Comparison

SPACE INVADERS vs Defender 1

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

Head to head
About

SPACE INVADERS

Defend Earth from alien invaders in this classic arcade shooter. Relive the iconic gameplay with faithful recreations of original features, optimized controls, and multiple screen modes.

Highlights
  • Defend Earth from alien waves
  • Faithful recreation of original features
  • Optimized touch, on-screen, and tilt controls
  • Four screen modes
  • Bonus development material
Read full description

Experience the King of Shooting Games, the arcade hit that captured the hearts of legions of fans and took the world by storm! Use your cannon to defend Earth from waves of descending alien Invaders! All the features you remember have been faithfully recreated: the elusive UFOs, the "Nagoya Attack" technique, and the endless game play! This edition features three control methods optimized for the iPhone and iPad, four screen modes, and bonus extras including rare material from the original game's development! Controls: 1. Touch & drag controls 2. On-screen controls 3. Tilt controls Screen Modes: 1. Color 2. Toggle Background 3. Cellophane Overlay 4. Monochrome Language: 1. English 2. Italiano 3. Français 4. Deutsch 5. Español 6. 日本語

About

Defender 1

Relive a classic arcade experience by defending astronauts from alien abduction and destroying enemy ships. Be careful not to harm the astronauts, as their safety is crucial to preventing planetary destruction and mutant alien transformations.

Highlights
  • Defend astronauts from aliens
  • Obliterate enemy spaceships
  • Avoid friendly fire
  • Prevent planetary explosion
  • Mutant alien transformations
Features
Read full description

DEFENDER 1 brings the excitement of classic 1980s arcade action to your mobile device! Take control of your spacecraft and defend the planet from relentless waves of alien invaders. Your mission is simple—but surviving it won't be. Protect the astronauts on the planet's surface as alien Landers attempt to abduct them. Destroy the enemy ships, rescue the astronauts, and watch your fire—an astronaut caught in the crossfire is one less person you can save. Fail to protect the astronauts and the consequences are catastrophic: the planet will be destroyed and the surviving aliens will transform into deadly Mutants! Battle a variety of enemies, master fast-paced arcade combat, and push your skills to the limit as the action becomes increasingly intense. Features include: Classic arcade-inspired space combat Fast-paced alien battles Astronaut rescue missions Multiple enemy types with different behaviors Touch controls and game controller support Customizable gamepad controls High-score tracking Retro-inspired graphics and gameplay Defend the astronauts. Destroy the invaders. Save the planet. How long can you survive in DEFENDER 1?

Screenshots

SPACE INVADERS4 screens
Defender 14 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SPACE INVADERS at 4.1 against Defender 1's 3.5. SPACE INVADERS also leads on update cadence (every 5 months vs every 38 months) and review sentiment (59% vs 31%). Defender 1's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $4.99). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

SPACE INVADERS costs $4.99 and Defender 1 $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SPACE INVADERS holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SPACE INVADERS has 82 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 59% of SPACE INVADERS's written reviews are positive against 31% of Defender 1's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SPACE INVADERS ships an update every 5 months, Defender 1 every 38 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
SPACE INVADERS versus Defender 1: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSPACE INVADERSDefender 1
Price$4.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.1 (82 ratings) — better3.5 (2 ratings)
Positive reviews58.8% of reviews — better31.0% of reviews
Number of ratings82 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 38 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.6
Further details — not scored
Size93 MB45 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTAITO CorporationAPD Consulting, Inc.

Customer experience

SPACE INVADERS

All ratings82 ratings
Positive76.8%
Neutral6.1%
Negative17.1%
Written reviews323 reviews
Positive58.8%
Neutral11.8%
Negative29.4%

Defender 1

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews71 reviews
Positive31.0%
Neutral4.2%
Negative64.8%

User reviews

SPACE INVADERS

From 82 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Faithful recreation of the original
  • 👍 Variety of control options
  • 👍 Authentic sounds and visuals
  • 👍 Nostalgic experience
  • 👍 Good value for classic game

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unresponsive controls
  • 🔍 Small gameplay screen
  • 💰 Overpriced for a classic game
  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches

Defender 1

From 2 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Faithful recreation of original game
  • 🤩 Nostalgic experience
  • 💰 Good value for price
  • ✨ Good graphics
  • 🕹️ Joystick option available

Room to improve

  • 👎 Awful, unresponsive controls
  • 🐌 Very slow gameplay
  • 💥 Frequent crashes
  • 🔇 No sound or intermittent sound
  • 🕹️ Poorly spaced controls

Bugs and requests

SPACE INVADERS

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Firing sound cuts out
  • Game freezes and crashes
  • Controls stop working after updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Landscape mode
  • Leaderboards and achievements
  • More game modes and content updates
  • Improved controls and sensitivity

Defender 1

Reported bugs

7 issues
  • No sound on iPad
  • No sound on iPhone
  • Intermittent sound
  • App crashes often
  • Enemies don't move
Show 2 more
  • Ship doesn't continue moving after thrusters stop
  • Lasers don't react properly when changing direction

Requested features

10 requests
  • Update to fix sound issues
  • Update to fix crashing
  • Enable game controller support
  • Improve control responsiveness
  • Adjust control spacing
Show 5 more
  • Add vertical-only joystick option
  • Add tilt control for travel motion
  • Add separate button for direction change
  • Add more stages
  • Improve graphics (less pixelated)

In-app purchases

None

SPACE INVADERS

No in-app purchases

None

Defender 1

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SPACE INVADERS free?
SPACE INVADERS costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Defender 1 free?
Defender 1 costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SPACE INVADERS or Defender 1?
SPACE INVADERS is rated higher. SPACE INVADERS averages 4.1 out of 5 from 82 ratings, while Defender 1 averages 3.5 from 2 ratings.
Do SPACE INVADERS or Defender 1 have ads?
Neither SPACE INVADERS nor Defender 1 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SPACE INVADERS or Defender 1?
SPACE INVADERS ships an update every 5 months, and Defender 1 every 38 months. Most recently, SPACE INVADERS was updated on October 14, 2026 and Defender 1 on October 12, 2026.

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