Comparison

Starbase Orion vs Hex Mechs

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

Head to head
About

Starbase Orion

Engage in a deep 4X space strategy experience. Explore, expand, and conquer the galaxy by colonizing worlds, designing ships, and outmaneuvering opponents in turn-based combat. Features a robust AI and multiplayer options for galactic domination.

Highlights
  • Explore new worlds
  • Expand your empire
  • Exterminate rivals
  • Design custom ships
  • Engage in turn-based combat
  • Diplomacy and espionage
  • Multiplayer via GameCenter
Features
Currently charting
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"The best 4X game currently available for mobile" - PocketTactics.com "This one is geek heaven" - AppAdvice.com "Master of Orion in Your Pocket” - GamePro.com "Starbase Orion has an epic-feeling" - TouchArcade.com "Starbase Orion is here, and it's glorious." - TUAW.com Explore. Expand. Exterminate. Can you defeat your friends and become the ruler of the galaxy? Starbase Orion is an old-school 4X space strategy game that draws inspiration from titles such as Master of Orion and Galactic Civilizations. Lead your empire from the birth of its space age; colonize new worlds, explore new horizons, and discover other players attempting to do the same. It is a race to the stars where only one empire can declare victory over the galaxy. New to 4X Strategy Games? No Problem Starbase Orion includes a hand tailored tutorial mission perfect for those new to the genre. It features high-quality voice acting provided by the very talented Maurice Thomas. Aged like a Fine Wine With nearly a five year life span the dedicated community of Starbase Orion players and the developer have produced twenty-four fantastic updates. Each update has introduced new features and player suggested functionality to make the game better, more strategic, and more immersive. Strong Single-Player Experience Compete against a battle-tested artificial intelligence. Our AI was derived from our entry into to 2010 Google AI contest, where it placed in the top 15% of thousands of competing intelligences. Go head-to-head against a single AI opponent, or ramp up the carnage with a 4 way free-for-all. GameCenter Multiplayer Turn-Based Games Starbase Orion was designed to provide a fantastic multiplayer experience. Launch the game, sign into GameCenter, and start a new multiplayer game. No need to coordinate play times or seek out other players. Just go play, when you want and on your terms. Choose Your Race, Or Create Your Own There are five uniques races included; Human, Draske, Vass, Cyban, and Isather. You can also create your own custom race by picking and choosing between different race characteristics. Intense Space Combat Design your ships from a variety of weapons, hull, and systems. Send them into battle against the enemy. Give them orders, then watch the battle in unfold as they duke it out in the dark expanses of space. Diplomacy, Espionage, Free Agents Direct confrontations not your cup of tea? Negotiate your way to victory through diplomatic endeavors. Confound your enemies with an army of spies. Contract one of the many power and unique leaders to help you to victory. iCloud Support Starbase Orion is built from the ground up for iOS 5. It supports iCloud so that your saved games are instantly available on all of your devices. Start a game at home on your iPad, then pick it up again the next day on your iPhone. Simple, streamlined, fantastic. Universal - You Bought the Cool Gadgets, Go Play on Them Full support for iPad, iPhone, iPod, standard and Retina displays. Play when you want, where you want. Guaranteed Pricing While it is quite common for apps to become “free for a day”, Starbase Orion is not one of those apps. The standard price for Starbase Orion is $7.99 USD; it will never run a “free for a day” campaign. Tens of thousands of players have placed their confidence in us by purchasing Starbase Orion, and this is our guarantee to you. Guaranteed Free Updates We have a lot more planned for Starbase Orion. We plan to release all updates for free, without any hidden fees or In-App Purchases.

About

Hex Mechs

Engage in turn-based strategic combat across diverse worlds in this futuristic war game. Command various units, achieve diverse objectives like capturing points or annihilating enemies, and utilize tactical maneuvers to minimize losses.

Highlights
  • Turn-based strategy combat
  • Diverse unit types
  • Multiple campaign missions
  • Three distinct factions
  • Adjustable difficulty levels
  • Detailed combat analysis
  • Game Center achievements
Features
Read full description

