Planet Explorers vs Cardwheel
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Planet Explorers
Embark on AI-generated space expeditions to unique planets. Manage your crew, document discoveries, and explore offline. Requires Apple Intelligence on supported devices.
- AI-crafted planets
- Offline exploration
- Crew management
- Discovery journaling
- Mission generation
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Explore AI-crafted planets offline with names, missions, and maps. Manage your crew and journal discoveries, with expeditions generated using Apple Foundation Model. Apple Intelligence on supported devices is required to generate expeditions. More features and updates are coming soon.
Cardwheel
A roguelite game where players spin a wheel, drop balls, and match colors to score points. Strategize with unique wheels, shop for upgrades, and overcome challenging boss encounters in this addictive, replayable experience.
- Spinning wheel gameplay
- Color matching for scores
- Unique wheel selection
- Shop for jokers and card packs
- Boss challenges with modifiers
- Endless strategic combos
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Spin. Drop. Score. Cardwheel is a fun roguelite where you drop balls into a big spin wheel. Each run begins with choosing a wheel, and each wheel changes the difficulty and how you play. How it works: * Choose Your Wheel: Each wheel gives you a unique setup and starting resources. * Make Your Choice: Enter the next round, or skip it for powerful bonuses like cash, free card packs, or guaranteed rare jokers in the shop. * Spin for Score: Drop 6 balls into a wheel of 4 colors. Match colors to rack up chips, multiply your total, and try to clear the round’s score goal. However, be cautious, as your spins are limited. * Shop & Upgrade: Between rounds, visit the shop to buy jokers and card packs. Jokers twist the rules (e.g., more chips for red balls, multipliers for pairs), while card packs change how balls, slots, or colors behave. * Boss Challenges: Every three rounds, face a unique twist. Some colors stop scoring, modifiers shut down, or jokers get disabled. Adapt fast; there are 8 bosses to beat. Why you’ll love Cardwheel * Endless strategic combos from jokers, packs, and spins * Every run feels different with new wheels and modifiers * Challenging roguelite loop: risk, reward, and adaptation * Simple to learn, endlessly replayable Spin the wheel. Build your deck of tricks. Outwit the bosses. Can you survive the full run and conquer all 8?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planet Explorers at 100% against Cardwheel's 43%. Planet Explorers also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and rating (4.0 vs 3.7). Cardwheel's advantage is ratings volume (38 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Cardwheel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Planet Explorers asks for nothing beyond the download.
Planet Explorers holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cardwheel has 38 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of Planet Explorers's written reviews are positive against 43% of Cardwheel's.
Planet Explorers ships an update every 5 days, Cardwheel every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Planet Explorers | Cardwheel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.7 (38 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 42.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 38 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 days — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 225 MB | 101 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Quantribution LLC | nitzan.games LLC |
Customer experience
Planet Explorers
Cardwheel
In-app purchases
Planet Explorers
No in-app purchases
Cardwheel
- Remove Ads$3.99
Questions
Is Planet Explorers free?
Is Cardwheel free?
Which has better reviews, Planet Explorers or Cardwheel?
Do Planet Explorers or Cardwheel have ads?
Which is updated more often, Planet Explorers or Cardwheel?
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