Comparison

Stellar Mercenaries vs Astral Hunter

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

Head to head
About

Stellar Mercenaries

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
Read full description

Ready to vanquish your enemies and change the solar system forever from anywhere? Stellar Mercs is a vertical scrolling, offline capable, action arcade shooter with upgradable ships, weapons, and special abilities. Customize your loadouts for each mission depending on the environments and enemies you'll face! Each mission will reward you with unlocks and cash to continue building your arsenal. You're not the only mercenary out there - the more successful and accomplished you become, the more attention you'll attract. Enemy mercenaries can become persistent arch-rivals, leveling up along side you. Defeating them will net you great rewards, but if you die at their hands, they'll grow even further in power. The fun is never-ending! Fly missions through endless procedurally generated missions with a variety of environments, objectives, hazards, enemies, and rewards. Hijack cargo from speeding space trains, break into heavily guarded research and development space stations to acquire new prototype ships to fly, or defeat mighty leviathan capital ships in your quest to become the wealthiest, most powerful mercenary in the system! Stellar Mercs operates as a single handed action arcade game, so you can play comfortably on the go. SM is offline capable, so even without signal you can keep gaming and conquering the solar system! Configure your spacecraft's loadout and autoshoot your way to victory - focus on maneuvering through hazards and waves of enemies while you employ special abilities for maximum carnage!

About

Astral Hunter

Engage in thrilling flight shooting battles with a roguelike twist. Customize your combat experience with unique aircraft and over 120 combinable chips. Face diverse bosses for a constantly fresh challenge.

Highlights
  • 6 unique aircraft
  • 120+ combinable chips
  • Diverse boss battles
  • Roguelike gameplay
  • Customizable playstyle
Features
Read full description

"Astral Hunter" is an exciting flight shooting Roguelike game! - 6 unique aircraft, each designed to meet different combat needs. - 120+ chips, freely combinable to create your own playstyle. - Various Bosses, each challenge brings a fresh experience.

Screenshots

Stellar Mercenaries4 screens
Astral Hunter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Stellar Mercenaries at 85% against Astral Hunter's 50%. Stellar Mercenaries also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.3). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads 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

Both are free to download. Stellar Mercenaries sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Astral Hunter sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stellar Mercenaries holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 16 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Stellar Mercenaries's written reviews are positive against 50% of Astral Hunter's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stellar Mercenaries ships an update every 3 weeks, Astral Hunter every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and July 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Stellar Mercenaries versus Astral Hunter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStellar MercenariesAstral Hunter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (34 ratings) — better4.3 (16 ratings)
Positive reviews85.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings34 — better16
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 10 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size198 MB106 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperQuest Builders LLC开心 李

Customer experience

Stellar Mercenaries

All ratings34 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral0.0%
Negative5.9%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive85.0%
Neutral5.0%
Negative10.0%

Astral Hunter

All ratings16 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

9 purchases

Stellar Mercenaries

One-time9
  • Currency - Small Pack$1.99
  • Starter Pack - Basic$1.99
  • Gem Pack - Small$2.99
Show 6 more
  • Currency - Medium Pack$3.99
  • Stater Pack - Advanced$5.99
  • Gem Pack - Medium$7.99
  • Currency - Large Pack$7.99
  • Gem Pack - Large$15.99
  • Starter Pack - Legendary$15.99
8 purchases

Astral Hunter

One-time8
  • Full Access$0.99
  • Beginner Pack$0.99
  • Have Fun$1.99
Show 5 more
  • Hard Pack$1.99
  • Buy Few Cores$1.99
  • Insane Pack$2.99
  • Super Pack$9.99
  • Buy Lots Cores$9.99

Questions

Is Stellar Mercenaries free?
Stellar Mercenaries is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Astral Hunter free?
Astral Hunter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Stellar Mercenaries or Astral Hunter?
Stellar Mercenaries is rated higher. Stellar Mercenaries averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while Astral Hunter averages 4.3 from 16 ratings.
Do Stellar Mercenaries or Astral Hunter have ads?
Neither Stellar Mercenaries nor Astral Hunter shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stellar Mercenaries or Astral Hunter?
Stellar Mercenaries ships an update every 3 weeks, and Astral Hunter every 10 days. Most recently, Stellar Mercenaries was updated on September 17, 2026 and Astral Hunter on July 6, 2026.

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