Comparison

Pocket Academy vs Sidius Nova

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

Head to head
About

Pocket Academy

Design and manage your dream educational institution by building facilities, forming clubs, and organizing events. Nurture students to achieve their future goals and boost your school's reputation. Experience the ultimate school simulation.

Highlights
  • Build classrooms and facilities
  • Create and manage student clubs
  • Organize school events
  • Guide student career paths
  • Elevate school prestige
  • Switch between English and Japanese
Features
Read full description

School got you down? Wish you could change a few things? Well, now's your chance to create the ultimate dream school in this simulation smash-hit! Tailor your personal academy as you see fit, erecting classrooms, making clubs--even deciding this week's hot couple! How will you expand your hallowed halls of learning? Sponsor athletic meets, art shows, and other events to attract as many students as you can and elevate your school's prestige! Will your students make it college or land their dream job? Find out with Pocket Academy! -- Turn your device to rotate the screen, touch to scroll, and pinch to zoom in and out. Supports iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Note: Screen rotation and zoom are only available on iPhone 3GS and later, iPod touch 2nd generation and later, and iPad. The game now lets you switch between English and Japanese. Try searching for "Kairosoft" to see all of our games, or visit us at https://kairopark.jp. Be sure to check out both our free-to-play and our paid games!

About

Sidius Nova

Lead your species to survival after a homeworld destruction. Collect resources, build ships, and engage in epic space battles. Choose to play as humans or an alien armada, unlocking new ships and strategies as you conquer galaxies.

Highlights
  • Resource collection
  • Ship building
  • Epic space battles
  • Playable factions (humans/aliens)
  • Unlockable ships
  • Galactic conquest
Features
Read full description

by Stefan Schmitt and Ben Jelter -YOUR HOMEWORLD HAS BEEN DESTROYED- Your remaining motherships are the only way to guarantee the survival of your species. Collect resources to build ships for epic space battles. "has the same 'one more turn oh god one more turn' hook that its grander siblings on the PC have" -KOTAKU Also featured on Space Sector! HOURS OF STRATEGIC DEEP SPACE GAMEPLAY Sidius Nova is a strategy game designed from the ground up to provide a deep and satisfying experience on your iOS device. PICK A SIDE Play as the last humans alive or an alien armada. UNLOCKABLE SHIPS Earn new ships as you play! Conquer entire galaxies and expand your fleet by researching new units. New units dramatically expand the gameplay by offering new defensive and offensive strategies. Follow @sidiusnova on twitter to find out more and give us feedback!

Screenshots

Pocket Academy4 screens
Sidius Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Sidius Nova at Free against Pocket Academy's $5.99. Sidius Nova also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 9 months). Pocket Academy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Sidius Nova is free to download; Pocket Academy costs $5.99 up front. Sidius Nova sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Pocket Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for Pocket Academy against 4.4 for Sidius Nova. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 142 and 49 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 81% of Pocket Academy's written reviews are positive against 84% of Sidius Nova's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Pocket Academy ships an update every 9 months, Sidius Nova every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Pocket Academy versus Sidius Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPocket AcademySidius Nova
Price$5.99Free — better
Rating4.5 (142 ratings) — better4.4 (49 ratings)
Positive reviews81.1% of reviews84.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings142 — better49
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size73 MB190 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperKairosoft Co.,LtdStefan Schmitt

Customer experience

Pocket Academy

All ratings142 ratings
Positive85.9%
Neutral4.9%
Negative9.2%
Written reviews402 reviews
Positive81.1%
Neutral8.5%
Negative10.4%

Sidius Nova

All ratings49 ratings
Positive83.7%
Neutral8.2%
Negative8.2%
Written reviews83 reviews
Positive84.3%
Neutral7.2%
Negative8.4%

User reviews

Pocket Academy

From 142 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💖 Addictive and fun gameplay
  • 🏫 Enjoyable school management experience
  • 🎨 Cute and charming graphics
  • 🔁 High replayability with different maps
  • 🕰️ Can play offline without internet

Room to improve

  • 💰 Difficult to earn money and stay out of debt
  • 🤔 Lack of clear tutorial and guidance
  • 🔒 Unable to move or delete placed facilities
  • 🕰️ Slow progression in the early game
  • 🤖 Teachers not always teaching effectively

Sidius Nova

From 49 App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✨ Amazing soundtrack/music
  • 🎨 Beautiful/great graphics/art
  • 🎮 Addictive/fun gameplay
  • 🧠 Deep strategy/gameplay
  • 👍 Polished/well-designed

Room to improve

  • 🔄 Repetitive gameplay loop
  • 🐌 Slow gameplay/pace
  • 📉 Lacks strategic depth
  • 🤖 AI can be unfair/cheats
  • 🤷‍♂️ Bland gameplay

Bugs and requests

Pocket Academy

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Tuition fees sometimes deducted instead of added
  • Certain facilities not unlocking as expected
  • Occasional crashes or freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to control and interact with individual students
  • More events, activities, and customization options
  • Easier way to earn money and manage finances
  • Improved tutorial and in-game guidance
  • Option to move or delete placed facilities

Sidius Nova

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Occasional crashing
  • Repeated crashing during combat
  • Crashing when fighting mothership
  • Game progress not syncing between devices
  • App leaves residual files after uninstallation

Requested features

16 requests
  • Add multiplayer/hot seat/skirmish
  • Add longer single player campaign
  • Add more frequent dialogue
  • Add meaningful player-driven plot choices
  • Add 'back' button for dialogue
Show 11 more
  • Option to skip mothership death animation
  • Rework research point system
  • Add bonus for multiple fleets
  • Improve mothership strength/abilities
  • Add iPad version/support
  • Add iPhone 5 screen support
  • Add Game Center support
  • Add cloud saving system
  • Add endless mode
  • Add asynchronous multiplayer
  • Add fast forward button

In-app purchases

None

Pocket Academy

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

Sidius Nova

One-time3
  • Genius (RP earned x2)$0.99
  • Laboratory (8,000 RP)$1.99
  • Singularity (Unlock Everything)$3.99

Questions

Is Pocket Academy free?
Pocket Academy costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Sidius Nova free?
Sidius Nova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Pocket Academy or Sidius Nova?
Pocket Academy is rated higher. Pocket Academy averages 4.5 out of 5 from 142 ratings, while Sidius Nova averages 4.4 from 49 ratings.
Do Pocket Academy or Sidius Nova have ads?
Neither Pocket Academy nor Sidius Nova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pocket Academy or Sidius Nova?
Pocket Academy ships an update every 9 months, and Sidius Nova every 3 months. Most recently, Pocket Academy was updated on October 21, 2026 and Sidius Nova on October 16, 2026.

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