Comparison

Planetary Idle vs Idle Expedition

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

Head to head
About

Planetary Idle

Explore planets with a retro sci-fi idle theme. Hire scientists for passive income, tap for boosts, and research expeditions for discoveries. Prestige to reset with permanent upgrades and unlock perks with rare QBits.

Highlights
  • Hire Scientists for passive income
  • Tap to boost active income
  • Research expeditions for discoveries
  • Prestige system with permanent upgrades
  • Earn QBits for powerful perks
  • Offline progress for 6 hours
Features
Read full description

Discover planets with a retro sci-fi idle theme with Planetary Idle! • Hire Scientists - Generate steady passive income and scale your operation. • Tap to Boost - Tap for extra cash when you’re active. • Research Expeditions - Spend money and brave scientists on one-way missions for discoveries and income bonuses! • Prestige - Reset, keep permanent upgrades, blast past your previous best. • QBits & Upgrades - Earn rare QBits and unlock powerful perks. • Play Your Pace - Short bursts or long idles; progress for 6 hours when offline. • Game Center - Many achievements to unlock!

About

Idle Expedition

This idle/clicker game offers pure gameplay with no ads or in-app purchases. Manage resources, upgrade your hero's traits and attributes, and send them on expeditions to gather rare currency and unlock your true potential.

Highlights
  • No ads or in-app purchases
  • Clicker gameplay for Gold and EXP
  • Idle expeditions for loot and Insight
  • Trait and attribute progression system
  • Chill soundtrack
  • Trophy and achievement tracking
Features
Read full description

Idle Expedition proudly features NO ADS and IN-APP PURCHASES. EVER. Idle Expedition is a more traditional take on the idle/clicker genre — The main twist, it's a free mobile game with absolutely no ads and no in-app purchases. Just pure gameplay. Take control of your adventure with three core screens, four traits, four attributes, and three currencies: Gold, Experience, and Insight. Camp (Clicker Gameplay) Tap for Gold or EXP in two modes. Spend Gold to upgrade your tools, upgrade your backpack, and brew powerful potions. Your Camp is your grind hub — satisfying, and always rewarding. Expedition (Idle Gameplay) Send your hero on real-time expeditions, progress from quick outings to hour-long journeys. Enhance your chances using traits like Luck, Endurance, and Perception. Expeditions are the only way to earn Insight, a rare currency that fuels long-term growth and unlocks your true potential - you simply need it... Main Menu (Strategy & Progression) Upgrade four traits and four attributes with EXP to enhance both active and idle play. Every few levels, you’ll hit an Insight Wall, which balances progression between active and idle play. Manage your backpack, view your storage, track progress, and view trophies/achievements! Bonus: Features music by @VGM_Central on YouTube. Check out his channel! Idle Expedition is brought to you by a 2-person team of brothers who believe that playing a game should not be interrupted by Ads and should not nickel and dime its players. Highlights: No ads. No IAPs. Ever. Click for Gold or EXP in the Camp Run idle expeditions for Gold, EXP, loot and Insight Trait and attribute system with real gameplay impact Chill soundtrack and a vibe that respects your time Download Idle Expedition and take your time. Your journey awaits — no strings attached. We hope you enjoy the game as much as we enjoyed making it!

Screenshots

Planetary Idle4 screens
Idle Expedition4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Planetary Idle at 4.8 against Idle Expedition's 4.0. Idle Expedition's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and device support 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. Planetary Idle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Expedition asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planetary Idle holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 77 and 32 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 50% of Planetary Idle's written reviews are positive against 61% of Idle Expedition's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, Idle Expedition every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Planetary Idle versus Idle Expedition: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlanetary IdleIdle Expedition
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (77 ratings) — better4.0 (32 ratings)
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews60.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings77 — better32
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS1715.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB121 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperRoberto Frias NerioPixel Balloon LLC

Customer experience

Planetary Idle

All ratings77 ratings
Positive96.1%
Neutral1.3%
Negative2.6%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%

Idle Expedition

All ratings32 ratings
Positive65.6%
Neutral15.6%
Negative18.8%
Written reviews23 reviews
Positive60.9%
Neutral13.0%
Negative26.1%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Planetary Idle

One-time3
  • Booster Pack$0.99
  • Research Pack$2.99
  • Quantum Pack$6.99
None

Idle Expedition

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Planetary Idle free?
Planetary Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Expedition free?
Idle Expedition is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Planetary Idle or Idle Expedition?
Planetary Idle is rated higher. Planetary Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Idle Expedition averages 4.0 from 32 ratings.
Do Planetary Idle or Idle Expedition have ads?
Planetary Idle shows ads; Idle Expedition does not.
Which is updated more often, Planetary Idle or Idle Expedition?
Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, and Idle Expedition every 5 days. Most recently, Planetary Idle was updated on October 15, 2026 and Idle Expedition on October 9, 2026.

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