Golly vs Space Crash Simulator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Golly
Explore Conway's Game of Life and various cellular automata with this open-source application. It supports diverse universe types, multiple algorithms, and a wide array of cellular automata rules. Users can import patterns, download from online archives, and utilize unlimited undo/redo functionality.
- Supports bounded and unbounded universes
- Multiple algorithms including hashlife
- Variety of cellular automata types included
- Reads multiple file formats (RLE, macrocell, etc.)
- Extracts patterns and rules from zip files
- Downloads patterns and rules from online archives
- Unlimited undo/redo
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Golly is an open source, cross-platform application for exploring Conway's Game of Life and many other types of cellular automata. Key features: Supports bounded and unbounded universes, with cells of up to 256 states. Supports multiple algorithms, including Bill Gosper's super fast hashlife algorithm. Many different types of CA are included: John von Neumann's 29-state CA, Wolfram's 1D rules, WireWorld, Generations, Langton's Loops, Larger than Life, etc. Reads RLE, macrocell, Life 1.05/1.06, dblife, and MCell files. Can extract patterns and rules from zip files. Can download patterns and rules from online archives. Includes a state-of-the-art pattern collection. Unlimited undo/redo. Extensive help, with an integrated Life Lexicon.
Space Crash Simulator
Experience realistic planetary collisions with a powerful physics engine. Customize your own cosmic events by adjusting particle count, velocity, and accuracy, or jump straight into high-energy impacts. This app offers a detailed, physics-based simulation for educational or entertainment purposes.
- Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) simulation
- Real-time planetary collisions
- Customizable simulation parameters
- Setup Mode for scenario creation
- Adjustable particle count and accuracy
- Physics-based detailed simulation
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Smash worlds together and watch them shatter, merge, and melt, driven by real physics, not pre-made animations. Every planet is made of thousands of interacting particles, so every collision is computed live and no two impacts ever look the same. Build your own scenario in Setup Mode: place up to 8 bodies, set their size, density, spin and velocity, then let gravity do the rest. Or dive straight into a head-on collision and watch the debris glow, cool, and form a crust. - True particle physics (SPH), the first of its kind on mobile - Molten impact zones: heat, lava, and cooling crusts - Give planets rings or shred a moon into one with tidal forces (Roche limit) - Protoplanetary disk and colliding-galaxies modes - Black holes that tear planets apart - Custom planet textures from your own photos - Runs on everything: tune particle count, accuracy, and timescale to your device
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Golly at none against Space Crash Simulator's 1. Golly also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.8 vs 4.5). Space Crash Simulator's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 39 months) and ratings volume (588 vs 45). On price 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
Both are free to download. Space Crash Simulator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Golly asks for nothing beyond the download.
Golly holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Space Crash Simulator has 588 ratings behind it against 45, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 97% of Golly's written reviews are positive against 82% of Space Crash Simulator's.
Golly ships an update every 39 months, Space Crash Simulator every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 16, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Golly | Space Crash Simulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (45 ratings) — better | 4.5 (588 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 96.6% of reviews — better | 82.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 45 | 588 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 39 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 14 MB | 178 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Trevorrow | WPC |
Customer experience
Golly
Space Crash Simulator
Bugs and requests
Golly
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Space Crash Simulator
Reported bugs
2 issues- Collision trails not clearing properly
- Protoplanetary disc mode not working as expected
Requested features
7 requests- Add more celestial objects (black holes, stars, etc.)
- Allow for custom textures and planet/atmosphere customization
- Improve performance and optimization
- Add more graphic options and settings
- Allow for custom rings and moons around planets
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- Enable free camera feature
- Improve collision and heating effects
In-app purchases
Golly
No in-app purchases
Space Crash Simulator
- No-Ads$4.99
Questions
Is Golly free?
Is Space Crash Simulator free?
Which has better reviews, Golly or Space Crash Simulator?
Do Golly or Space Crash Simulator have ads?
Which is updated more often, Golly or Space Crash Simulator?
Other comparisons
