Space Academy Idle vs Alchemist's Engine
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Space Academy Idle
Construct and expand a futuristic space academy, recruiting students and training them in various disciplines. Watch your academy grow and unlock new opportunities as graduates increase its value. Prestige to earn permanent progression and climb leaderboards.
- Build and upgrade a futuristic space academy
- Unlock new buildings and optimize campus
- Train students across multiple knowledge disciplines
- Recruit gifted students with unique bonuses
- Collect daily rewards and special gifts
- Prestige with Endowments for permanent progression
- Grow academy even while offline
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Welcome to Space Academy Idle! Build the greatest academy in the galaxy by recruiting students, expanding your campus, and turning promising cadets into legendary scientists. Start with a single dormitory and grow into a thriving university. Construct new facilities, upgrade classrooms, and help your students master Cognition, Discipline, and Creativity before they graduate. Every graduate increases your academy’s value, unlocking new opportunities to expand even faster. Features - Build and upgrade a futuristic space academy - Unlock new buildings and optimize your campus - Train students across multiple knowledge disciplines - Recruit talented and gifted students with unique bonuses - Collect daily rewards and discover special gifts - Prestige with Endowments to earn permanent progression - Watch your academy grow even while you’re away - Complete achievements and climb Game Center leaderboards
Alchemist's Engine
Tend to a dormant engine in a ruined world by gathering fuel, crafting resources, and researching upgrades. Forge golems to assist in your tasks as you explore a labyrinthine mine and uncover a forgotten story.
- Feed and stoke the engine
- Merge sparks on an alchemical table
- Forge and upgrade golems
- Research forgotten techniques
- Explore a seeded labyrinth
- Unravel the story
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A sleeping engine. A blasted world. Tend to the fire, and uncover what was left behind. Alchemist's Engine is an incremental, idle crafting & adventure game. FEED THE FIRE - gather fuel, stoke the engine, and keep its heat rising. MERGE THE SPARKS - pluck sparks from the embers and merge them on the alchemical table to grow your power. RAISE YOUR WORKFORCE - forge golems of stone, quartz, and metal who gather, haul, and craft while you plan. Feed them back to the engine when you outgrow them. UPGRADE - smelt bronze and steel, research forgotten techniques, and upgrade the engine from a cold firebox into a towering machine. DESCEND - explore an ever-changing labyrinth of mines, crystal chambers, sunken temples, flooded galleries, and stranger rooms the deeper you go. UNRAVEL THE STORY - cold hearths, sibling machines, and a sealed gate that has waited a very long time for you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Alchemist's Engine at none against Space Academy Idle's 4. Alchemist's Engine also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume 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. Space Academy Idle sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Alchemist's Engine asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Space Academy Idle against 5.0 for Alchemist's Engine. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 9 and 17 respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 100% and 100% positive.
Space Academy Idle ships an update every 3 weeks, Alchemist's Engine every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Space Academy Idle | Alchemist's Engine |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (9 ratings) | 5.0 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 9 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17 | 16.7 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | Roberto Frias Nerio | Just Software LLC |
Customer experience
Space Academy Idle
Alchemist's Engine
In-app purchases
Space Academy Idle
- Small Box$1.99
- Medium Box$3.99
- Shipment$6.99
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- XL Shipment$12.99
Alchemist's Engine
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Space Academy Idle free?
Is Alchemist's Engine free?
Which has better reviews, Space Academy Idle or Alchemist's Engine?
Do Space Academy Idle or Alchemist's Engine have ads?
Which is updated more often, Space Academy Idle or Alchemist's Engine?
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