Comparison

Tractor Beam vs The Planet Fighter

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

Head to head
About

Tractor Beam

Pilot a ship through an asteroid field using only a tractor beam. Slingshot your vessel and use the beam to manipulate asteroids, creating a unique and challenging arcade experience. Enjoy dynamic music or play your own.

Highlights
  • Tractor beam mechanics
  • Asteroid field navigation
  • Multi-touch gameplay
  • Procedurally generated music
  • Portrait and landscape modes
  • Three difficulty levels
Features
Read full description

Your engines are down. Use your tractor beams to move. "Some of the most fun we've had with $0.99 on the iPhone and we still can't put it down" - Slide To Play Tractor beam is a powerfully simple and addictive arcade game inspired by the classics. Unarmed and out of fuel, to survive you must slingshot your ship through an asteroid field using only your tractor beam. But the beam will also send the asteroids on a collision course with your ship, making for a unique challenge as you press onward to earn points. Tractor Beam can be played in either portrait or landscape orientation, and multi-touch gameplay allows for more than one beam and complex strategies. The procedurally generated background music is never the same twice, or choose to listen to your own music from within the iPod application. - Classic arcade look and feel - Multi-touch gameplay - Three levels of difficulty - Dynamic music is created on-the-fly - Allows for music from other applications

About

The Planet Fighter

Features
Read full description

Invaders of the galaxy are destroying many planets all around however they have made a wrong choice of enemy this time, YOU. Their numbers and firepower seems much higher but it is nothing to a patriot like you who is willing to defend the motherland. You have protected your home many times before these invaders even existed and this is like a walk in the park for you but they do not know it yet. Shoot and clear the fleets of invaders to advance and watch out for the divers. Collect the shield and protect yourself.

Screenshots

Tractor Beam3 screens
The Planet Fighter3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: The Planet Fighter at Free against Tractor Beam's $0.99. Tractor Beam's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 6 months vs every 16 months). On in-app purchases 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

The Planet Fighter is free to download; Tractor Beam costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Tractor Beam ships an update every 6 months, The Planet Fighter every 16 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Tractor Beam versus The Planet Fighter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTractor BeamThe Planet Fighter
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating5.0 (6 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews82.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings6 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 6 months — betterEvery 16 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size8 MB25 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperManufacturing ContentSafak Yalcinkaya

In-app purchases

None

Tractor Beam

No in-app purchases

None

The Planet Fighter

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Tractor Beam free?
Tractor Beam costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is The Planet Fighter free?
The Planet Fighter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Tractor Beam or The Planet Fighter have ads?
The Planet Fighter shows ads; Tractor Beam does not.
Which is updated more often, Tractor Beam or The Planet Fighter?
Tractor Beam ships an update every 6 months, and The Planet Fighter every 16 months. Most recently, Tractor Beam was updated on November 6, 2026 and The Planet Fighter on November 7, 2026.

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