Comparison

Star Command vs Nova Empire

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

Head to head
About

Star Command

Command your own starship, recruit and level up your crew, and explore a vast universe. Engage in tactical combat, manage ship roles, and make decisions that impact your journey through space.

Highlights
  • Build and command your starship
  • Hire and level up crew members
  • Explore the universe
  • Defend against alien civilizations
  • Tactical combat and ship management
  • Multiple ship hull choices
  • Discover alien species
Features
Read full description

Build and command your own starship, hire your crew, and explore the universe, and defend against alien civilizations! Star Command™ Game Features - • Universal App - iPad and iPhone included. • Premium game - No In-App Purchase (IAP) roadblocks. • HD support for retina pixel goodness. • Level your crew members up and earn new skills. • Build a ship in your own image! • Four distinct ship hulls to choose from. • Focus on tactical, science or engineering. • Amazing soundtrack intensifies the action and exploration. • Over 10 alien species to discover. Brought to you in beautiful HD pixelated glory, Star Command™ brings to life the challenges and joys of managing a starship. Upgrade your ship, get out into the unknown and watch your crew die grizzly deaths all at your command. Strange and annoying alien civilizations await you at every turn. Manage each of your ships roles, focusing on science skills, tactical combat and ship engineering. Prevent alien invaders from taking over your ship and causing massive amounts of damage with sentry guns. Revive dying crew members with new rooms! And don’t forget that your decisions matter - an enemy made early could come back to haunt you later. If you're a fan of Star Wars and Star Trek, or if you enjoy games like XCOM, Clash of Clans, FTL, or Pixel Starships, you'll love Star Command! ---------------------------- Featured Reviews - "...equal parts challenging and clever, making it a must-play for sci-fi strategy fans." - Maclife "A great mobile space romp which adopts a great theme, great gameplay and will keep you busy for quite a few hours..." - AndroidSpin "With hilarious, self-aware satire and surprisingly deep tactical gameplay, this long-awaited adventure is a must-play for any sci-fi fan and a love letter to all things Star Trek." - Editors' Choice "If you're looking for a strategy title on the iOS that will keep you on your toes, Star Command should more than suffice." - Appspy "Should you dive in immediately? Absolutely." - TouchArcade ---------------------------- Star Command © 2011 Warballoon, LLC (formerly Star Command, LLC). STAR COMMAND and related marks and logos are trademarks of Warballoon, LLC. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy: https://www.starcommandgame.com/privacy-apple.html

About

Nova Empire

Engage in epic galactic warfare with players worldwide in this next-generation online space strategy game. Build and customize your space station, design powerful fleets, and form alliances to conquer sectors of space. Experience real-time battles and strategic gameplay with stunning HD graphics.

Highlights
  • Real-time galactic battles
  • Alliance system for sector control
  • Fleet design and customization
  • Space station building
  • Recruit elite admirals
  • HD graphics and sound
Features
Read full description

Enter an epic battle for conquest of the galaxy with players around the world! An action-packed, next-generation online space strategy experience! FEATURES - BATTLE: Wage war with players worldwide for domination of the galaxy on an epic scale! - ALLIANCE: Create a mighty alliance to fight for control of entire sectors of space in a revolutionary new alliance system! - STRATEGY: Combine in alliance legions to form your attack strategy together then strike! - FLEETS: Design fleets with specific weapons and armor to counter your opponent’s strengths! - ADMIRALS: Recruit elite admirals to join your empire and lead your fleets to victory! - BUILD: Create and customize your space station to gain the advantage! - GRAPHICS: Strategy has never looked this good! Command space in spectacular HD! - REAL-TIME: See player fleets moving around the galaxy in real time! Watch as battles develop and make the correct tactical calls to claim victory. - MUSIC: High-quality music and sound production. - MORE: Always adding new features! This galaxy just gets better and better! Nova Empire’s story unfolds week by week, reshaping the galaxy before your eyes Welcome to Nova Empire, a next-generation strategy game. Get your fleets ready and fight for glory! SUPPORT Email us at support@gamebeartech.com Follow us on Facebook to get news and updates: https://www.facebook.com/NovaEmpireGame/

Screenshots

Star Command4 screens
Nova Empire4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Nova Empire at Free against Star Command's $2.99. Nova Empire also leads on rating (4.3 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (5.1K vs 905). Star Command's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and review sentiment (66% vs 47%). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Nova Empire is free to download; Star Command costs $2.99 up front. Nova Empire sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Star Command asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Nova Empire holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Nova Empire has 5.1K ratings behind it against 905, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 66% of Star Command's written reviews are positive against 47% of Nova Empire's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Command ships an update every 10 days, Nova Empire every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Star Command versus Nova Empire: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar CommandNova Empire
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (905 ratings)4.3 (5.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.1% of reviews — better46.9% of reviews
Number of ratings9055.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#101 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB1.8 GB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperStar Command, LLCGameBear Tech

Customer experience

Star Command

All ratings905 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews833 reviews
Positive66.1%
Neutral13.1%
Negative20.8%

Nova Empire

All ratings5,065 ratings
Positive84.5%
Neutral4.9%
Negative10.6%
Written reviews899 reviews
Positive46.9%
Neutral9.6%
Negative43.5%

User reviews

Star Command

From 905 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Amazing game
  • 🚀 Fun and challenging gameplay
  • 🚀 Great music and visuals
  • 👍 No in-app purchases
  • 👍 Replayability

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and crashes
  • 🐛 UI issues (e.g. buttons off-screen)
  • 🔍 Short story/content
  • 🔍 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🔍 Lack of updates/new content

Nova Empire

From 5.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent graphics and gameplay
  • 🔒 Secure and stable connection
  • 👍 Engaging alliance and community features
  • 🚀 Smooth progression for free-to-play players

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and connection issues
  • ⏱️ Extremely long build/upgrade times
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization and pay-to-win mechanics
  • 🔒 Poor customer support and lack of responsiveness

Bugs and requests

Star Command

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Game crashes on startup
  • Crew members getting stuck or lost
  • Weapons/UI elements disappearing
  • Progression/save data issues

Requested features

5 requests
  • More ships, rooms, and customization options
  • Expanded story and missions
  • Multiplayer and co-op modes
  • Ability to board enemy ships
  • Improved crew management and AI

Nova Empire

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Shields randomly deactivating during wars
  • Disappearing ships and lost progress after crashes
  • Inability to leave or switch alliances due to glitches

Requested features

4 requests
  • Ability to transfer resources between alliance members
  • More diplomacy options between alliances
  • Improved tutorial and onboarding for new players
  • Larger and more diverse galaxy to explore

In-app purchases

None

Star Command

No in-app purchases

10 purchases

Nova Empire

One-time10
  • Tiny Pack$0.99
  • Special Pack$1.99
  • Bonus Pack$4.99
Show 7 more
  • Medium Pack$9.99
  • Ultra Pack$14.99
  • Large Pack$19.99
  • Prime Pack$19.99
  • Huge Pack$49.99
  • Epic Pack$99.99
  • Dominator Pack$99.99

Questions

Is Star Command free?
Star Command costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Nova Empire free?
Nova Empire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Command or Nova Empire?
Nova Empire is rated higher. Star Command averages 4.0 out of 5 from 905 ratings, while Nova Empire averages 4.3 from 5.1K ratings.
Do Star Command or Nova Empire have ads?
Neither Star Command nor Nova Empire shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Command or Nova Empire?
Star Command ships an update every 10 days, and Nova Empire every 6 weeks. Most recently, Star Command was updated on September 23, 2026 and Nova Empire on September 24, 2026.

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