Comparison

Ark Nova vs Light Speed

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

Head to head
About

Ark Nova

Design and manage a modern zoo to support global conservation efforts. Build enclosures, house animals, and utilize unique cards for special abilities. Compete to create the most successful zoological establishment.

Highlights
  • Plan and design a modern zoo
  • Build enclosures and accommodate animals
  • Support global conservation projects
  • Utilize 255 unique cards (animals, specialists, projects)
  • Upgrade action cards for gameplay
  • Increase zoo appeal and scientific reputation
Features
Read full description

Plan and build a modern, scientifically managed zoo to support conservation projects in an acclaimed strategy board game. In Ark Nova, you will plan and design a modern, scientifically managed zoo. With the ultimate goal of owning the most successful zoological establishment, you will build enclosures, accommodate animals, and support conservation projects all over the world. Specialists and unique buildings will help you in achieving this goal. At the heart of Ark Nova are 255 cards featuring animals, specialists, unique enclosures, and conservation projects, each with a particular ability. Use them to increase the appeal and scientific reputation of your zoo and to collect conservation points. Each player has a set of action cards, which you will use and upgrade to carry out your plans. Each player has a set of five action cards to manage their gameplay, and the power of an action is determined by the slot the card currently occupies. The cards are: BUILD: Allows you to build standard or special enclosures, kiosks, and pavilions. ANIMALS: Allows you to accommodate animals in your zoo. CARDS: Allows you to gain new zoo cards (animals, sponsors, and conservation project cards). ASSOCIATION: Allows your association workers to carry out different tasks. SPONSORS: Allows you to play a sponsor card in your zoo or to raise money. With high replayability and rich components, Ark Nova provides a remarkable gaming experience that will bring the game to the table again and again.

About

Light Speed

This companion app enhances a physical board game by visualizing and resolving battles through photos. It requires the physical game and an internet connection to function.

Highlights
  • Battle visualization
  • Battle resolution
  • Photo analysis
  • Companion app functionality
Read full description

Snap a picture of your Light Speed: Arena game and let the app visualize and resolve the battle for you! Note that this is a companion app for a physical board game: You need a copy of Light Speed: Arena to use it for its main purpose. An internet connection is required.

Screenshots

Ark Nova4 screens
Light Speed4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Light Speed at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Light Speed also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 73%). Ark Nova's advantage is ratings volume (1.3K vs 8) and chart position (#38 vs unranked). On rating, update cadence, 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

Light Speed is free to download; Ark Nova costs $10.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Light Speed holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ark Nova has 1.3K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 73% of Ark Nova's written reviews are positive against 100% of Light Speed's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Ark Nova versus Light Speed: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArk NovaLight Speed
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating4.8 (1.3K ratings)5.0 (8 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.3K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#38 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size682 MB222 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDire Wolf DigitalTABLESCOPE GmbH

Customer experience

Ark Nova

All ratings1,262 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.7%
Negative1.5%
Written reviews134 reviews
Positive73.1%
Neutral10.4%
Negative16.4%

Light Speed

All ratings8 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

Ark Nova

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • iPad Flash exit issue
  • Rewards screen being blocked by other UI elements

Requested features

4 requests
  • Option to enable larger UI buttons for modal panels
  • Full screen mode
  • Option to reverse zoom direction
  • Improved card readability/zoom

Light Speed

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

None

Light Speed

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Light Speed free?
Light Speed is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ark Nova or Light Speed?
Light Speed is rated higher. Ark Nova averages 4.8 out of 5 from 1.3K ratings, while Light Speed averages 5.0 from 8 ratings.
Do Ark Nova or Light Speed have ads?
Neither Ark Nova nor Light Speed shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ark Nova or Light Speed?
Ark Nova ships an update every 3 weeks, and Light Speed every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ark Nova was updated on November 6, 2026 and Light Speed on November 4, 2026.

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