Comparison

Space Borders vs Nova

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

Head to head
About

Space Borders

Command a fleet of starships in a real-time strategy war against hostile aliens. Build your armada, harvest resources, and use tactical formations and superweapons to protect Earth and its colonies from annihilation.

Highlights
  • Real-time strategy gameplay
  • Build and customize fleet (15 ship types)
  • Resource harvesting and upgrades
  • Tactical ship formations
  • Superweapons and special powers
  • Campaign, Survival, and Sandbox modes
Features
Read full description

Command massive star ships in a large-scale war, against a powerful alien force! Put your tactical skills to work and protect humanity and Earth from certain annihilation. Space Borders is a 2D space RTS game, which features lots of gameplay depth, colorful graphics, cool special effects & a great overall atmosphere. _________________ GAMEPLAY • Real-time strategy (RTS) • Build up your fleet by choosing from 15 different types of ships (with unique abilities) • Harvest resources to buy new ships, power-ups and upgrade your mothership • Protect friendly ships and stations from attacks & ambushes • Create custom formations of fighters, destroyers, carriers & support vessels • Coordinate your ships to gain tactical advantages in difficult situations • Use superweapons to destroy large clusters of enemies • Distract the enemy with special powers • and much more... FEATURES • Great visual effects • 3D audio for realistic sound effects (headphones required) • Wide variety of battleships (fighters, carriers, destroyers & more) • Unrestricted camera freedom • Ambient space soundtracks • Training mission • Campaign Mode (8 missions) • Survival Mode (endless play) • Deep Space Mining mode (resource booster) • Sandbox Mode • Conquest Mode (add-on) PLOT In the late 23rd century humans have populated most of Earth. Troubled by the poor quality of life and the excessive amount of damage inflicted on Earth, they decide to plant new colonies on distant planets. The Earth military (EDF or Earth Defense Fleet) is in charge of organizing and carrying out this immense project. During the colonization, the EDF encounters a new life form, which turns out to be extremely hostile. Multiple attacks on EDF key installations, as well as on a research ship, force the EDF to improvise new strategies for a full evacuation. You are a high ranking officer of the EDF, who is in the midst of all the action. Make sure you all get back home to Earth safe & sound. _________________ SPACE BORDERS ONLINE • spaceborders.proboards.com - submit feedback, feature requests & more • facebook.com/spacebordersapp - receive the latest news about Space Borders • http://spaceborders.proboards.com/thread/260/ - Conquest Mode FAQ THANK YOU Thank you all for supporting Space Borders with reviews, ratings, ideas for new features and a lot more. This game is truly powered by its fans! Check out the links above and be part of it. _________________ SPECIAL CREDITS • Space Borders is powered by the Sparrow Framework.

About

Nova

Build and command your own space station and fleet in a chaotic galaxy. Forge alliances, explore new worlds, and engage in strategic space battles to shape the future of the sector. Your decisions will determine the fate of the galaxy.

Highlights
  • Build and customize space stations
  • Assemble modular warship fleets
  • Form intergalactic alliances
  • Explore and investigate the sector
  • Engage in strategic space battles
  • Uncover galactic mysteries
Features
Read full description

-An Imposing Republican Space Station- In the dark and dangerous void, your imposing space station will be your haven and base. Complete Republican Orders and adjust your strategic deployment regularly. A powerful space station will be your first step toward the conquest of the galaxy. -Unstoppable Space Armada- Select wisely among various warship blueprints. Forge your unique fleets with modular designs and assembling systems. Plan out your strategic options carefully and join in unprecedented space battles. Your choice will affect the outcome of every battle you’ll fight in. -Establish Your Intergalactic Alliance- After the “Supernova Event”, the whole Renney Sector is in deep turmoil. In this chaotic state, you need to build a powerful intergalactic Alliance with the people you trust most. The future of the Renney Sector now depends on your cooperation. -Endless Stars Endless Stories- Send out your fleets to explore and investigate the sector. Witness whimsical stories and the impressing intergalactic epic. -And More- A Dyson Sphere is now available for takeover in “Goliath Galaxy”, the truth behind the “Supernova Event” is still lying in the dimming void. The Republic and the Coterminal have gone silent since the universal cataclysm. You and your Alliance will decide the future of the Renney Sector. Will you use your unchallengeable diplomatic mind to reach your strategic goal? Or are you planning to expand your territory with bloodshed? An interstellar journey unlike any other is about to unfold. SUPPORT Email us at support@gamestone3.com

Screenshots

Space Borders4 screens
Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nova at Free against Space Borders's $1.99. Nova also leads on ratings volume (3.9K vs 167). Space Borders's advantage is review sentiment (91% vs 58%). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Nova is free to download; Space Borders costs $1.99 up front. Space Borders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Nova sells 16 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Space Borders against 4.7 for Nova. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova has 3.9K ratings behind it against 167, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 91% of Space Borders's written reviews are positive against 58% of Nova's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, Nova every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Space Borders versus Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace BordersNova
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (167 ratings)4.7 (3.9K ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better58.1% of reviews
Number of ratings1673.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB2.1 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperAmasis BrauchSTONE3 PTE. LTD.

