezing and crashing
- 🐛 Character gets stuck
- 🐛 Missions cannot be completed
- 🐛 Loading issues

**Reported bugs**

- Game stops at level 16
- Game will not load
- Maritime training drill rescue boat doesn't show up
- Boat unavailable in drill
- Helipad built but no aircraft

**Requested features**

- Make more levels
- Fix bugs before release
- Improve AI pathfinding
- More extinguishers for fires


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Back to Earth free?

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

### Is Fire Captain free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Back to Earth or Fire Captain?

Fire Captain is rated higher. Back to Earth averages 2.8 out of 5 from 10 ratings, while Fire Captain averages 4.2 from 72 ratings.

### Do Back to Earth or Fire Captain have ads?

Both Back to Earth and Fire Captain show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Back to Earth or Fire Captain?

Back to Earth ships an update every 3 weeks, and Fire Captain weekly. Most recently, Back to Earth was updated on October 14, 2026 and Fire Captain on October 27, 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.*