Comparison

Supernova vs Idle Forge

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

Head to head
About

Supernova

An idle space tycoon game where you fuse hydrogen to grow and detonate stars. Earn permanent power-ups with each supernova to accelerate future runs. Features offline progress and a visually evolving star.

Highlights
  • Fuse hydrogen to create and grow stars
  • Offline progress and production
  • Visually evolving star stages
  • Prestige system with supernova cinematics
  • Deep multiplier stacking and research upgrades
  • Daily missions and streaks
  • Fully offline gameplay
Read full description

Fuse hydrogen into a living star. Grow it. Then blow it up — on purpose. SUPERNOVA is a premium-feel idle game about running a cosmic forge. Tap to spark fusion, build 12 generators from Hydrogen Wisp to Singularity Seed, and watch your star physically evolve — protostar, blue giant, red supergiant — until it is ready to collapse. Detonating it is the point: every supernova grants Neutron Cores, permanent power that makes each new universe faster than the last. WHY YOU'LL STAY • Real progress while you're away — production continues offline (extend the cap up to 24 hours with research), and a welcome-back doubler greets your return • A star that actually changes — five visual stages, rendered live, no canned art • Prestige that feels like a finale — a hand-built supernova cinematic, then a stronger start • Numbers that get gloriously big — Million, Septillion, and far beyond • Milestones every few minutes early on, deep multiplier stacking later • Daily missions and streaks that respect your time • 20 research upgrades that shape every run FAIR BY DESIGN • No ads. None. • No energy bars, no forced waits, no progress walls • Fully offline — no account, no sign-in, no internet required • Nothing collected, nothing tracked • Optional purchases exist (time warps, photons, a one-time Supporter Pack), and the entire game is balanced to be completed without spending anything THE LOOP 1. Tap your star and let generators forge Stardust 2. Hit ownership milestones — each one doubles a generator's output 3. Buy research, stack a Photon Surge boost, fill your Piggy Bank 4. Reach collapse readiness... and go SUPERNOVA 5. Keep your Neutron Cores forever. Start again, faster. Built by a solo developer in SwiftUI and SpriteKit. Every pixel is procedural — no asset packs, no stock art. Dark theme, tuned haptics, Reduce Motion respected. Your first universe is waiting. It starts with one atom.

About

Idle Forge

Features
Read full description

A little forge that doesn't need you. Light the hearth, hire an apprentice, and watch the smithy fill with workers, furnaces and stranger things. Idle Forge is an idle clicker built to be calm: it earns while you're away, asks for nothing when you return, and never punishes you for having a life. MADE TO RESPECT YOUR TIME • Progress continues while the app is closed. Sleep is a strategy • No daily-streak guilt, no timers that expire while you're at work • Rewarded ads are always optional, always a bonus, never a toll • Tapping helps, but it's a pleasure, not a duty: your workers swing the hammers A FORGE WITH SOMEWHERE TO GO • Dozens of generators, from apprentice to things physics won't explain • Reforge to melt it all down for Embers and permanent power • Then Recast: melt the golden anvil down for Gold, and spend it on perks that change how the next climb plays • A living workshop you can watch: every worker you hire is down there on the floor, hammering • Catch drifting fire wisps for a frenzy of production • Achievements, milestones, a daily gift, and yes, an actual ending at the top of the ladder QUIET BY DESIGN • The forge's own sounds (hammer, embers, quench), no music, no noise • Every effect can be switched off, from vibration to embers • Your save is yours: export it as a code, carry it anywhere, no account Free to play. Rewarded ads are opt-in, and everything they grant can also be earned by playing. A short ad may play after a Reforge, at most once every five minutes.

Screenshots

Supernova4 screens
Idle Forge4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Forge at none against Supernova's 10. Idle Forge also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Supernova's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 2 days vs every 6 days). On price 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. Supernova sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Forge asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Supernova ships an update every 2 days, Idle Forge every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Supernova versus Idle Forge: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSupernovaIdle Forge
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (79 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews76.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings79 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterEvery 6 days
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size15 MB78 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHUGO ANATOLE PAUL MORICEAUErik Tobias Rinde Tharaldsen

In-app purchases

10 purchases

Supernova

One-time10
  • 50 Photons$0.99
  • Time Warp: 4 Hours$1.99
  • Break the Piggy Bank$2.99
Show 7 more
  • Automation Core$3.99
  • Supporter Pack$4.99
  • Time Warp: 24 Hours$4.99
  • 300 Photons$4.99
  • 700 Photons$9.99
  • Time Warp: 7 Days$14.99
  • 1600 Photons$19.99
None

Idle Forge

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Supernova free?
Supernova is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Idle Forge free?
Idle Forge is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Supernova or Idle Forge have ads?
Idle Forge shows ads; Supernova does not.
Which is updated more often, Supernova or Idle Forge?
Supernova ships an update every 2 days, and Idle Forge every 6 days. Most recently, Supernova was updated on November 3, 2026 and Idle Forge on October 29, 2026.

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