Comparison

FighterJet Retro vs Starshard

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

Head to head
About

FighterJet Retro

Pilot a jet through 100 levels of pixel-art arcade chaos. Experience fast-paced vertical scrolling gameplay with challenging bosses and power-ups. Play the first 15 levels for free, then unlock the full campaign with a single purchase.

Highlights
  • 100-level campaign
  • Hand-tuned bosses
  • Unlock full campaign with one purchase
  • Game Center leaderboards
  • Power-ups
  • One-thumb portrait controls
  • Offline play
Features
Read full description

This game was made entirely by AI — every pixel, every note of music, and all the code. To every kid out there: reach out to me, let's build your own game together, and we'll ship it to the App Store. Earth's outer orbit is overrun. Strap in, pilot. FighterJet Retro is a fast, brutal, pixel-art arcade shoot-'em-up — built to feel like the cabinets you grew up sneaking quarters into. No ads. No tracking. No internet required to play. Just you, your jet, and 100 levels of escalating chaos. Play the first 15 levels free. Hooked? Unlock all 100 levels — every boss, every power-up — with a single one-time purchase. No subscriptions. No ads. No nonsense. FEATURES • 100-level campaign with hand-tuned bosses every 5 levels • Free to start — fly levels 1–15, then unlock the full campaign with one purchase • Game Center leaderboards — battle for the global top score • Power-ups: Wingman, Triple Shot, Heavy Round, Multi-Direction, Heart • Distinct boss patterns — each fight forces a new strategy • Continuous campaign with autosave — pick up where you died • Replay any unlocked level from the Levels screen • Local high-score board — chase your own ghost across runs • Retro chiptune soundtrack with separate Music & SFX volume • Procedurally shifting backgrounds — the sky changes every 5 levels • One-thumb portrait controls — drag to fly, auto-fire handles the rest • Pause anytime with one tap • Plays offline (Game Center leaderboards need a connection) WHAT YOU WON'T FIND • Zero ads — ever • No subscriptions, no consumable IAP — just one optional unlock for the full game • Zero tracking — your data stays on your device • Zero account required to play — no login, no sync, no nonsense FOR FANS OF Classic vertical-scrolling arcade shooters: chiptune, pixel art, bullet patterns to learn, bosses to memorize. If you've ever sunk a quarter into one, you know what's waiting. REQUIREMENTS iOS 14 or later. iPhone X and newer. Portrait orientation. Designed for one-thumb play. Ready to push back the invasion?

About

Starshard

Features
Read full description

Three fleets came out of the dark and took the lanes one by one. Command has one hull left to send — yours. Starshard is a vertical space shooter built on one promise: FAIR PLAY. No pay-to-win. No energy timers. Just you, your ship, and endless waves of alien fleets — now fully playable in English and Turkish. DODGE. BLAST. SURVIVE. Weave through bullet storms with one finger. Collect power-ups, charge your weapons, and carve through six enemy types — from swarming scouts to armor-plated frigates — plus elite gold variants that hit harder and fly faster. DRAFT YOUR BUILD, EVERY RUN Defeat a boss and choose 1 of 3 upgrades: side cannons, homing missiles, piercing lasers, combat drones, tail guns, flak rounds and more. Every run builds differently. Every choice matters. EPIC BOSS BATTLES Three alien dreadnought factions guard the void, each with its own attack patterns — bullet curtains, radial bursts, summoned reinforcements. Push them past half health and face their enraged second phase. BUILD YOUR HANGAR Earn shards and unlock permanent gear: escort wingmen, drone bays, shield generators, afterburners. Choose your ship — the balanced Interceptor, the nimble Falcon, or the heavy Titan — and equip a loadout that fits your style. CAMPAIGN + ENDLESS Clear campaign missions with hand-crafted enemy compositions, or chase your record in endless mode across deep space, planetary sectors, and asteroid fields. Climb the pilot ranks from Cadet to legend. FAIR MONETIZATION • No pay-to-win, no energy timers, no subscriptions • Optional rewarded ads for a revive or bonus crystals; a short ad between runs, never mid-fight • One purchase removes all ads, forever • Everything is earnable by playing The void is waiting, pilot. How far will you fly?

Screenshots

FighterJet Retro4 screens
Starshard4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: FighterJet Retro at none against Starshard's shown. On price, update cadence, in-app purchases 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. FighterJet Retro sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Starshard sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 8 level
FighterJet Retro versus Starshard: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFighterJet RetroStarshard
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (7 ratings) — better—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 3 weeks
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size28 MB85 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperAli ShariatmadariBurak Emre Nevruzoglu

In-app purchases

1 purchases

FighterJet Retro

One-time1
  • Unlock All 100 Levels$0.99
2 purchases

Starshard

One-time2
  • Shard Doubler$1.99
  • Remove Ads$2.99

Questions

Is FighterJet Retro free?
FighterJet Retro is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starshard free?
Starshard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do FighterJet Retro or Starshard have ads?
Starshard shows ads; FighterJet Retro does not.
Which is updated more often, FighterJet Retro or Starshard?
FighterJet Retro ships an update every 3 weeks, and Starshard every 3 weeks. Most recently, FighterJet Retro was updated on September 23, 2026 and Starshard on October 13, 2026.

Other comparisons