Comparison

Space Borders vs Space Pixel Swarm

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

Space Pixel Swarm

Engage in an offline, single-player 2D space real-time strategy game. Overcome overwhelming odds by making difficult strategic choices, sacrificing planets to bolster your fleet, or fortifying your defenses. Enjoy diverse units, configurable AI, and a unique desperation mechanic.

Highlights
  • Offline single-player RTS
  • Procedural skirmish mode
  • Configurable swarm AI
  • Desperation mechanic: lost planets fuel forces
  • 29 campaign levels
  • Diverse unit types
  • Multiple enemy variations
Features
Read full description

Space Pixel Swarm is an offline, single‑player space RTS where you start outnumbered and win by making hard strategic tradeoffs. Sacrifice planets to power up your fleet, or hold the line and fortify. Features - Offline single‑player RTS - Short sessions + procedural skirmish mode - Configurable swarm AI behaviors - Unique “desperation” mechanic: lost planets fuel your remaining forces - 29 carefully designed campaign levels with progressive difficulty - Diverse units: fighters, capital ships, shield generators, and missile installations - Multiple enemy variations that force different tactics Master Your Strategy Every level pushes you to refine your approach: expand fast to contest the enemy’s growth, or consolidate and build an unbreakable defense. Experiment with unit mixes, timing, and positioning to survive increasingly intense swarm pressure. Skirmish Mode for Endless Replayability Jump into randomized maps with customizable settings for quick matches and long-form challenges. Tune the swarm to your preference and test new strategies whenever you want. Share Your Thoughts Found a bug or have an idea? We’re actively improving the game and welcome feedback at: yearofthegamerdev@gmail.com

Screenshots

Space Borders4 screens
Space Pixel Swarm4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Space Pixel Swarm at Free against Space Borders's $1.99. Space Pixel Swarm also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Space Borders's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (167 vs 21). On rating, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Space Pixel Swarm is free to download; Space Borders costs $1.99 up front. Space Borders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Space Pixel Swarm sells 3 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 4.6 for Space Pixel Swarm. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Borders has 167 ratings behind it against 21, 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 82% of Space Pixel Swarm's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, Space Pixel Swarm every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 23, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Space Borders versus Space Pixel Swarm: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace BordersSpace Pixel Swarm
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (167 ratings) — better4.6 (21 ratings)
Positive reviews90.9% of reviews — better81.8% of reviews
Number of ratings167 — better21
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size166 MB218 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperAmasis BrauchDavid Smith

Customer experience

Space Borders

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

Space Pixel Swarm

All ratings18 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral9.1%
Negative9.1%

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

Space Pixel Swarm

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Space Borders

One-time1
  • Conquest Mode$1.99
3 purchases

Space Pixel Swarm

One-time3
  • Remove Ads$0.99
  • Buy 20 Merits$0.99
  • 10 Merits$0.99

Questions

Is Space Borders free?
Space Borders costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Space Pixel Swarm free?
Space Pixel Swarm is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Space Borders or Space Pixel Swarm?
Space Borders is rated higher. Space Borders averages 4.7 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while Space Pixel Swarm averages 4.6 from 21 ratings.
Do Space Borders or Space Pixel Swarm have ads?
Space Pixel Swarm shows ads; Space Borders does not.
Which is updated more often, Space Borders or Space Pixel Swarm?
Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, and Space Pixel Swarm every 4 days. Most recently, Space Borders was updated on October 23, 2026 and Space Pixel Swarm on October 23, 2026.

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