# Space Borders vs Arcane Tower

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Arcane Tower at none against Space Borders's 1. Arcane Tower also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). Space Borders's advantage is ratings volume (167 vs 5). On price, review sentiment, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Space Borders costs $1.99 and Arcane Tower $1.99 up front. Space Borders sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Arcane Tower asks for nothing beyond the download.

Arcane Tower holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Borders has 167 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 91% of Space Borders's written reviews are positive against 86% of Arcane Tower's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, Arcane Tower every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Space Borders | Arcane Tower |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | [4.7 (167 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-borders-alien-encounter/id490625226/reviews) | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcane-tower/id953806566/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **167** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **90.9% of reviews** | 85.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 166 MB | 7 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Amasis Brauch](https://appshunter.io/developer/490625369) | [Diego Cathalifaud](https://appshunter.io/developer/570089925) |

## What reviewers say

### Space Borders

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/space-borders-alien-encounter/id490625226)

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:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Conquest Mode | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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

**Requested features**

- Multiplayer or online gameplay
- Sequel or major expansion
- Additional campaign missions and episodes
- More ship types and varieties
- More turret and weapon options


### Arcane Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/arcane-tower/id953806566)

Embark on a challenging roguelike adventure as a brave wizard. Explore randomly generated maps, compete in daily challenges with global leaderboards, and learn from top player replays to defeat evil and uncover ancient secrets.

**Highlights:** Randomly generated maps, Challenging roguelike mechanics, Daily challenge mode, Global leaderboards, Watch top player replays, Single-player adventure

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Space Borders free?

Space Borders costs $1.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Arcane Tower free?

Arcane Tower costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Space Borders or Arcane Tower?

Arcane Tower is rated higher. Space Borders averages 4.7 out of 5 from 167 ratings, while Arcane Tower averages 5.0 from 5 ratings.

### Do Space Borders or Arcane Tower have ads?

Neither Space Borders nor Arcane Tower shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Space Borders or Arcane Tower?

Space Borders ships an update every 2 months, and Arcane Tower every 3 weeks. Most recently, Space Borders was updated on October 14, 2026 and Arcane Tower on October 9, 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.*