# Pixel Starships™ vs Tiny Space Program

The clearest difference is ads: Pixel Starships™ at none against Tiny Space Program's shown. Pixel Starships™ also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (35K vs 1.7K). Tiny Space Program's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Pixel Starships™ sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month and Tiny Space Program sells 14 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Pixel Starships™ holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pixel Starships™ has 35K ratings behind it against 1.7K, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Pixel Starships™ ships an update every 10 days, Tiny Space Program every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pixel Starships™ | Tiny Space Program |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (35K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-starships/id321756558/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.7K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-space-program-sim-tycoon/id1552882487/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **35K** | 1.7K |
| Positive reviews | — | 81.1% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 450 MB | 32 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Savy Soda Pty Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/295726257) | [Jerry Neimann](https://appshunter.io/developer/926098645) |

## What reviewers say

### Pixel Starships™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pixel-starships/id321756558)

Command every aspect of your starship in a persistent online universe. Build, battle, explore, and manage resources in this 8-bit spaceship management game. Form alliances and conquer with friends.

**Highlights:** Build custom starships, Command multiple races and factions, Online player battles, Manage resources and power, Explore planets and secrets, Form alliances, Program AI for automatic combat

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| One Month Membership | $3.99 | per month |
| Special Offer | $1.99 | one-time |
| Clip of Starbux | $4.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Season Pass | $8.99 | one-time |
| Roll of Starbux | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $9.99 | one-time |
| Stash of Starbux | $19.99 | one-time |
| Special Offer | $19.99 | one-time |
| Case of Starbux | $49.99 | one-time |
| Bank of Starbux | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Decent game with no pay wall harassment
- 🚀 Great little game
- 🚀 Good game
- 🚀 Straight gas
- 🚀 Amazing game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy
- 🐛 Horrible backend, would not recommend for slower devices
- 🐛 Cleverly disguised ad farm
- 🐛 Needs some fixing
- 🐛 Unfair in battle

**Reported bugs**

- Crew abilities not working as intended
- Losing resources and trophies due to connection issues
- Ads not rewarding the promised amount of Starbux
- Scrolling issues when rearranging ship layout
- Inconsistent loading times

**Requested features**

- Lower how much bux people can ask for items and resources
- Set a limit on bux that's not too ridiculous
- Add more galaxies to explore
- Add larger ships
- Add smaller support craft that can fight alongside the main ship


### Tiny Space Program

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tiny-space-program-sim-tycoon/id1552882487)

Manage your own space agency, from designing and building rockets to launching missions for research, mining, or tourism. Explore planets and moons, establish off-world economies, and advance your technology in this interplanetary simulation.

**Highlights:** Space program management, Build off-world colonies, Launch rockets and spaceships, Research technologies, Mine resources from celestial bodies, Astronaut progression, Simulates orbital mechanics

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

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Supporting the game, thank you | $1.99 | one-time |
| Helping out, many thanks | $4.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $4.99 | one-time |
| Plasma Space Ship Package | $8.99 | one-time |
| You are great! Many thanks | $9.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 2 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Colonizer Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Experimental Dragon Ships | $9.99 | one-time |
| Aerospike space ship pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| A big pile of credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 3 | $19.99 | one-time |
| Biggest box of credits | $49.99 | one-time |
| Crystal Pack 4 | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome game
- 👍 No ads or pay-to-win
- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 🚀 Lots of depth and content
- 👍 Great for space enthusiasts

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches
- 🔧 Confusing UI and menus
- 💰 Difficult to earn credits/resources
- 🕰️ Slow progression and long wait times
- 🤔 Unclear tutorials and instructions

**Reported bugs**

- Buttons not working or unresponsive
- Disappearing ships and resources
- Crashes and freezes after updates
- Quests and missions not tracking properly

**Requested features**

- Add more planets and moons to explore
- Improve the economy and resource management
- Implement cloud/online save functionality
- Streamline the UI and make it more intuitive
- Expand the research and upgrade trees


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pixel Starships™ free?

Pixel Starships™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Tiny Space Program free?

Tiny Space Program is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Pixel Starships™ or Tiny Space Program?

Pixel Starships™ is rated higher. Pixel Starships™ averages 4.7 out of 5 from 35K ratings, while Tiny Space Program averages 4.5 from 1.7K ratings.

### Do Pixel Starships™ or Tiny Space Program have ads?

Tiny Space Program shows ads; Pixel Starships™ does not.

### Which is updated more often, Pixel Starships™ or Tiny Space Program?

Pixel Starships™ ships an update every 10 days, and Tiny Space Program every 2 months. Most recently, Pixel Starships™ was updated on October 14, 2026 and Tiny Space Program on October 9, 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.*