# Stellar Mercenaries vs 9th Dawn Remake

The clearest difference is price: Stellar Mercenaries at Free against 9th Dawn Remake's $9.99. Stellar Mercenaries also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.5). 9th Dawn Remake's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 3 weeks). On review sentiment, ratings volume, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Stellar Mercenaries is free to download; 9th Dawn Remake costs $9.99 up front. Stellar Mercenaries sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. 9th Dawn Remake asks for nothing beyond the download.

Stellar Mercenaries holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 34 and 26 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of Stellar Mercenaries's written reviews are positive against 78% of 9th Dawn Remake's.

Stellar Mercenaries ships an update every 3 weeks, 9th Dawn Remake every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Stellar Mercenaries | 9th Dawn Remake |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $9.99 |
| Rating | **[4.7 (34 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/stellar-mercenaries/id6446969323/reviews)** | [4.5 (26 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9th-dawn-remake/id6737169079/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **34** | 26 |
| Positive reviews | **85.0% of reviews** | 78.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Size | 198 MB | 1.1 GB |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Quest Builders LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1679888919) | [Valorware LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1076717688) |

## 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 |


### 9th Dawn Remake

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/9th-dawn-remake/id6737169079)

Embark on a vast open-world RPG adventure, exploring dungeons, battling monsters, and collecting epic loot. Rebuilt from the ground up, this game offers single-player and online co-op modes with deep character customization and engaging minigames.

**Highlights:** Massive open world exploration, Dungeon crawling with monsters and loot, Single-player and online co-op modes, Character build customization, Monster pet raising and training, Deck building and fishing minigames, Crafting and equipment upgrades

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great dungeon crawler
- 👍 Fun mini-games (fishing, card game)
- 👍 High Japanese translation quality
- 👍 Large game volume
- 👍 Good character design

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🐛 UI issues, difficult bottom bar
- 🐛 Combat can be boring
- 🐛 Lack of keyboard support (MBP)
- 🐛 Save data not shared across devices (iPad/iPhone)

**Reported bugs**

- Shared treasure chest not working
- Cannot move after entering campfire area
- Cannot attack after equipping
- Crashes during data loading or mini-game switching
- Crashes when moving to the next map from initial dungeon

**Requested features**

- WASD controls for keyboard
- Cloud save synchronization (iCloud)
- Button layout customization
- Ability to remove set spells/items
- Improved UI for bottom bar


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Stellar Mercenaries free?

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

### Is 9th Dawn Remake free?

9th Dawn Remake costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Stellar Mercenaries or 9th Dawn Remake?

Stellar Mercenaries is rated higher. Stellar Mercenaries averages 4.7 out of 5 from 34 ratings, while 9th Dawn Remake averages 4.5 from 26 ratings.

### Do Stellar Mercenaries or 9th Dawn Remake have ads?

Neither Stellar Mercenaries nor 9th Dawn Remake shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Stellar Mercenaries or 9th Dawn Remake?

Stellar Mercenaries ships an update every 3 weeks, and 9th Dawn Remake every 2 days. Most recently, Stellar Mercenaries was updated on September 17, 2026 and 9th Dawn Remake on September 23, 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.*