# Eclipse vs First Martians

The clearest difference is price: First Martians at Free against Eclipse's $3.99. First Martians also leads on rating (3.3 vs 2.4) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 11 months). Eclipse's advantage is review sentiment (65% vs 33%) and ratings volume (48 vs 11). On ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

First Martians is free to download; Eclipse costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

First Martians holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of Eclipse's written reviews are positive against 33% of First Martians's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Eclipse ships an update every 11 months, First Martians every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on June 10, 2026 and September 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Eclipse | First Martians |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [2.4 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eclipse-boardgame/id620439479/reviews) | **[3.3 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-martians/id1254540696/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **48** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **64.9% of reviews** | 33.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 11 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free** |
| Size | 126 MB | 216 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | **8.0** |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Brettspielwelt GmbH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1063292497) | [Portal Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1251884458) |

## What reviewers say

### Eclipse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eclipse-boardgame/id620439479)

Lead an interstellar civilization to galactic domination in this strategic board game adaptation. Explore, research, build ships, and outmaneuver rivals through deep 4X gameplay. Choose your species and forge your path to victory.

**Highlights:** 4X gameplay (Explore, Expand, Exploit, Exterminate), 7 unique species with distinct traits, Customizable star systems, tech tree, and ship designs, Up to 6 players (human or AI), Asynchronous multiplayer with notifications, In-game tutorial and manual

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent adaptation of board game
- 🚀 Well-designed user interface
- 🚀 Challenging AI opponents
- 👍 Faithful to original board game
- 👍 Great for learning the game

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Sluggish performance on older devices
- 🐛 Confusing tutorial
- 🐛 Missing key features from board game
- 🐛 Lack of detailed scoring breakdown

**Reported bugs**

- Game crashes during combat
- Saved games unable to be resumed
- AI gets stuck during turns
- Influence/resource management issues
- Graphical glitches and UI bugs

**Requested features**

- Randomize player and AI options
- Ability to see opponents' moves
- Option to adjust game length
- Inclusion of expansions
- Improved online multiplayer experience


### First Martians

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-martians/id1254540696)

This companion app enhances a board game experience by immersing players in the story of the first Martians. It offers hundreds of events and adventures, presenting challenges and obstacles through text and sound to create a compelling narrative.

**Highlights:** Hundreds of events and adventures, Text and sound narrative, Story-driven challenges, Campaign mode, Open world exploration

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Eclipse free?

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

### Is First Martians free?

First Martians is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Eclipse or First Martians?

First Martians is rated higher. Eclipse averages 2.4 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while First Martians averages 3.3 from 11 ratings.

### Do Eclipse or First Martians have ads?

Neither Eclipse nor First Martians shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Eclipse or First Martians?

Eclipse ships an update every 11 months, and First Martians every 2 weeks. Most recently, Eclipse was updated on June 10, 2026 and First Martians on September 7, 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.*