Comparison

Pulse Orbit vs Pilots

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

Head to head
About

Pulse Orbit

Features
Read full description

Ready for Orbit? Pulse Orbit is your new arcade space adventure - easy to learn, hard to master. In this fast-paced, stylish reaction game, you pilot your ship through dangerous orbital paths. Switch orbits at the perfect moment, dodge hazards, and chase new high scores! But that’s just the beginning. Features: Precise One-Tap Gameplay Tap to switch between inner and outer orbits - simple to control, tough to survive. Multiple Ships with Unique Abilities Unlock new ships, each with its own look and special gameplay traits. Power-Ups with Tactical Impact Use magnets, shields, slow-motion, lasers and more to boost your run and clear your path. Epic Boss Battles Face powerful bosses that challenge your reflexes with shifting patterns, mines, and chaos. Retro Vibes & Dynamic Soundtrack A pulsing mix of synthwave, sci-fi visuals and immersive space atmosphere. Global Leaderboards Compete with players worldwide - or challenge your friends to beat your score. Play for free, dive into orbit, and find your rhythm. How long can you ride the pulse? Download now and master the orbit!

About

Pilots

An aviation idle and incremental strategy game where you build an airfield from scratch. Research new technologies, design aircraft, and manage pilots to progress through different flight eras. Enjoy offline progress and dynamic weather without timers or ads.

Highlights
  • Idle and incremental strategy gameplay
  • Fleet and route design
  • Dynamic weather system
  • Pilot experience and ranks
  • Prestige reset for permanent upgrades
  • Offline progress simulation
Read full description

Build from a grass airstrip to interstellar flight, one horizon at a time. Pilots: Ascension is an aviation idle and incremental strategy game. It starts with a hand-cranked fuel drum and a wood-and-fabric machine that has no business leaving the ground. Your job is to get it into the sky anyway. You are the quartermaster of a tiny airfield. Crank fuel, recruit crew and coax the first aircraft into the air. Then build an industry: depots, mines, smelters and workshops. Assign aviators to the jobs that suit them and research your way up the altitude spine through seven eras: Dawn of Flight, the Propeller Age, the Jet Age, the Rocket Age, Orbit, the Interplanetary frontier and the Interstellar Age. IT KEEPS THE LOOP YOU KNOW Gather, build, assign, research, trade, prestige. Then it adds mechanics built around flight: • Adventure campaign: five flight programs tie era research to real flying. Aircraft must be capable of their route, so your fleet choices matter. • Grand Expeditions: three voyages and 16 story legs with changing routes, flight modes and supply needs. Earn Bronze, Silver and Gold honors that stay with every future career. No deadlines. • Flight Operations: seven stories and 21 mission stages across all seven eras. Choose relief service or scientific survey. • Flight modes: Standard, Economy, Express and Survey trade speed, fuel, risk and science output for each aircraft. • Route mastery: successful landings earn better payouts and lower risk on familiar routes. • Simulated weather: four in-game seasons plus changing conditions. Tailwinds, fog and thunderstorms can ground flights and shift production. • Pilot ranks: aviators climb from Rookie to Wingman to Veteran to Ace, multiplying their output. • New Horizon: take a Final Flight, bank Legacy, Ace Points and Renown, pick a Founding Charter and, if you want, a challenge for your next run. Your career log remembers your last 50 runs. A CALMER, CLEARER AIRFIELD A compact home screen puts one crank button beside your crew and fuel stats. Tap any resource to see what produces it, what stores it and what consumes it. Fleets group by aircraft, route and mode, with bulk controls for dispatch. CLASSIC AND ADVENTURE New careers begin in Adventure. Existing careers keep the original rules as Classic, and you can choose Adventure at a voluntary New Horizon. Offline progress for up to three days: your fleet keeps flying while you are away. Your save lives on your device. No timers nagging you. No ads. No in-app purchases. No account or login. Start with a windsock and an empty field.

Screenshots

Pulse Orbit4 screens
Pilots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pulse Orbit at Free against Pilots's $0.99. Pilots's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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

Pulse Orbit is free to download; Pilots costs $0.99 up front. Pulse Orbit sells 11 one-off in-app purchases. Pilots asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Pulse Orbit versus Pilots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPulse OrbitPilots
PriceFree — better$0.99
Rating—5.0 (5 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—5 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Paid
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, Mac — better
Requires iOS18.617.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size190 MB4 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperPeter HildelDas Creative LLC

In-app purchases

11 purchases

Pulse Orbit

One-time11
  • Apple Music$0.99
  • Ad Free$1.99
  • Relics Pack Small$1.99
Show 8 more
  • Launch Deal$1.99
  • Coins Pack Medium$2.99
  • XMAS Deal$2.99
  • Launch Deal Rare$3.49
  • XMAS Deal Future$3.99
  • Coins Pack Large$4.99
  • Relics Pack Medium$4.99
  • Relics Pack Large$9.99
None

Pilots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Pulse Orbit free?
Pulse Orbit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pilots free?
Pilots costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do Pulse Orbit or Pilots have ads?
Neither Pulse Orbit nor Pilots shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Pulse Orbit or Pilots?
Pulse Orbit ships an update monthly, and Pilots monthly. Most recently, Pulse Orbit was updated on October 28, 2026 and Pilots on October 25, 2026.

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