# Planetary Idle vs Asteronium

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Planetary Idle at 81 against Asteronium's 1. Planetary Idle also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). Asteronium's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8) and iOS requirement (15.2 vs 17). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Planetary Idle sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Asteronium sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Asteronium holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planetary Idle has 81 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, Asteronium monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planetary Idle | Asteronium |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (81 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-idle/id6450142774/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteronium-idle-space-tycoon/id6749447747/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **81** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 112 MB | 186 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **15.2** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Roberto Frias Nerio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692039143) | [Marina Kornilova](https://appshunter.io/developer/1712363870) |

## What reviewers say

### Planetary Idle

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-idle/id6450142774)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (3)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Booster Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Research Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Quantum Pack | $6.99 | one-time |


### Asteronium

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/asteronium-idle-space-tycoon/id6749447747)

Develop a deep-space industrial empire by strategically building and managing your space station. Optimize resource extraction, refine materials, and trade goods to become an idle mining tycoon. Research new technologies and upgrade modules to maximize efficiency, even when offline.

**Highlights:** Build and manage space station, Optimize resource extraction, Refine materials and trade goods, Research new technologies, Offline progression, Upgrade modules

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Station Eta | $0.99 | one-time |
| Station Theta | $0.99 | one-time |
| Station Eta | $1.99 | one-time |
| Station Theta | $1.99 | one-time |
| Station Zeta | $2.99 | one-time |
| Station Eta | $2.99 | one-time |
| Station Theta | $2.99 | one-time |
| Station Eta | $3.99 | one-time |
| Station Theta | $3.99 | one-time |
| Mega Station | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planetary Idle free?

Planetary Idle is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Asteronium free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Planetary Idle or Asteronium?

Asteronium is rated higher. Planetary Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 81 ratings, while Asteronium averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Planetary Idle or Asteronium have ads?

Both Planetary Idle and Asteronium show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Planetary Idle or Asteronium?

Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, and Asteronium monthly. Most recently, Planetary Idle was updated on November 3, 2026 and Asteronium on October 28, 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.*