Comparison

Idle Star Empire vs Loop Hero

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

Head to head
About

Idle Star Empire

Become an intergalactic conqueror in this idle space exploration game. Gather resources, upgrade your fleet, research technologies, and conquer new planets. Forge alliances or wage war to build the most powerful empire in the galaxy.

Highlights
  • Idle resource gathering
  • Spaceship fleet management
  • Technology research
  • Planet exploration
  • Diplomacy and conquest
  • Empire building
Features
Read full description

Welcome to "Idle Star Empire", the ultimate idle game set in the vast expanse of space. In this game, you will take on the role of an intergalactic conqueror, leading your fleet of spaceships to explore new planets, have diplomatic relations and conquer new civilizations. Your ultimate goal is to build the most powerful and advanced space empire in the galaxy. As you gather more resources, you can use them to upgrade your spaceships, build new ones, and research new technologies. Researching new technologies is a key part of the game. You can unlock new technologies by investing resources and time into research. These technologies will give you an edge in battles and allow you to explore and conquer new planets more efficiently. As you explore new planets, you will encounter different alien civilizations. You can choose to negotiate with them, form alliances, or wage war to conquer their planet. Overall, "Idle Star Empire" is an exciting idle game that combines strategy and space exploration. With its cool strategy features and the ability to conquer new planets and research new technologies, it offers hours of gameplay and endless possibilities. Are you ready to become the ultimate intergalactic conqueror? Play "Idle Star Empire" now!

About

Loop Hero

This roguelike RPG lets you strategically place cards to build unique expedition loops for your hero. Collect loot, expand your camp, and unlock new classes and abilities to break an endless cycle of chaos. Experience a dark fantasy story with retro pixel art, optimized for mobile play.

Highlights
  • Randomly generated expedition loops
  • Card-based strategic placement
  • Loot collection and equipment management
  • Camp expansion and upgrades
  • Unlockable classes and cards
  • Retro pixel art style
  • Mobile-optimized interface
Features
Read full description

*Try Loop Hero for free and unlock the full game for the whole adventure!* The Lich has thrown the world into a timeless loop and plunged its inhabitants into never ending chaos. In this roguelike RPG, wield an expanding deck of mystical cards to place enemies, buildings, and terrain along each unique expedition loop for the brave hero. Recover and equip powerful loot for each class of hero for their battles and expand the survivors' camp to reinforce each adventure through the loop. Unlock new classes, new cards, and devious guardians on your quest to shatter the endless cycle of despair. FEATURES - Explore an endless number of paths: bring your hero on randomly generated loops and never experience the same run twice. - Shape your expeditions into darkness: build your deck and place your cards to script your hero’s trials and tribulations. - Loot as you loop to rebuild the world: recover your memories as you collect equipment and resources to become stronger, reconstruct your camp and get your reality back. - Plunge into a gloomy universe: discover a melancholic dark fantasy story told through a retro pixel art direction and recollect the memories of this world. - Break the cycle: triumph over mighty bosses to free the world from the Lich’s neverending time loop. CAREFULLY REDESIGNED FOR MOBILE - Revamped interface – exclusive mobile UI with complete touch control - Game Center achievements - Cloud Save – Share your progress between iOS devices - Compatible with MFi controllers - iPhone 15 Optimization (including Pro Max)

Screenshots

Idle Star Empire4 screens
Loop Hero4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Loop Hero at 4.9 against Idle Star Empire's 3.8. Loop Hero also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Idle Star Empire sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Loop Hero sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Loop Hero holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Loop Hero has 3.9K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 75% and 75% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Idle Star Empire versus Loop Hero: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle Star EmpireLoop Hero
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (4 ratings)4.9 (3.9K ratings) — better
Positive reviews75.0% of reviews75.0% of reviews
Number of ratings43.9K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 2 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size228 MB228 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperFrederic NaglerPlaydigious

Customer experience

Idle Star Empire

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews4 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Loop Hero

All ratings3,939 ratings
Positive97.4%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.8%
Written reviews288 reviews
Positive75.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative18.4%

Bugs and requests

Idle Star Empire

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Loop Hero

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes after defeating first boss
  • Unplayable after initial progress
  • Inability to progress past trial version

Requested features

4 requests
  • Portrait mode
  • More classes/build diversity
  • Improved UI/overlay customization
  • Chinese language support

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Idle Star Empire

One-time10
  • Medium Pack$4.99
  • Supporter Pack$6.99
  • Timewarp Pack$7.99
Show 7 more
  • Tournament Pack$7.99
  • Big Pack$9.99
  • No Ads for 365 Days$12.99
  • Explorer Pack$14.99
  • No Ads Forever$34.99
  • Giant Pack$49.99
  • Legendary Pack$99.99
1 purchases

Loop Hero

One-time1
  • Unlock Full Game$6.99

Questions

Is Idle Star Empire free?
Idle Star Empire is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Loop Hero free?
Loop Hero is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Idle Star Empire or Loop Hero?
Loop Hero is rated higher. Idle Star Empire averages 3.8 out of 5 from 4 ratings, while Loop Hero averages 4.9 from 3.9K ratings.
Do Idle Star Empire or Loop Hero have ads?
Idle Star Empire shows ads; Loop Hero does not.
Which is updated more often, Idle Star Empire or Loop Hero?
Idle Star Empire ships an update every 2 weeks, and Loop Hero every 2 weeks. Most recently, Idle Star Empire was updated on November 3, 2026 and Loop Hero on November 4, 2026.

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