Customer experience

Space Borders

All ratings167 ratings
Positive92.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews110 reviews
Positive90.9%
Neutral3.6%
Negative5.5%

Nova

All ratings3,896 ratings
Positive93.7%
Neutral2.6%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews738 reviews
Positive58.1%
Neutral7.5%
Negative34.4%

User reviews

Space Borders

From 167 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Excellent RTS gameplay mechanics
  • 💰 No pay-to-win or microtransactions
  • 🎨 Charming 2D graphics and visual style
  • ⚙️ Deep fleet customization options
  • 📱 Works smoothly on older devices

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent app crashes during missions
  • 💾 No save/checkpoint system for long missions
  • 🎨 Cartoony graphics in newer versions
  • 🤖 Poor AI behavior
  • ⏱️ Missions are very long without breaks

Nova

From 3.9K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fun, addictive gameplay
  • 👍 Decent progression without paying
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and atmosphere
  • 💡 Interesting ship building and customization
  • 🌟 Engaging strategy elements

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and stability issues
  • 🕰️ Slow progression and grindy gameplay
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics
  • 🧠 Steep learning curve, lacking tutorials
  • 🤖 Weak and repetitive combat system

Bugs and requests

Space Borders

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • App crashes mid-mission with no progress recovery
  • Save file corruption and rollback after updates
  • Mission failure without clear cause or visibility
  • Resource disappearance between campaign episodes
  • Harvester ships launching into enemy fire
Show 6 more
  • Ships spinning uncontrollably when near targets
  • Occasional lag with action controls
  • Controls requiring multiple inputs to register
  • Crashes on iOS 11 with iPhone 7
  • Game-breaking resource management allowing soft-lock
  • End-mission crashes before hyperspace exit

Requested features

19 requests
  • Multiplayer or online gameplay
  • Sequel or major expansion
  • Additional campaign missions and episodes
  • More ship types and varieties
  • More turret and weapon options
Show 14 more
  • Larger fleet size capacity
  • Cloud save/iCloud synchronization
  • Checkpoint system for long missions
  • Ability to save and place destroyed ship debris in sandbox
  • 3D graphics upgrade
  • Larger maps and scaled battles
  • Local multiplayer support
  • Drones and sentry gun units
  • Base building mechanics
  • Planet-based gameplay
  • Larger hangar sizes
  • More varied campaign storylines
  • Speed-up options accessible from play screen
  • Ability to unlock sandbox mode without beating conquest

Nova

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Account loss and data reset issues
  • Inability to load game or access certain features
  • Bugs in alliance and multiplayer functionality
  • Glitches in ship assembly and upgrade process

Requested features

5 requests
  • More in-depth storyline and narrative
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding experience
  • Ability to control ships directly in combat
  • Better balance between free-to-play and paid progression
  • More diverse and challenging PvE content

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Space Borders

One-time1
  • Conquest Mode$1.99
16 purchases

Nova

One-time16
  • Tiny Pack$0.99
  • Special Pack$1.99
  • Daily Pack$2.99
Show 13 more
  • Bonus Pack$4.99
  • Limited Pack III$5.99
  • Medium Pack$9.99
  • Value Pack$14.99
  • Large Pack$19.99
  • Prime Pack$19.99
  • Value Pack$29.99
  • Development Pack 1$39.99
  • Huge Pack$49.99
  • Development Pack 2$54.99
  • Limited Pack II$69.99
  • Limited Pack$79.99
  • Epic Pack$99.99

Questions

Is Space Borders free?
Space Borders costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Nova free?
Nova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Space Borders or Nova?
Space Borders and Nova are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 167 and 3.9K ratings respectively.
Do Space Borders or Nova have ads?
Neither Space Borders nor Nova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Borders or Nova?
Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, and Nova every 3 weeks. Most recently, Space Borders was updated on October 14, 2026 and Nova on October 18, 2026.

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