# Nucleus™ vs Sidius Nova

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Nucleus™ at none against Sidius Nova's 3. Nucleus™ also leads on device support (4 vs 2). Sidius Nova's advantage is review sentiment (84% vs 57%) and rating (4.4 vs 4.2). On price, update cadence, ads and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Sidius Nova sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Nucleus™ asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sidius Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sidius Nova has 49 ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 57% of Nucleus™'s written reviews are positive against 84% of Sidius Nova's.

Nucleus™ ships an update every 5 months, Sidius Nova every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Nucleus™ | Sidius Nova |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nucleus/id491784891/reviews) | **[4.4 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidius-nova/id585665931/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **49** |
| Positive reviews | 57.1% of reviews | **84.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | **Every 3 months** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 43 MB | 190 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **14.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Pangea Software, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/281736538) | [Stefan Schmitt](https://appshunter.io/developer/585665935) |

## What reviewers say

### Nucleus™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nucleus/id491784891)

Pilot a spaceship through an arcade-style space shooter. Destroy debris and collect power-ups to enhance your weaponry. The ultimate goal is to build atoms by gathering electrons and delivering them to the nucleus.

**Highlights:** Spaceship piloting, Space debris destruction, Weapon power-ups, Laser weapons, Heat-seeking bullets, Shields, Atom building

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sidius Nova

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sidius-nova/id585665931)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Genius (RP earned x2) | $0.99 | one-time |
| Laboratory (8,000 RP) | $1.99 | one-time |
| Singularity (Unlock Everything) | $3.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

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

**Reported bugs**

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

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Nucleus™ free?

Nucleus™ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sidius Nova free?

Sidius Nova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Nucleus™ or Sidius Nova?

Sidius Nova is rated higher. Nucleus™ averages 4.2 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Sidius Nova averages 4.4 from 49 ratings.

### Do Nucleus™ or Sidius Nova have ads?

Neither Nucleus™ nor Sidius Nova shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Nucleus™ or Sidius Nova?

Nucleus™ ships an update every 5 months, and Sidius Nova every 3 months. Most recently, Nucleus™ was updated on October 5, 2026 and Sidius Nova on October 6, 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.*