Comparison

Helix vs Nitelore

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

Head to head
About

Helix

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
Read full description

A frantic arcade game from the creator of 868-HACK, Corrypt and Glitch Tank. An "anti-shmup". Precise touchscreen controls to avoid and encircle enemies. Some twists. Honourable mention for IGF Design award 2013/2015.

About

Nitelore

Experience extreme anti-gravity racing with explosive combat across diverse and spectacular tracks. Conquer Grand Prix seasons, master time trials, survive brutal eliminations, and destroy opponents in high-speed death races. Build and upgrade your fleet of ships to dominate the leaderboards.

Highlights
  • Anti-gravity racing
  • Explosive combat
  • Multiple game modes (Grand Prix, Time Attack, Elimination, Death Race)
  • Spectacular and diverse tracks
  • Ship customization and upgrades
  • Daily challenges
  • Online leaderboards and challenges
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Race at impossible speeds across cities, volcanoes, alien worlds and the depths of space. Nitelore is extreme anti-gravity racing with explosive combat, rival pilots and constantly escalating challenges. Conquer Grand Prix seasons, chase the perfect lap, survive brutal eliminations and destroy your opponents in all-out death races. ENDLESS RACING - Compete across multiple cups, zones and full Grand Prix seasons. - Rise through the leagues and race for the championship. - Master every track, upgrade your ships and keep pushing for faster times. MULTIPLE GAME MODES - Grand Prix - Battle through complete seasons and claim the title. - Time Attack - Race against your personal-best ghost and shave every possible second from your time. - Elimination - Every 20 seconds, the last vehicle explodes. Stay ahead or be destroyed. - Death Race - Anything goes. Attack your rivals and be the last ship standing. ONLINE MULTIPLAYER - Race against friends or strangers online across all your tracks and game modes - Quick race to jump right in to the action - Invite your friends and have a group race - New Time Duel mode to compete for the record - Build your online rating and compete with others for medals & achievements SPECTACULAR TRACKS - Race through futuristic cities, volcanic plains, lunar landscapes, raging oceans and even a colossal star. - Discover alternate routes, dangerous obstacles and unique surprises on every track. - More tracks being added all the time! BUILD YOUR FLEET - Unlock a range of ships, each with its own handling and performance characteristics. - Upgrade and customise your ships to match your racing style or fury DAILY CHALLENGES - Take on a new challenge every day, from precision time trials to explosive combat. - Every attempt earns progress and coins toward new ships and upgrades, even if you don’t win. CHALLENGE OTHER PLAYERS - Compete with friends and rivals through Game Center. - Take part in a different weekly challenge and fight for the top position. - Climb worldwide, weekly and daily leaderboards. PLAY YOUR WAY - Choose tilt, touch or game controller input (+ keyboard on Mac & iPad if you wish). - Chase, tight or cockpit view (plus furry dice if you like) - Unlock achievements and prove yourself across every racing mode. - Pacifist mode for Grand Prix if you just want to race and avoid being blowed up! MORE - Play mini races on your Apple Watch - Cross-play and race on your Apple TV - It's a whole menagerie out there! There is fast and there is ultraspeed. How far are you willing to go?!

Screenshots

Helix3 screens
Nitelore4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nitelore at Free against Helix's $3.99. Nitelore also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 40 months) and chart position (#164 vs unranked). Helix's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 7) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Nitelore is free to download; Helix costs $3.99 up front. Nitelore sells 7 one-off in-app purchases. Helix asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for Helix against 4.6 for Nitelore. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 36 and 55 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of Helix's written reviews are positive against 78% of Nitelore's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Helix ships an update every 40 months, Nitelore every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Helix versus Nitelore: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHelixNitelore
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (36 ratings) — better4.6 (55 ratings)
Positive reviews80.4% of reviews — better77.8% of reviews
Number of ratings3655 — better
Update frequencyEvery 40 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#164 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB48 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperMichael BroughCrabware

Customer experience

Helix

All ratings35 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative8.6%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive80.4%
Neutral3.9%
Negative15.7%

Nitelore

All ratings55 ratings
Positive87.3%
Neutral5.5%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews27 reviews
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%

Bugs and requests

Helix

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Nitelore

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Helix

No in-app purchases

7 purchases

Nitelore

One-time7
  • Offworld$1.99
  • World Tour$1.99
  • Coin Cache - 6,000 Coins$1.99
Show 4 more
  • Unlock Nitelore$2.99
  • Coin Vault - 18,000 Coins$4.99
  • Coin Hoard - 40,000 Coins$9.99
  • Motherlode - 90,000 Coins$19.99

Questions

Is Helix free?
Helix costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nitelore free?
Nitelore is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Helix or Nitelore?
Helix is rated higher. Helix averages 4.7 out of 5 from 36 ratings, while Nitelore averages 4.6 from 55 ratings.
Do Helix or Nitelore have ads?
Neither Helix nor Nitelore shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Helix or Nitelore?
Helix ships an update every 40 months, and Nitelore every 4 days. Most recently, Helix was updated on November 1, 2026 and Nitelore on November 6, 2026.

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