# VAREION vs Stellar Mercenaries

The clearest difference is price: Stellar Mercenaries at Free against VAREION's $2.99. Stellar Mercenaries also leads on review sentiment (85% vs 50%) and ratings volume (34 vs 6). VAREION's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9). On rating, update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Stellar Mercenaries is free to download; VAREION costs $2.99 up front. Stellar Mercenaries sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. VAREION asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for VAREION against 4.7 for Stellar Mercenaries. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Stellar Mercenaries has 34 ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of VAREION's written reviews are positive against 85% of Stellar Mercenaries's.

VAREION ships an update fortnightly, Stellar Mercenaries every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 21, 2026 and September 17, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | VAREION | Stellar Mercenaries |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.7 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vareion/id6443810174/reviews) | [4.7 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-mercenaries/id6446969323/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 6 | **34** |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **85.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 88 MB | 198 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Masahiro Kano](https://appshunter.io/developer/990985544) | [Quest Builders LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679888919) |

## What reviewers say

### VAREION

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vareion/id6443810174)

Embark on an 8-bit hack-and-slash adventure as a magic knight. Explore randomly generated maps, battle diverse enemies, and collect loot to customize your gear. Destroy turrets and symbols to unlock powerful items and defeat bosses.

**Highlights:** 8-bit hack-and-slash RPG, Roguelike experience with random maps, Automatic character attacks, Collect weapons, armor, and items, Destroy turrets and unlock items, Defeat 12 gods

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

**In-app purchases:** none


### Stellar Mercenaries

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-mercenaries/id6446969323)

Engage in offline, vertical scrolling arcade action with this sci-fi RPG. Upgrade your ship, weapons, and abilities to battle rival mercenaries and conquer the solar system. Enjoy endless procedurally generated missions with diverse objectives and challenges.

**Highlights:** Vertical scrolling arcade shooter, Offline capable gameplay, Upgradable ships and weapons, Customizable loadouts, Procedurally generated missions, Rival mercenary system

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Currency - Small Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack - Basic | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - Small | $2.99 | one-time |
| Currency - Medium Pack | $3.99 | one-time |
| Stater Pack - Advanced | $5.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - Medium | $7.99 | one-time |
| Currency - Large Pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Gem Pack - Large | $15.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack - Legendary | $15.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is VAREION free?

VAREION costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Stellar Mercenaries free?

Stellar Mercenaries is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, VAREION or Stellar Mercenaries?

VAREION and Stellar Mercenaries are both rated 4.7 out of 5 on the App Store, from 6 and 34 ratings respectively.

### Do VAREION or Stellar Mercenaries have ads?

Neither VAREION nor Stellar Mercenaries shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, VAREION or Stellar Mercenaries?

VAREION ships an update fortnightly, and Stellar Mercenaries every 3 weeks. Most recently, VAREION was updated on August 21, 2026 and Stellar Mercenaries on September 17, 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.*