# Foundation vs ChromaLab

The clearest difference is ads: Foundation at none against ChromaLab's shown. Foundation also leads on chart position (#14 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). ChromaLab's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). On price, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Foundation sells 9 one-off in-app purchases and ChromaLab sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Foundation ships an update fortnightly, ChromaLab every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Foundation | ChromaLab |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (9K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/foundation-galactic-frontier/id6737595599/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **9K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 61.5% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Best chart rank | **#14** | — |
| Size | 3.8 GB | 175 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [FunPlus International AG](https://appshunter.io/developer/1343106322) | [Sylvain Ainama](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884730026) |

## What reviewers say

### Foundation

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

**Currently charting:** #14 Top Grossing · Role Playing, #27 Top Grossing · Strategy, #30 Top Free · Role Playing, #47 Top Free · Strategy, #114 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 (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Purchase Packs | $0.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $1.99 | one-time |
| Purchase Packs | $2.99 | 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


### ChromaLab

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chromalab/id6760504351)

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1500 loyalty points | $0.99 | one-time |
| 5000 loyalty points | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Gold theme | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Plasma theme | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Inferno theme | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Holographic theme | $2.99 | one-time |
| Battle pass with exclusive rewards | $2.99 | one-time |
| Premium Arctic theme | $2.99 | one-time |
| Starter Bundle:Gold,Plasma,Inferno | $2.99 | one-time |
| Elite Bundle | $3.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Foundation free?

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

### Is ChromaLab free?

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

### Do Foundation or ChromaLab have ads?

ChromaLab shows ads; Foundation does not.

### Which is updated more often, Foundation or ChromaLab?

Foundation ships an update fortnightly, and ChromaLab every 2 days. Most recently, Foundation was updated on October 22, 2026 and ChromaLab on October 11, 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.*