# Helix vs Santa Fighter

The clearest difference is price: Santa Fighter at Free against Helix's $3.99. Santa Fighter also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 40 months) and review sentiment (100% vs 80%). Helix's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On rating, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Santa Fighter is free to download; Helix costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Helix against 4.7 for Santa Fighter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 70 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Helix's written reviews are positive against 100% of Santa Fighter's.

Helix ships an update every 40 months, Santa Fighter every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 21, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Helix | Santa Fighter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.7 (36 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helix/id562550427/reviews)** | [4.7 (70 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santa-fighter/id6473976287/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 36 | **70** |
| Positive reviews | 80.4% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 40 months | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 12 MB | 17 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Michael Brough](https://appshunter.io/developer/490257881) | [Andrew Baxter](https://appshunter.io/developer/978404720) |

## What reviewers say

### Helix

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/helix/id562550427)

Experience a frantic arcade challenge with precise touchscreen controls. This "anti-shmup" game focuses on avoiding and encircling enemies with unique twists. It's a critically acclaimed title recognized for its innovative design.

**Highlights:** Frantic arcade gameplay, Precise touchscreen controls, Avoid and encircle enemies, Unique gameplay twists, Critically acclaimed design

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Addictive gameplay
- 🎶 Catchy soundtrack
- 🎨 Unique art style
- 🚀 Smooth controls
- 💡 Innovative mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😵 Repetitive gameplay
- 📱 Frustrating on phone
- 🤔 Not enough content
- 👎 Crude graphics
- 😵 Boring

**Reported bugs**

- 🐛 Skewed off iPad screen
- 🐛 Black bars on sides (iOS 9.3)
- 🐛 Floaty and inaccurate controls
- 🐛 Ugly app design and UI

**Requested features**

- Optimization for larger screens (iPad, iPhone 6/6+)
- More variety and content


### Santa Fighter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/santa-fighter/id6473976287)

Engage in festive combat with Santas battling at the North Pole. Experience a chaotic and epic Christmas showdown.

**Highlights:** Santa battles, Christmas chaos, North Pole showdown, Festive combat

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Helix free?

Helix costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Santa Fighter free?

Santa Fighter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Helix or Santa Fighter?

Helix is rated higher. Helix averages 4.7 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Santa Fighter averages 4.7 from 70 ratings.

### Do Helix or Santa Fighter have ads?

Santa Fighter shows ads; Helix does not.

### Which is updated more often, Helix or Santa Fighter?

Helix ships an update every 40 months, and Santa Fighter every 2 days. Most recently, Helix was updated on October 23, 2026 and Santa Fighter on October 21, 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.*