Comparison

Star Command vs Banner Saga

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

Banner Saga

Embark on an epic tactical RPG journey where your strategic choices shape your personal story and the world. Lead a caravan across stunning environments, battle enemies, and build relationships to ensure your clan's survival in a bleak, Norse-inspired fantasy realm.

Highlights
  • Epic tactical RPG journey
  • Norse mythology-inspired world
  • Branching narrative with real consequences
  • Strategic turn-based combat
  • Over 25 playable characters
  • Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation
Features
Read full description

Embark on your own epic journey in Banner Saga, the critically acclaimed tactical RPG where your strategic choices directly affect your personal story and the world around you. Leave your home and strike out on a desperate journey to save your people. Lead your caravan across stunning environments and into war with enemy clans and vicious Drudge soldiers. Build relationships and make choices that will shape the future of your clan as you scramble to survive in this beautiful, bleak world. Banner Saga Features: - A unique fantasy realm inspired by Norse mythology – explore a grim world shaped by the legends of the Vikings. Uncover ancient lore and battle tooth and nail to carve out a new bastion in a world abandoned by the gods. - Beautiful 2D rotoscope animation - immerse yourself in beautifully hand drawn combat sequences and animations, accompanied by an evocative score from Grammy-nominated composer Austin Wintory. - Real choices with real consequences – every decision you make on the trail, in conversation and during combat has a meaningful effect on the outcome as your unique story unfolds. - Over 25 playable characters with unique personalities – form relationships in and out of combat with a variety of characters from 7 different classes, each with unique abilities and upgrade options to fit your play style. - Strategic combat with permanent repercussions – choose your warriors, form your strategy and strike. Adapt to a dynamic battlefield where your tactics determine who lives and who dies. Victory, defeat and even the permanent loss of a character depends on the choices you make. - Winner of the Geekie Award for best Indie Video Game, 2014, Independent Games Festival Finalist for Excellence in Visual Art and Honorable mentions for Design and Audio. Only your choices can guide your caravan through the harsh winter, past mystical enemies and brutal Viking clans. When the trail is uncertain, can you take the lead? Download Banner Saga and begin your journey today. NOTE: Banner Saga does NOT run on iPhone 4. iPhone 4S and more modern devices recommended.

Screenshots

Star Command4 screens
Banner Saga4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Banner Saga at 4.8 against Star Command's 4.0. Banner Saga also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.6). Star Command's advantage is price ($2.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 10 days vs every 3 months). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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

Star Command costs $2.99 and Banner Saga $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Banner Saga holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 910 and 2.1K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 66% of Star Command's written reviews are positive against 73% of Banner Saga's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Command ships an update every 10 days, Banner Saga every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Star Command versus Banner Saga: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar CommandBanner Saga
Price$2.99 — better$9.99
Rating4.0 (910 ratings)4.8 (2.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.2% of reviews72.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings9102.1K — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
Best chart rank#81 — better#93
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.69.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size101 MB1.9 GB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperStar Command, LLCStoic

Customer experience

Star Command

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

Banner Saga

All ratings2,057 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative3.2%
Written reviews772 reviews
Positive72.5%
Neutral8.9%
Negative18.5%

User reviews

Star Command

From 910 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

Banner Saga

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎨 Beautiful artwork and animation
  • 🎵 Excellent music and sound design
  • 📚 Compelling and immersive story
  • 🤔 Meaningful choices with consequences
  • 🕹️ Engaging and challenging tactical combat

Room to improve

  • 🔍 Small text and UI elements on smaller devices
  • 🐛 Occasional crashes and stability issues
  • 🕰️ Slow loading times between scenes
  • 🗺️ Limited exploration of the game world
  • 💰 Perceived high price for the length of the game

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

Banner Saga

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on loading screens or during battles
  • Unresponsive or misregistered touch controls
  • Graphical glitches and visual artifacts

Requested features

4 requests
  • Cloud save support for cross-device play
  • Optimization for larger screens and newer devices
  • More frequent updates and content expansions
  • Additional difficulty settings and challenge modes

In-app purchases

None

Star Command

No in-app purchases

None

Banner Saga

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Star Command free?
Star Command costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Banner Saga free?
Banner Saga costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Star Command or Banner Saga?
Banner Saga is rated higher. Star Command averages 4.0 out of 5 from 910 ratings, while Banner Saga averages 4.8 from 2.1K ratings.
Do Star Command or Banner Saga have ads?
Neither Star Command nor Banner Saga shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Command or Banner Saga?
Star Command ships an update every 10 days, and Banner Saga every 3 months. Most recently, Star Command was updated on October 22, 2026 and Banner Saga on October 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Star Command or Banner Saga?
Star Command currently peaks at #81 in the App Store charts, and Banner Saga at #93. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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