Comparison

Ark Nova vs Rank Nine

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

Rank Nine

Read full description

Build an army. Read the position. Make every move count. Rank Nine is a single-player chess roguelike where every legal move can become a scoring play. Find captures, checks, forks, pins, skewers, and discoveries, then combine them with artifacts, trained tactics, piece traits, and Crown Writs to shape a strategy that feels entirely your own. READ THE BOARD Tap a piece to preview legal destinations, detected tactics, and the score before you commit. Learn through play with a guided first score, a tactics guide, and clear boss counterplay. BUILD A RUN Choose an army, pick an opening plan, and develop it across eight stages. Recruit pieces, train tactics, refine your roster, bank gold for a treasury bonus, and decide when a powerful Crown Writ or capstone is worth the cost. FACE TITLE MATCHES Each boss changes the puzzle without deleting your strategy. Adapt to hidden previews, locked pieces, score pressure, aggressive queens, and more. KEEP CLIMBING - Six distinct armies to unlock and master - Eight difficulty levels with escalating pressure - 99 artifacts to discover - Daily Gauntlet with a shared seeded loadout - Milestones, run history, and persistent unlocks - English and Turkish - No ads or in-app purchases No need to memorize openings. If you know how the pieces move, Rank Nine teaches the rest—and gives you a hundred new reasons to find the best move.

Screenshots

Ark Nova4 screens
Rank Nine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Rank Nine at Free against Ark Nova's $10.99. Ark Nova's advantage is chart position (#31 vs unranked) and device support (3 vs 1). On 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

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

Scorecard4 real differences · 7 level
Ark Nova versus Rank Nine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterArk NovaRank Nine
Price$10.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (1.3K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews73.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.3K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#31 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size682 MB12 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperDire Wolf DigitalOzan Bicakci

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

Rank Nine

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ark Nova

No in-app purchases

None

Rank Nine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ark Nova free?
Ark Nova costs $10.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Rank Nine free?
Rank Nine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Ark Nova or Rank Nine have ads?
Neither Ark Nova nor Rank Nine shows ads.

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