# Taipan! Mobile vs Hexapolis

The clearest difference is rating: Hexapolis at 4.6 against Taipan! Mobile's 3.5. Hexapolis also leads on ratings volume (2K vs 128) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Taipan! Mobile's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (56% vs 34%). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Hexapolis sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Hexapolis holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Hexapolis has 2K ratings behind it against 128, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of Taipan! Mobile's written reviews are positive against 34% of Hexapolis's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Hexapolis every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Taipan! Mobile | Hexapolis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962/reviews) | **[4.6 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hexapolis-civilization-game/id1559236448/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 128 | **2K** |
| Positive reviews | **56.3% of reviews** | 33.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 265 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Fair Oaks Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327652659) | [NOXGAMES s.r.o.](https://appshunter.io/developer/860010783) |

## What reviewers say

### Taipan! Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962)

Experience a classic 1980s trading and adventure game set in the 1860s Western Pacific. Sail, trade exotic goods, battle pirates, and evade authorities. The game offers a nostalgic visual style with a modern mobile interface.

**Highlights:** Sail the Western Pacific, Trade exotic goods, Battle pirates, Evade customs officials, Fend off criminals, Pay tribute to Tin Hau

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Faithful recreation of classic 1980s Apple II game
- ⚡ Turbo feature speeds up lengthy battle animations
- 💾 Auto-save functionality preserves progress
- 🎯 Addictive gameplay mechanics remain engaging
- 📱 Smooth mobile adaptation with intuitive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Deceptive freemium model with paywall after 5-15 minutes
- ⚠️ Unclear pricing disclosure at download
- 🎲 Difficulty appears artificially inflated compared to original
- 🔄 Restore purchase fails across devices requiring repayment
- 🎯 Limited gun/ship upgrade opportunities

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchase fails on new devices, requiring repayment
- Game doesn't save properly when home button pressed mid-transaction
- Cannot trade after returning from interrupted session
- Restore purchase temporarily works then requests payment again
- Game freezes or crashes on iOS 11+ for some users

**Requested features**

- Sound effects and audio from original game
- Option to start with 5 guns and no debt
- Ability to purchase upgrades more frequently
- Modern graphics enhancement or Taipan 2 version
- Larger warehouse capacity and expandable storage


### Hexapolis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hexapolis-civilization-game/id1559236448)

Build a small village into a thriving kingdom in this turn-based strategy game. Expand your territory, construct buildings, train armies, and research technologies to conquer rivals and achieve victory. Enjoy stylized graphics and a map editor for endless replayability.

**Highlights:** Turn-based strategy gameplay, Kingdom building and expansion, Army training and technology research, 4X gameplay: explore, expand, exploit, exterminate, New factions and heroes, Map editor for custom boards, Low-poly graphics

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

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| VIP access - become the king | $9.99 | per month |
| Timed Pack 0.75 | $0.79 | one-time |
| Timed Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Chapter Pack 1 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Civilization Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| Palworld Valley | $1.99 | one-time |
| BattlePass Turn based strategy | $4.99 | one-time |
| First seasonality offer | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium BattlePass - Siege | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 👍 Variety of troops and heroes
- 🌟 Great graphics
- 🕹️ Fun tile-based strategy

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Pay-to-win mechanics
- 🔍 Unbalanced difficulty scaling
- 📺 Excessive ads and monetization
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Repetitive gameplay

**Reported bugs**

- Loading issues and crashes
- Progression loss after updates
- Freezing and performance problems

**Requested features**

- Offline play option
- PvP multiplayer mode
- More diverse unit types
- Improved AI behavior
- Ability to transfer progress across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Taipan! Mobile free?

Taipan! Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hexapolis free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Taipan! Mobile or Hexapolis?

Hexapolis is rated higher. Taipan! Mobile averages 3.5 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Hexapolis averages 4.6 from 2K ratings.

### Do Taipan! Mobile or Hexapolis have ads?

Hexapolis shows ads; Taipan! Mobile does not.

### Which is updated more often, Taipan! Mobile or Hexapolis?

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Hexapolis every 3 weeks. Most recently, Taipan! Mobile was updated on November 1, 2026 and Hexapolis on November 3, 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.*