# Star Colony vs Idle Nebula Drift

The clearest difference is ads: Star Colony at none against Idle Nebula Drift's shown. Idle Nebula Drift's advantage is update cadence (every 3 days vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Colony sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Idle Nebula Drift sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Star Colony ships an update every 3 weeks, Idle Nebula Drift every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Colony | Idle Nebula Drift |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | **Every 3 days** |
| Size | 50 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [MARTIN M J LYNCH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884527312) | [Tiana Doran-Pelechaty](https://appshunter.io/developer/1896255944) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Colony

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-colony/id6760729376)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 50 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| 220 Gems | $3.99 | one-time |
| 575 Gems | $7.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Gems | $14.99 | one-time |


### Idle Nebula Drift

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/idle-nebula-drift/id6783057733)

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Day-1 Burst | $1.99 | one-time |
| Starter Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Conservatory Bed | $3.99 | one-time |
| Wayfarer Bundle | $12.99 | one-time |
| Nebula VIP | $12.99 | one-time |
| Triple Drift (3x Drift) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Clear Skies (No Ads) | $12.99 | one-time |
| Voyager Bundle | $24.99 | one-time |
| Void Hunter Pack | $69.99 | one-time |
| Galactic Ascendant | $129.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Colony free?

Star Colony is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Idle Nebula Drift free?

Idle Nebula Drift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Star Colony or Idle Nebula Drift have ads?

Idle Nebula Drift shows ads; Star Colony does not.

### Which is updated more often, Star Colony or Idle Nebula Drift?

Star Colony ships an update every 3 weeks, and Idle Nebula Drift every 3 days. Most recently, Star Colony was updated on October 28, 2026 and Idle Nebula Drift on November 5, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*