Comparison

Nova Drift vs Outhold

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

Head to head
About

Nova Drift

This roguelike space shooter blends arcade combat with RPG elements for deep ship customization. Evolve your vessel through rapid gameplay sessions, experimenting with over 200 modular upgrades to craft unique builds and dominate unpredictable, randomly generated challenges.

Highlights
  • Roguelike space shooter gameplay
  • Deep ship build-crafting
  • Over 200 modular upgrades
  • Quick, iterative gameplay sessions
  • Randomly generated challenges
  • Permanent death
Features
Read full description

- SURVIVE - EVOLVE - DOMINATE - Nova Drift is a roguelike space shooter that combines classic arcade combat with action-rpg elements, emphasizing build-crafting and deep customization. Your ship rapidly evolves as you defeat enemies, allowing you to take a build from inception to execution in a single, captivating game session. Featuring: - Quick gameplay sessions (15-45 minutes) that allow for rapid experimentation, iteration, and advancement. - Over 200 modular upgrades, unlocked over time, to create your ideal build with. Snipe, command a drone army, discharge your shields, charge up, burn enemies with your thrusters, or smash right through them... there's a way to make it work. - Modular challenge modes to unlock and activate, providing greater risk and rewards. The stakes are high, as death is permanent! - Every game is randomly generated, keeping the fight intense and unpredictable. Fight through the campaign or play endlessly... Nova Drift is created by Chimeric, with music by Miles Tilmann. Website: https://novadrift.io/ Discord: https://discord.com/invite/Zp2MkPJ

About

Outhold

A strategic incremental game combining tower defense with deep meta-progression. Experiment with various builds and discover powerful synergies to defend the last fires. Enjoy an addictive game loop with a deep upgrade tree where experimentation is rewarded.

Highlights
  • Incremental tower defense gameplay
  • Deep meta-progression
  • Build variety and synergies
  • Addictive game loop
  • Deep upgrade tree
  • Free upgrade refunds
Features
Read full description

[Incremental Tower Defense with Build Variety] Outhold is a short, strategic incremental game that blends tower defense with a deep meta-progression. Experiment with builds and find overpowered synergies to defend the dwindling fires of Outhold. [Addictive Game Loop] Start a run, see how far you get. Use your collected resources to buy upgrades and try again. Become powerful enough to obliterate everything coming against you. [Deep Upgrade Tree] Create unique builds that fit your playstyle. Experimentation is rewarded, and all upgrades can be refunded for free. [Strategize] Focus on upgrading just one specific tower, or find unique tower synergies. There are many ways to progress through Outhold, the choice is up to you.

Screenshots

Nova Drift4 screens
Outhold4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Outhold at 4.9 against Nova Drift's 4.4. Outhold also leads on price ($3.99 vs $9.99) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days). Nova Drift's advantage is review sentiment (80% vs 70%) and device support (4 vs 2). On ads, in-app purchases and chart position 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

Nova Drift costs $9.99 and Outhold $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Outhold holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 54 and 181 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 80% of Nova Drift's written reviews are positive against 70% of Outhold's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Nova Drift ships an update every 10 days, Outhold every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
Nova Drift versus Outhold: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNova DriftOuthold
Price$9.99$3.99 — better
Rating4.4 (54 ratings)4.9 (181 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.6% of reviews — better70.0% of reviews
Number of ratings54181 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#167#148 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size573 MB115 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperChimeric LLCMinMax Software AB

Customer experience

Nova Drift

All ratings54 ratings
Positive85.2%
Neutral5.6%
Negative9.3%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive79.6%
Neutral9.3%
Negative11.1%

Outhold

All ratings181 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral2.2%
Negative0.6%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive70.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative5.0%

In-app purchases

None

Nova Drift

No in-app purchases

None

Outhold

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Nova Drift free?
Nova Drift costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Outhold free?
Outhold costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Nova Drift or Outhold?
Outhold is rated higher. Nova Drift averages 4.4 out of 5 from 54 ratings, while Outhold averages 4.9 from 181 ratings.
Do Nova Drift or Outhold have ads?
Neither Nova Drift nor Outhold shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Nova Drift or Outhold?
Nova Drift ships an update every 10 days, and Outhold every 2 days. Most recently, Nova Drift was updated on September 21, 2026 and Outhold on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Nova Drift or Outhold?
Nova Drift currently peaks at #167 in the App Store charts, and Outhold at #148. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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