Comparison

Planet Explorers vs Cardwheel

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

Head to head
About

Planet Explorers

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. Requires Apple Intelligence on supported devices.

Highlights
  • AI-crafted planets
  • Offline expeditions
  • Crew management
  • Discovery journaling
  • Procedural missions and maps
  • Apple Intelligence integration
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Spinning wheel gameplay
  • Color matching for scores
  • Unique wheel selection
  • Shop for jokers and card packs
  • Boss challenges with modifiers
  • Endless strategic combos
Features
Read full description

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

Planet Explorers3 screens
Cardwheel4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Planet Explorers at 100% against Cardwheel's 43%. Planet Explorers also leads on rating (4.0 vs 3.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Cardwheel's advantage is ratings volume (45 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Cardwheel sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Planet Explorers asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Planet Explorers holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Cardwheel has 45 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Planet Explorers ships an update every 4 days, Cardwheel every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Planet Explorers versus Cardwheel: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPlanet ExplorersCardwheel
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings) — better3.4 (45 ratings)
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews — better42.5% of reviews
Number of ratings145 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 days — betterEvery 8 days
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size215 MB101 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperQuantribution LLCnitzan.games LLC

Customer experience

Planet Explorers

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Cardwheel

All ratings38 ratings
Positive57.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative26.3%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive42.5%
Neutral15.0%
Negative42.5%

In-app purchases

None

Planet Explorers

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Cardwheel

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99

Questions

Is Planet Explorers free?
Planet Explorers is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Cardwheel free?
Cardwheel is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Planet Explorers or Cardwheel?
Planet Explorers is rated higher. Planet Explorers averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Cardwheel averages 3.4 from 45 ratings.
Do Planet Explorers or Cardwheel have ads?
Neither Planet Explorers nor Cardwheel shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Planet Explorers or Cardwheel?
Planet Explorers ships an update every 4 days, and Cardwheel every 8 days. Most recently, Planet Explorers was updated on November 8, 2026 and Cardwheel on October 30, 2026.

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