Comparison

7 Wonders vs Ark Nova

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

Head to head
About

7 Wonders

Engage in a fast-paced, strategic card game where you develop a civilization. Compete globally or offline, with simultaneous turns ensuring no downtime. Master military, commercial, scientific, or civil development to lead your city to glory.

Highlights
  • Card-based civilization development
  • Global multiplayer competition
  • Offline play against AI
  • Simultaneous player turns
  • Strategic card drafting
  • Multiple development paths
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Strategy/card game. Go up against players from around the globe in the world's leading, award-winning board game. Can be played offline against the computer. Requires an internet connection for the network functions. Recommended devices: iPhone 6, iPad Air or more recent. 7 Wonders is a fast-paced, card-based, civilization development game with incredible strategic depth. The rules are simple and a tutorial will help you quickly master all the game's different concepts. Military, commercial, scientific or civil development... Combine your strategies and lay down your cards to make your city achieve glory for thousands of years to come.   COMPETE ON AN EQUAL FOOTING: no cards to collect, but a card selection mechanism (the draft) that guarantees constantly renewed and different games. Only your strategy will make the difference!   NO WAITING TO PLAY: all the players play at the same time, so you don't have to wait for each player to take their turn.   PRACTICE MODE: play against Artificial Intelligence in single-player games.   MULTI-PLAYER: Up to 7 players can play at the same time.   GAME DURATION: 5 - 8 minutes   LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: English, French, Spanish, German, Polish, Dutch, Italian

About

Ark Nova

Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.

Highlights
  • Plan and design a modern zoo
  • Build enclosures and accommodate animals
  • Support global conservation projects
  • Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
  • Upgrade action cards for gameplay
  • Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
Features
Read full description

Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.

Screenshots

7 Wonders4 screens
Ark Nova4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Ark Nova at 4.8 against 7 Wonders's 3.0. Ark Nova also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (72% vs 42%). 7 Wonders's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $10.99) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, ads, chart position 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

7 Wonders costs $4.99 and Ark Nova $10.99 up front. 7 Wonders sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Ark Nova asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Ark Nova holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 512 and 1.2K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 42% of 7 Wonders's written reviews are positive against 72% of Ark Nova's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

7 Wonders ships an update every 2 months, Ark Nova every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
7 Wonders versus Ark Nova: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameter7 WondersArk Nova
Price$4.99 — better$10.99
Rating3.0 (512 ratings)4.8 (1.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews41.6% of reviews72.4% of reviews — better
Number of ratings5121.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases — betterPaid
Best chart rank#102#57 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size302 MB682 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRepos ProductionDire Wolf Digital

Customer experience

7 Wonders

All ratings512 ratings
Positive44.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative43.0%
Written reviews308 reviews
Positive41.6%
Neutral15.3%
Negative43.2%

Ark Nova

All ratings1,190 ratings
Positive96.5%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews127 reviews
Positive72.4%
Neutral11.0%
Negative16.5%

User reviews

7 Wonders

From 512 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast gameplay
  • 👍 Faithful recreation of the board game
  • 🎨 Great graphics and presentation
  • 💡 Potential for expansions and updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches, including scoring issues
  • 🔒 Requires internet connection to launch
  • 👎 Weak AI opponents
  • 🔍 Small icons and text, especially on smaller devices

Ark Nova

From 1.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great implementation overall
  • 👍 Lots of fun
  • 👍 Good animations
  • 👍 Choice of modes
  • 👍 Clean, modern and enjoyable design

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Tile placement/rotation issues on iPad
  • 🐛 Building placement UI issues
  • 👎 Difficult to read board state on mobile
  • 👎 Lack of simultaneous view for key game info
  • 👎 Cumbersome to create games with friends

Bugs and requests

7 Wonders

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game freezes when using Halikarnassos wonder
  • Disconnections and inability to rejoin online games
  • Incorrect scoring calculations, especially for military and science
  • App crashes on launch for some users

Requested features

5 requests
  • Pass-and-play mode for local multiplayer
  • Ability to play against specific friends online
  • Detailed scoring breakdowns and statistics
  • Difficulty settings for AI opponents
  • Asynchronous online play

Ark Nova

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • iPad Flash exit issue
  • Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
  • Full screen mode
  • Option to reverse zoom direction
  • Improved card readability/zoom

In-app purchases

2 purchases

7 Wonders

One-time2
  • Leaders Expansion$1.99
  • Cities Expansion$1.99
None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is 7 Wonders free?
7 Wonders costs $4.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, 7 Wonders or Ark Nova?
Ark Nova is rated higher. 7 Wonders averages 3.0 out of 5 from 512 ratings, while Ark Nova averages 4.8 from 1.2K ratings.
Do 7 Wonders or Ark Nova have ads?
Neither 7 Wonders nor Ark Nova shows ads.
Which is updated more often, 7 Wonders or Ark Nova?
7 Wonders ships an update every 2 months, and Ark Nova every 2 weeks. Most recently, 7 Wonders was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ark Nova on September 24, 2026.
Which is more popular, 7 Wonders or Ark Nova?
7 Wonders currently peaks at #102 in the App Store charts, and Ark Nova at #57. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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