# Planetary Idle vs Mars Mining Simulator

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Mars Mining Simulator at 100% against Planetary Idle's 50%. Mars Mining Simulator also leads on update cadence (daily vs weekly) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Planetary Idle's advantage is ratings volume (77 vs 4). 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 Mars Mining Simulator sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Mars Mining Simulator holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Planetary Idle has 77 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Planetary Idle's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mars Mining Simulator's.

Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, Mars Mining Simulator daily. The most recent releases landed on September 12, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Planetary Idle | Mars Mining Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (77 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planetary-idle/id6450142774/reviews) | **[5.0 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-mining-simulator/id6753826040/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **77** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Weekly | **Daily** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 112 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Roberto Frias Nerio](https://appshunter.io/developer/1692039143) | [Matthew Musto](https://appshunter.io/developer/1845203461) |

## 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 |


### Mars Mining Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mars-mining-simulator/id6753826040)

Pilot a mining rig on Mars to extract valuable minerals and discover ancient relics. Upgrade your equipment, utilize tactical consumables, and survive treacherous caverns to complete challenges and rescue a trapped miner.

**Highlights:** Mine 10 unique minerals, Discover 3 mega-rare Relics, Upgrade 6 ship Parts, Use 5 Tactical consumables, Visit 4 Surface shops, Complete 6 Challenges, Engage in 1 Epic Boss fight

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Violet Vento | $0.99 | one-time |
| Remove Ads | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Planetary Idle free?

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

### Is Mars Mining Simulator free?

Mars Mining Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Planetary Idle or Mars Mining Simulator?

Mars Mining Simulator is rated higher. Planetary Idle averages 4.8 out of 5 from 77 ratings, while Mars Mining Simulator averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.

### Do Planetary Idle or Mars Mining Simulator have ads?

Both Planetary Idle and Mars Mining Simulator show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Planetary Idle or Mars Mining Simulator?

Planetary Idle ships an update weekly, and Mars Mining Simulator daily. Most recently, Planetary Idle was updated on September 12, 2026 and Mars Mining Simulator on September 16, 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.*