In the year 2523, a large wormhole opened up on the outer limits of Jupiter's orbit. E-CON's Navy stationed on Jupiter's moon Titan were the first to witness as the vast Insectron horde spewed out of the rift torn upon in the Solar System. Battle across various worlds in this futuristic turn-based strategy game. Utilise a vast array of units to defeat your foes while minimising losses. Mission are varied and challenging and include objectives such as capturing an objective, defending a base and, of course, annihilating the enemy! Key Game Features ● 6 Mission Tutorial ● 4 Mission 'Earth' Campaign ● 8 Mission ‘Convex' Campaign. ● 3 Factions - Earth, Martians (Humans) and Aliens, ● Three classes of unit quality – Normal, Skilled and Expert. ● Three Difficulty Levels - Casual, Standard and Hard. ● Detailed Combat Analysis. ● Map zoom ● Flank Attacks ● Strategic Movement ● Game Centre Achievements and Leaderboards. ● iCloud Saves. Purchasable Extra Content: ● 8 Mission ‘Mars' Campaign. ● 8 Mission ‘Nova II' Campaign. About the Factions: ** Earth: Earth Coalition of Nations (E-CON) ** The last of human society on Earth after the Insectron Horde separated Earth from its colonies and devastated the population on Earth. The last bastion of hope for Earth, E-CON operates out of vast militarised caverns and tries it's utmost to find a way to wrestle control of Earth back from the Insectron invaders. ** Aliens: Insectron ** The basis for all Insectron 'life' are two substances believed to be based on highly advanced nanomachines. The first substance, labelled 'Xenoaqua', is a quicksilver like substance which hardens to create Insectron structures and armour. It is highly adaptable and will self-repair by absorbing more liquid Xenoaqua. The second substance is 'Xenophy', a purple liquid, said to have the consistency of thick syrup. Xenophy is thought to be the 'brains' inside the Insectron machines and the most vulnerable to damage. It is unknown if the Insectron think with a' hivemind' or if they feel individuality, but both there is evidence to support both claims. The Insectrons follow a pack mentality to the point they seem to share their perceptions on the battlefield almost instantaneously, they also display fear and self-survival when in danger. ** Martians: The Holy Gravidus Republic (HGR) ** Humans first settled on Mars midway into the 22nd century. Isolated for hundreds of years, the Colony on Mars grew into a religious order. While Earth burned for decades, the Insectron horde sent a much smaller force to occupy Mars; and while the Martians and Insectrons clashed, the Martian people were left relatively unhindered in their progress. Waiting for the perfect moment, the HTR have unleashed the full potential of their technology, wiping aside the Insectron occupation force. They now have their eyes set upon Earth, to reap revenge. Find us on Facebook – facebook.com/HexWar Follow us on Twitter - @HexWarGames Game Forum - hexwar.com/forums Thank you for supporting our games! © 2016 HexWar Games Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Screenshots

Starbase Orion4 screens
Hex Mechs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Starbase Orion at 4.7 against Hex Mechs's 3.6. Starbase Orion also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (81% vs 55%). Hex Mechs's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months) and price ($2.99 vs $7.99). On ads 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

Starbase Orion costs $7.99 and Hex Mechs $2.99 up front. Hex Mechs sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Starbase Orion asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starbase Orion holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Starbase Orion has 329 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Starbase Orion's written reviews are positive against 55% of Hex Mechs's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Starbase Orion ships an update every 3 months, Hex Mechs weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Starbase Orion versus Hex Mechs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStarbase OrionHex Mechs
Price$7.99$2.99 — better
Rating4.7 (329 ratings) — better3.6 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews81.3% of reviews — better54.5% of reviews
Number of ratings329 — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#188 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.29.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size239 MB429 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperChimera Software, LLCHunted Cow Studios Ltd.

Customer experience

Starbase Orion

All ratings329 ratings
Positive91.2%
Neutral4.9%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews316 reviews
Positive81.3%
Neutral7.0%
Negative11.7%

Hex Mechs

All ratings8 ratings
Positive62.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative37.5%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive54.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative45.5%

Bugs and requests

Starbase Orion

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes and save file corruption
  • UI issues with overlapping text and unresponsive controls
  • Multiplayer matchmaking and connectivity problems

Requested features

5 requests
  • More ship classes and customization options
  • Expanded tech tree and research system
  • Deeper diplomacy and espionage mechanics
  • Manual control of ship combat
  • Improved end-game content and victory conditions

Hex Mechs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Starbase Orion

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Hex Mechs

One-time2
  • Mars Campaign$1.99
  • Nova Campaign.$1.99

Questions

Is Starbase Orion free?
Starbase Orion costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hex Mechs free?
Hex Mechs costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Starbase Orion or Hex Mechs?
Starbase Orion is rated higher. Starbase Orion averages 4.7 out of 5 from 329 ratings, while Hex Mechs averages 3.6 from 8 ratings.
Do Starbase Orion or Hex Mechs have ads?
Neither Starbase Orion nor Hex Mechs shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Starbase Orion or Hex Mechs?
Starbase Orion ships an update every 3 months, and Hex Mechs weekly. Most recently, Starbase Orion was updated on October 26, 2026 and Hex Mechs on October 24, 2026.

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