# Foundation vs Planet Explorers

The clearest difference is rating: Foundation at 4.6 against Planet Explorers's 4.0. Foundation also leads on ratings volume (9.3K vs 1) and chart position (#5 vs unranked). Planet Explorers's advantage is review sentiment (100% vs 62%) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Foundation sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Planet Explorers asks for nothing beyond the download.

Foundation holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Foundation has 9.3K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 62% of Foundation's written reviews are positive against 100% of Planet Explorers's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Foundation ships an update fortnightly, Planet Explorers every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Foundation | Planet Explorers |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (9.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foundation-galactic-frontier/id6737595599/reviews)** | [4.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planet-explorers/id6747460400/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **9.3K** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 61.7% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Best chart rank | **#5** | — |
| Size | 3.8 GB | 215 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FunPlus International AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1343106322) | [Quantribution LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1773550132) |

## What reviewers say

### Foundation

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foundation-galactic-frontier/id6737595599)

**Currently charting:** #5 Top Free · Role Playing, #17 Top Grossing · Role Playing, #20 Top Free · Strategy, #28 Top Grossing · Strategy, #118 Top Free · Games, #135 Top Grossing · Games (US App Store)

Embark on an epic sci-fi adventure in a falling Galactic Empire. Command your starship, explore uncharted space, and dominate a saga blending deep strategy with intense action. Uncover secrets, build your fleet, and shape the future of humanity.

**Highlights:** Interstellar trader/bounty hunter/political strategist role, Cinematic narrative events reacting to player choices, Mothership construction and customization, Crew management and bonding, Space exploration with landing shooter combats, Fleet construction and RTS galaxy wars, Alliance participation in interstellar conflicts

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purchase Packs | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $1.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $4.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $9.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $19.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $29.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $49.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 🚀 Awesome gameplay
- 👍 Brings back the show
- 👍 Fun and interactive
- 👍 Visually fantastic

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Crashes and freezes
- 🐛 Buggy and unstable
- 💰 Heavily monetized
- 🤖 Questionable use of AI
- 🤷‍♀️ Doesn't match the ads

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes during tutorial
- Crashes after completing first chapter
- Frequent disconnections

**Requested features**

- Add Russian language support
- Improve performance on older devices
- Reduce in-game monetization


### Planet Explorers

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/planet-explorers/id6747460400)

Embark on AI-generated planetary expeditions offline, complete with unique names, missions, and maps. Manage your crew and document your discoveries as you explore new worlds.

**Highlights:** AI-crafted planets, Offline expeditions, Crew management, Discovery journal, Unique missions and maps

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Foundation free?

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

### Is Planet Explorers free?

Planet Explorers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Foundation or Planet Explorers?

Foundation is rated higher. Foundation averages 4.6 out of 5 from 9.3K ratings, while Planet Explorers averages 4.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do Foundation or Planet Explorers have ads?

Neither Foundation nor Planet Explorers shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Foundation or Planet Explorers?

Foundation ships an update fortnightly, and Planet Explorers every 5 days. Most recently, Foundation was updated on November 7, 2026 and Planet Explorers on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*