Comparison

Space Defender vs Starfall Vanguard

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

Head to head
About

Space Defender

Features
Read full description

Build your ship and survive the next wave of the enemy fleet. Space Defender: Galactic War brings arcade space combat into full 3D, with quick dodges, powerful weapons and bosses that change tactics mid-fight. Steer with one finger and see how far you can go. YOUR SHIP, YOUR ARSENAL Choose your main gun and wing weapons from 12 weapons. Combine lasers, missiles and cannons with an ion cannon, cryo lance or gravity well. Upgrade weapons to level 10 and preview their mounted models in the hangar before spending currency earned in play. EVERY RUN BUILDS PROGRESS Earn Scrap, return to the hangar and invest in permanent ship modules. Improve your hull, armor and firepower, then spend credits on upgrades during each run. Choose from 7 ships with different stat profiles and choose from 7 free color schemes for your ship and satellites. SATELLITES THAT FIGHT WITH YOU Build a support formation: Option mirrors your main weapon, Aegis intercepts incoming shots and Striker rams enemies. Pair satellite roles with matching weapons to activate extra effects. A GALAXY FULL OF THREATS Fight enemy formations, kamikazes, snipers, minelayers and elite opponents. Face bosses that switch to more aggressive phases as their health drops. Discover 5 sector themes filled with nebulae, planets and varied backdrops. RETURN FOR NEW CHALLENGES Take on 3 daily missions to earn Scrap and crystals. Pick up laser, spread shot, missile and rapid-fire power-ups. Compare your wave and experience scores on Game Center leaderboards. Key features: โ€ข 3D combat, lighting effects and layered explosions โ€ข One-finger controls built for portrait play โ€ข 12 weapons, 3 mounting slots and permanent hangar upgrades โ€ข 7 ships and 7 free color schemes โ€ข 3 satellite roles and weapon-link bonuses โ€ข Enemy formations, elites and bosses with combat phases โ€ข Daily missions, Game Center leaderboards, music and haptics on supported devices Choose your loadout, launch and chase a new wave record.

About

Starfall Vanguard

Features
Read full description

One thumb. Fifty levels. Ten star systems. How far can you fly? Starfall Vanguard is a classic arcade shoot-em-up built for one-handed play. Drag anywhere to fly โ€” your ship rides above your finger and fires while you're touching. Lift off to hold fire, weave through the barrage, and get back in the fight. Tap with a second finger to drop a bomb. CAMPAIGN - Fifty levels across ten star systems and six biomes, each with its own enemies, bosses and skies - Fourteen enemy types: rammers, gunships, armored hulls, splitters, carriers and swarms that learn new tricks the deeper you go - Twelve bosses with multi-phase attack patterns โ€” spread fans, bullet rings, homing missiles you'll learn to bait and break - Earn up to three stars per level; three means a clean run - Clear a level and fly straight into the next with your weapon, shields and bombs intact FIGHT - Weapon upgrades to a 5-barrel spread with double-damage rounds - Stacking energy shields that absorb hits before your hull - Bombs that grow from a ring to a full screen clear as you upgrade PROGRESS - Earn coins with every kill, keep them forever - Three ships to own and fly โ€” buy them with the coins you earn and switch between them in the hangar - Spend coins on hull plating, shield batteries, rapid fire, weapon mastery, bomb bays and coin magnets - Your progress syncs through iCloud between your devices COMPETE - Endless mode: ever-shifting formations, a boss every 20 waves, and a kill-streak multiplier โ€” stay clean, score big - Local top-10 high scores and a Game Center leaderboard Painted ships and enemies, neon lasers, fireball explosions and a cockpit view. No in-app purchases and no accounts. Coins are earned by playing, never bought. A short ad plays after boss victories, and after a run you can optionally watch one to double your coin haul.

Screenshots

Space Defender4 screens
Starfall Vanguard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Starfall Vanguard at none against Space Defender's 1. Starfall Vanguard also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 9 months) and iOS requirement (16.0 vs 26.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Space Defender sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Starfall Vanguard asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Space Defender ships an update every 9 months, Starfall Vanguard every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Space Defender versus Starfall Vanguard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSpace DefenderStarfall Vanguard
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyEvery 9 monthsEvery 3 days โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo โ€” better
DevicesiPhone, iPad โ€” betteriPhone
Requires iOS26.016.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size38 MB24 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperPiotr OzogRick Conner

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Space Defender

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$0.99
None

Starfall Vanguard

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Space Defender free?
Space Defender is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starfall Vanguard free?
Starfall Vanguard is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Space Defender or Starfall Vanguard have ads?
Both Space Defender and Starfall Vanguard show ads.
Which is updated more often, Space Defender or Starfall Vanguard?
Space Defender ships an update every 9 months, and Starfall Vanguard every 3 days. Most recently, Space Defender was updated on October 18, 2026 and Starfall Vanguard on October 8, 2026.

Other comparisons