HackStack vs Astra Idle
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
HackStack
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Build your hacking empire from nothing. HackStack is an idle clicker set in a cybersecurity underworld. You tap to run exploits, deploy tools that earn while you sleep, research new tech, and build out your rig. It's a cyberpunk parody of the infosec world with real hacking history baked into every corner. EXECUTE exploits to earn CREDS, your in-game currency. Start with a humble Port Scanner. End up running Neural Exploits and a Digital Consciousness. Every tool you deploy keeps earning even when you close the app. RESEARCH 24 tools across 6 categories. Each one comes with an intel card covering real cybersecurity history and lore. 177 cards to find. BUILD YOUR RIG. Upgrade your CPU, RAM, GPU, Storage, Cooling, and PSU. Better hardware means faster research and access to higher-tier tools. EARN CERTIFICATIONS across three branches: Offensive, Defensive, and Management. 23 certs, 69 tiers. They shape how you play and what you can unlock. SURVIVE BREACHES. Phishing attacks, ransomware, DDoS, insider threats. They show up unannounced, they mess with your income, and you need to deal with them fast. COMPLETE DAILY OPS for XP. Quick wins, standard missions, and challenge-tier operations. Something different every day. PRESTIGE when you're ready. Wipe your progress, earn Shadow Creds, buy permanent upgrades, and come back stronger. Free to play. No pay-to-win. Made by one developer who thought Cookie Clicker needed more firmware implants.
Astra Idle
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A dying spark. One planet. Then a universe. Astra Idle is a space idle game about growing a single star into a galaxy, and then collapsing it to start again, bigger. Feed the star, pull worlds into orbit, and watch the star-dust pour in while your phone is in your pocket. THE LOOP Feed the star. Unlock a planet. Level it up. Watch the numbers climb, and climb, and climb. When your galaxy can't grow any further, collapse it in a SUPER NOVA and rebuild it stronger. When even that stops being enough, trigger the BIG BANG and ascend into an entirely new universe. 24 WORLDS, 15 UNIVERSES From Terra to Empyrean, twenty-four hand-painted planets orbit your star, each on its own ring, with its own trail and its own rhythm. Beyond the Big Bang wait fifteen universes: Origin, Ashfall, The Long Dark, Ruinlight, Singularity's Edge. Every one of them has its own painted sky. LEVELS YOU EARN, NEVER BUY Cosmic Level is the one track in this game you cannot purchase. It comes from playing, and it pays Skill Points into a 49-node constellation you can grow in any direction you like. No shortcut. No bundle. No pay-gate. It survives every reset, including the ones that delete everything else. IDLE THAT ACTUALLY IDLES Your star keeps burning while the app is closed. Come back to banked star-dust, finished research on the bench, and comets waiting to be caught. DEPTH, IF YOU WANT IT - THE LAB: research priced in real time instead of currency. 70+ permanent upgrades that survive every prestige. - CARD COLLECTION: collect and fuse cards that automate the busywork. - TWO PRESTIGE TREES: 30 endless upgrades between them. Nothing in this game ever reads "MAXED". - 115 OBJECTIVES: a chapter-by-chapter chain that unlocks ten features, one at a time, so nothing arrives all at once. - THE COSMIC LADDER: a lifetime ranking ladder with six prize brackets that pays out every week. - 51 COSMETICS: 25 stars, 15 skies, 6 orbit trails and 5 planet skins to earn and wear. BUILT FOR ONE THUMB Portrait. One hand. Sixty-second check-ins or sixty-minute sessions. The star doesn't mind either way. Free to play with optional in-app purchases. Rewarded videos are always your choice, watch one only when you want the bonus. Grow a star. Break a universe. Do it again, bigger. Privacy Policy: https://astanstudio.com/games/astra-idle/privacy Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Support: ceo@astanstudio.com
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: HackStack at weekly against Astra Idle's fortnightly. Astra Idle's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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
Both are free to download. HackStack sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Astra Idle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
HackStack ships an update weekly, Astra Idle fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HackStack | Astra Idle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Weekly โ better | Fortnightly |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 68 MB | 337 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jacob Woodfield | shlomi astangelov |
In-app purchases
HackStack
- Remove Banner Ads$2.99
- Remove Offline Ads$2.99
- Remove Ops Ads$2.99
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- Remove All Ads$6.99
Astra Idle
- Gems Small$0.99
- Multiplier 2X$2.99
- Gems Medium$4.99
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- No Ads!$4.99
- gem extra large$9.99
- Multiplier 4x$12.99
- Gems Large$19.99
- Gems XXL$49.99
- Gems Mega$99.99
Questions
Is HackStack free?
Is Astra Idle free?
Do HackStack or Astra Idle have ads?
Which is updated more often, HackStack or Astra Idle?
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