# Once Upon a Galaxy vs Synapse

The clearest difference is ads: Once Upon a Galaxy at none against Synapse's shown. Synapse's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Once Upon a Galaxy sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and Synapse sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Once Upon a Galaxy ships an update fortnightly, Synapse every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Once Upon a Galaxy | Synapse |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-galaxy/id6504776189/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **1.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 83.4% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 195 MB | 228 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Million Dreams Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/1753775797) | [Disquiet Studio](https://appshunter.io/developer/6807713912) |

## What reviewers say

### Once Upon a Galaxy

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/once-upon-a-galaxy/id6504776189)

Embark on a fantasy card battling adventure where you draft unique captains and their friends to complete quests. Choose your path with diverse characters and strategic gameplay. Experience a game free of ads and AI art, focusing on player choice and engaging battles.

**Highlights:** Fantasy card battling, Captain drafting, Quest completion, Strategic gameplay, No AI artwork, Asynchronous play

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Welcome Bundle | $4.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| October 2026 Galaxy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| March 2026 Galaxy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| December Galaxy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| October 2025 Galaxy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| September 2025 Galaxy Pass | $9.99 | one-time |
| 1,100 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| 2,300 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Smooth gameplay
- 👍 Intuitive and streamlined
- 🎨 Charming art style
- 🕹️ Engaging strategy
- ⏱️ Asynchronous play

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
- 🔒 Locked content behind paywall
- 🤖 Imbalanced heroes/abilities
- 🕰️ Slow progression

**Reported bugs**

- Black screen on startup
- Infinite loading issues
- Progression loss after updates

**Requested features**

- More hero/card variety
- Improved tutorial and learning tools
- Offline/save progress mode
- Cosmetic/non-gameplay monetization
- Competitive/ranked modes


### Synapse

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/synapse-tower-defense/id6807713910)

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

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock All Maps | $9.99 | one-time |
| Unlock The Cortex | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Once Upon a Galaxy free?

Once Upon a Galaxy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Synapse free?

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

### Do Once Upon a Galaxy or Synapse have ads?

Synapse shows ads; Once Upon a Galaxy does not.

### Which is updated more often, Once Upon a Galaxy or Synapse?

Once Upon a Galaxy ships an update fortnightly, and Synapse every 3 days. Most recently, Once Upon a Galaxy was updated on November 4, 2026 and Synapse on October 31, 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.*