# Idle Mars Survival vs LanternKeep

The clearest difference is ads: LanternKeep at none against Idle Mars Survival's shown. LanternKeep also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). Idle Mars Survival's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Idle Mars Survival sells 14 one-off in-app purchases and LanternKeep sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Idle Mars Survival ships an update fortnightly, LanternKeep every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Idle Mars Survival | LanternKeep |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-mars-survival-migrate/id6470996516/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 34.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 249 MB | 8 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Oneorwa Technology Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1702491489) | [凯 邵](https://appshunter.io/developer/6771999548) |

## What reviewers say

### Idle Mars Survival

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-mars-survival-migrate/id6470996516)

Survive and thrive as an astronaut stranded on Mars. Generate power, secure vital resources, and expand your base to accommodate more survivors. Develop oxygen production systems and defend against dangerous spore invasions to establish a successful colony.

**Highlights:** Generate power from solar and wind sources, Secure food, water, and essential supplies, Expand base and recruit new astronauts, Produce oxygen for colonization, Defend against spore invasions, Explore for mineral resources

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (14)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Novice gift | $0.99 | one-time |
| 80 Power Stones | $0.99 | one-time |
| 500 Power Stones | $4.99 | one-time |
| Limited Ad-free | $4.99 | one-time |
| Festival Gift No.1 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Festival Gift No.4 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Ad-free | $9.99 | one-time |
| Caretaker | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Power Stones | $9.99 | one-time |
| Advanced Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| Luxury gift package | $14.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Power Stones | $19.99 | one-time |
| 6500 Power Stones | $49.99 | one-time |
| 15000 Power Stones | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Engaging gameplay
- 👍 Addictive and fun
- 🚀 Smooth performance
- 💡 Creative concept

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 Drains battery quickly
- 🔒 Lack of customer support
- 🔒 Buggy and glitchy
- 💰 Monetization issues

**Reported bugs**

- Incorrect resource calculations
- Stuck on second planet with no way to progress
- In-app purchases not working as expected
- Freezing and crashing issues
- Oxygen/resource production imbalance

**Requested features**

- Ability to move buildings
- Improved resource balancing
- Notifications for resource collection
- Cloud save/sync across devices
- Ability to listen to own music


### LanternKeep

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/lanternkeep/id6805915977)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Saisen | $0.99 | one-time |
| Middle Saisen | $3.99 | one-time |
| Omamori | $4.99 | one-time |
| Large Saisen | $6.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Idle Mars Survival free?

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

### Is LanternKeep free?

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

### Do Idle Mars Survival or LanternKeep have ads?

Idle Mars Survival shows ads; LanternKeep does not.

### Which is updated more often, Idle Mars Survival or LanternKeep?

Idle Mars Survival ships an update fortnightly, and LanternKeep every 3 days. Most recently, Idle Mars Survival was updated on October 22, 2026 and LanternKeep on October 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.*