# Stellar Mercenaries vs Astral Hunter

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.

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stellar Mercenaries | Astral Hunter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-mercenaries/id6446969323/reviews)** | [4.3 (16 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astral-hunter/id6503205657/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34** | 16 |
| Positive reviews | **85.0% of reviews** | 50.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 10 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 198 MB | 106 MB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Quest Builders LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679888919) | [开心 李](https://appshunter.io/developer/1701003810) |

## What reviewers say

### 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 |


### Astral Hunter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/astral-hunter/id6503205657)

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:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Access | $0.99 | one-time |
| Beginner Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Have Fun | $1.99 | one-time |
| Hard Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy Few Cores | $1.99 | one-time |
| Insane Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Super Pack | $9.99 | one-time |
| Buy Lots Cores | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*