# Spectaculator vs Astro Wars

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Astro Wars at none against Spectaculator's 10. Astro Wars also leads on price ($1.99 vs $2.99). Spectaculator's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 12 months). On review sentiment, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Spectaculator costs $2.99 and Astro Wars $1.99 up front. Spectaculator sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Astro Wars asks for nothing beyond the download.

Spectaculator holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Spectaculator has 39 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 64% of Spectaculator's written reviews are positive against 69% of Astro Wars's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, Astro Wars every 12 months. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Spectaculator | Astro Wars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **$1.99** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (39 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectaculator/id421662150/reviews)** | [4.2 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astro-wars/id665882635/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **39** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | **69.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 12 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 31 MB | 28 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Jonathan Needle](https://appshunter.io/developer/421662153) | [Rob Wilmot](https://appshunter.io/developer/520672432) |

## What reviewers say

### Spectaculator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/spectaculator/id421662150)

Relive the golden era of 8-bit gaming with this emulator. Play over 150 licensed classic ZX Spectrum games, with more available through in-app purchases. Features include save states, cheat codes, game hints, and authentic 1980s visual simulations.

**Highlights:** Play over 150 licensed ZX Spectrum games, Save game progress with multiple slots, Enter cheats and lookup game hints, Authentic 1980s TV screen simulation, Virtual and external keyboard support, iCloud save syncing across devices, Program in Sinclair BASIC

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

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Realtime Games Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| The Lords Of Midnight | $0.99 | one-time |
| Skool Daze | $0.99 | one-time |
| Frank N. Stein | $0.99 | one-time |
| Design Design Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Vortex Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Odin Anthology | $1.99 | one-time |
| Alternative Software Pack 1 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 2 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Zenobi Adventures Vol. 1 | $1.99 | one-time |


### Astro Wars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astro-wars/id665882635)

Relive the 80s with an accurate emulation of a classic tabletop arcade game. Experience authentic retro sounds, graphics, and gameplay with multiple attack waves and a challenging ship docking sequence.

**Highlights:** Accurate simulation of classic handheld machine, Full retro sound effects, Four waves of attack, Simple and addictive gameplay, Nostalgic 80s experience, Ship docking challenge

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- ✨ Nostalgia trip
- 💯 Accurate recreation
- 🎶 Authentic sounds
- 🕹️ Classic gameplay
- 👍 Simple fun

**What reviewers complain about**

- 👎 Poor controls
- 🐌 Laggy controls
- 🤷 Unresponsive controls
- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🚫 Doesn't work

**Reported bugs**

- Lag on left right controls
- Constant crashing
- Controls don't work
- Black screen
- Joystick works poorly

**Requested features**

- Improve slider control responsiveness
- Fix docking sequence timing
- Make controls more positive
- Expand responsive area for controls
- Fix lander level movement


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Spectaculator free?

Spectaculator costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Astro Wars free?

Astro Wars costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Spectaculator or Astro Wars?

Spectaculator is rated higher. Spectaculator averages 4.7 out of 5 from 39 ratings, while Astro Wars averages 4.2 from 5 ratings.

### Do Spectaculator or Astro Wars have ads?

Neither Spectaculator nor Astro Wars shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Spectaculator or Astro Wars?

Spectaculator ships an update every 2 months, and Astro Wars every 12 months. Most recently, Spectaculator was updated on November 7, 2026 and Astro Wars on November 6, 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.*