Comparison

SimpleRockets vs Pocket Galaxy

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

Head to head
About

SimpleRockets

Design and build custom rocket ships with a variety of parts, then launch them into space to explore the solar system. Engage in challenges that test your engineering skills and learn about realistic orbital physics.

Highlights
  • Design custom rocket ships
  • Connect various parts and gizmos
  • Build rovers with wheels
  • Explore the solar system
  • Realistic orbital physics simulation
  • Engage in in-game challenges
Features
Read full description

Be sure to check our new game, SimplePlanes. Build airplanes and test them with realistic physics and see how they fly. You can find it on the App Store now or check out the website at http://www.SimplePlanes.com Design your own rocket ships. Blast off into space. Explore the solar system. See if you have what it takes to be a rocket scientist. CREATE Choose and connect parts together to build rocket ships. You can choose from a variety of rocket engines, fuel tanks, and other gizmos. You can even build rovers with powered wheels. You are only limited by your imagination. EXPLORE Blast off from any planet you want. You can fly through the intense atmosphere of Venus, or you can take advantage of the low gravity of Mercury. Whip around the sun and launch yourself out to the far reaches of the solar system. CHALLENGES Several challenges are built into the game so you can see who can go the fastest, fly the farthest, orbit with the least amount of fuel, land on the moon, and so much more. ROCKET SCIENCE Kepler wrote the equations 400 years ago, and SimpleRockets uses those equations to model extremely realistic orbital physics. Players will learn about rocket science and astrodynamics while they are having a blast exploring the solar system. This makes SimpleRockets ideal for the classroom, or as a healthy alternative to the barrage of brainless games available on the App Store.

About

Pocket Galaxy

Design and simulate your own solar systems and galaxies with realistic physics. Customize planets, stars, and orbits, then share your creations. Features smooth 3D graphics and a user-friendly interface.

Highlights
  • 3D galaxy sandbox
  • Realistic physics simulation
  • Planet and star customization
  • Smooth 3D graphics
  • User-friendly interface
  • Shareable creations
Features
Read full description

Drop a planet into empty space and watch gravity take hold of it. Pocket Galaxy is a 3D gravity sandbox where you place planets, stars and moons and then watch them orbit under real, physics-based simulation. Arrange a solar system exactly how you like it, then take it apart: heat worlds until they glow, freeze them solid, hurl asteroids, fire solar rays and set off chain reactions. There are no levels and no timers. The sandbox is the whole game, and the only clock is the one gravity keeps. What you can do • Sculpt entire solar systems from a near-infinite variety of worlds • Tune each world's gravity, size and orbit, even flip gravity to repulsive • Reach for cosmic tools: asteroid storms, solar rays, ice rays and explosions • Unlock new world and star types as you experiment • Discover procedural worlds, gas giants and glowing stars • Track your creations, and how life develops, in the Planet Journal • Save, load and screenshot your universe to share Relaxing and powerful at once, Pocket Galaxy turns real orbital mechanics into a toy box. Build a calm, life-bearing system, or smash it to particles; there is no wrong way to play it. This is the full paid version. No ads, no in-app purchases, no interruptions. Pay once and own the whole universe.

Screenshots

SimpleRockets4 screens
Pocket Galaxy4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pocket Galaxy at none against SimpleRockets's 5. Pocket Galaxy also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 686) and review sentiment (95% vs 85%). SimpleRockets's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 2 months) and price ($2.99 vs $3.99). On rating, ads and device support 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

SimpleRockets costs $2.99 and Pocket Galaxy $3.99 up front. SimpleRockets sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Pocket Galaxy asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pocket Galaxy holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Pocket Galaxy has 10K ratings behind it against 686, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 85% of SimpleRockets's written reviews are positive against 95% of Pocket Galaxy's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

SimpleRockets ships an update monthly, Pocket Galaxy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
SimpleRockets versus Pocket Galaxy: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSimpleRocketsPocket Galaxy
Price$2.99 — better$3.99
Rating4.6 (686 ratings)4.8 (10K ratings) — better
Positive reviews85.1% of reviews95.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings68610K — better
Update frequencyMonthly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size26 MB125 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJundroo, LLCPocket Labs UK

Customer experience

SimpleRockets

All ratings683 ratings
Positive88.9%
Neutral4.2%
Negative6.9%
Written reviews355 reviews
Positive85.1%
Neutral7.9%
Negative7.0%

Pocket Galaxy

All ratings9,965 ratings
Positive95.2%
Neutral3.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews1,239 reviews
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.2%
Negative2.5%

User reviews

SimpleRockets

From 686 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Great game
  • 🚀 Fun and addictive
  • 🚀 Realistic physics
  • 🚀 Awesome space simulation
  • 🚀 Intuitive and easy to learn

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🐛 Unstable and unreliable
  • 🐛 Difficult to build complex rockets
  • 🐛 Lack of camera controls
  • 🔧 Limited part selection

Pocket Galaxy

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Good game
  • 👍 Fun and relaxing
  • ⭐ Great for space enthusiasts
  • 💎 Awesome for creating solar systems
  • 🌟 Incredible graphics and physics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Glitchy orbits and collisions
  • 🐛 Planets disappearing or resetting
  • 🐛 Laggy performance with many objects
  • 🔧 Difficult to control planet orbits
  • 🔧 Limited customization options

Bugs and requests

SimpleRockets

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Crashes on startup
  • Rocket parts detaching mid-flight
  • Docking and rendezvous issues
  • Inconsistent controls and responsiveness
  • Graphical glitches and visual bugs

Requested features

7 requests
  • More parts and customization options
  • Improved rocket building and assembly
  • Camera controls and different views
  • Career mode or progression system
  • Multiplayer or cooperative features
Show 2 more
  • Expanded solar system and exploration
  • Better tutorials and guidance

Pocket Galaxy

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Planets not staying in orbit
  • Satellites and black holes causing UI issues
  • Textures disappearing in planet selection
  • Saved universes not loading correctly
  • Inconsistent planet/star coloring after reloading

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more celestial bodies (neutron stars, pulsars, etc.)
  • Improve life simulation and terraforming mechanics
  • Allow custom planet/star creation and editing
  • Implement surface view and spaceship exploration
  • Add more advanced simulation features (galaxy formation, etc.)

In-app purchases

5 purchases

SimpleRockets

One-time5
  • Angel Rocket Skin$0.99
  • Cartoon Rocket Skin$0.99
  • Guardian Rocket Skin$0.99
Show 2 more
  • Lava Rocket Skin$0.99
  • Platinum Rocket Skin$0.99
None

Pocket Galaxy

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SimpleRockets free?
SimpleRockets costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Pocket Galaxy free?
Pocket Galaxy costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, SimpleRockets or Pocket Galaxy?
Pocket Galaxy is rated higher. SimpleRockets averages 4.6 out of 5 from 686 ratings, while Pocket Galaxy averages 4.8 from 10K ratings.
Do SimpleRockets or Pocket Galaxy have ads?
Neither SimpleRockets nor Pocket Galaxy shows ads.
Which is updated more often, SimpleRockets or Pocket Galaxy?
SimpleRockets ships an update monthly, and Pocket Galaxy every 2 months. Most recently, SimpleRockets was updated on October 29, 2026 and Pocket Galaxy on October 30, 2026.

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