Star Command vs Nova Empire
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- Real-time galactic battles
- Alliance system for sector control
- Fleet design and customization
- Space station building
- Recruit elite admirals
- HD graphics and sound
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Star Command | Nova Empire |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 4.0 (905 ratings) | 4.3 (5.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.1% of reviews — better | 46.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 905 | 5.1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Best chart rank | #101 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 101 MB | 1.8 GB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Star Command, LLC | GameBear Tech |
Customer experience
Star Command
Nova Empire
User reviews
Star Command
From 905 App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Star Command
No in-app purchases
Nova Empire
- Tiny Pack$0.99
- Special Pack$1.99
- Bonus Pack$4.99
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- 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?
Is Nova Empire free?
Which has better reviews, Star Command or Nova Empire?
Do Star Command or Nova Empire have ads?
Which is updated more often, Star Command or Nova Empire?
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