Comparison

Star Command vs Fade

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

Fade

Engage in skill-based 3D medieval knight duels where you strategically allocate stats and wager gold. Outthink opponents in intense battles to climb the global leaderboard and customize your knight's heraldry.

Highlights
  • Skill-based 3D duels
  • Stat allocation for Attack, Strength, Defense
  • Real-time gold wagering
  • Shield heraldry customization
  • Global Hall of Knights leaderboard
  • Instant jump-in, no signup
Features
Read full description

Beat a knight. Seize their gold. Face bosses and real players’ knights in a 3D medieval arena. Challenge your rivals, win gold, and brace yourself: they can come back for revenge. STEP INTO THE RING Tap a knight to challenge them. Choose your weapon, build your stats, and fight turn-based duels. Attack, block, parry, or unleash a special. Read your opponent, manage your stamina, and make every move count. HOW DEEP WILL YOU GO? Enter The Depths and face stronger opponents as you descend. After each victory, collect your gold or push deeper for a bigger reward. Lose, and your run ends without a payout. RAISE A CASTLE FOR YOUR GROUP CHAT Name your castle and share its link. Friends can join from the link. Once five knights stand within its walls, the competition opens. Every Monday, the knight who won the most gold that week is crowned its champion. YOUR KNIGHT FIGHTS WHILE YOU SLEEP Close the app and your knight stays in the arena, defending with the build and equipment you chose. Successful defenses earn gold; defeats while you’re away don’t take yours. Return to see who challenged you, then ride for revenge. SEND A CHALLENGE Share your knight’s challenge link with a friend. They can fight your knight in their browser before installing Fade. SHIELDS GOLD CANNOT BUY Bring a friend into Fade and earn the Recruiter’s shield. Top your castle’s weekly board to wear its champion’s shield. Some honors must be earned. KEEP YOUR KNIGHT CLOSE Link your knight to Apple or Google in Settings for easier recovery, or use your knight code and PIN when you return. • Live duels, away duels, and boss battles • The Depths dungeon • A fresh weekly leaderboard every Monday • Castle champions and a Champion of the Week • Weapons and shields to equip • Free, with no ads or in-app purchases All gold is virtual, earned through play, and has no cash value. The courtyard is open. Your knight is waiting.

Screenshots

Star Command4 screens
Fade4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Fade at Free against Star Command's $2.99. Fade also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0). Star Command's advantage is ratings volume (910 vs 1) and chart position (#130 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

Fade is free to download; Star Command costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Fade holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Command has 910 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Command ships an update every 10 days, Fade every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Star Command versus Fade: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar CommandFade
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (910 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings910 — better1
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 2 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#130 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB46 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperStar Command, LLCCheckmate Labs, LLC

Customer experience

Star Command

All ratings905 ratings
Positive73.1%
Neutral8.7%
Negative18.1%
Written reviews834 reviews
Positive66.2%
Neutral13.1%
Negative20.7%

Fade

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

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

Fade

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Star Command

No in-app purchases

None

Fade

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Star Command free?
Star Command costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Fade free?
Fade is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Star Command or Fade?
Fade is rated higher. Star Command averages 4.0 out of 5 from 910 ratings, while Fade averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Star Command or Fade have ads?
Neither Star Command nor Fade shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Command or Fade?
Star Command ships an update every 10 days, and Fade every 2 weeks. Most recently, Star Command was updated on November 1, 2026 and Fade on October 31, 2026.

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