Comparison

The Operator vs Starlift

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

Head to head
About

The Operator

Step into the role of an Operator for the FDI, solving complex cases like murders and cyber attacks. Utilize advanced software to analyze evidence, assist field agents, and uncover the truth behind mind-bending mysteries. Your ingenuity is key to bringing criminals to justice.

Highlights
  • Investigate diverse crimes
  • Utilize cutting-edge FDI software
  • Analyze evidence and find clues
  • Assist field agents with fact-checking
  • Unravel mind-bending stories
  • Follow evidence to uncover truth
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

[ TRY BEFORE YOU BUY ] Welcome to the FDI, Mr Tanner. Time to clear your head, work through your hangover and start your first day as an Operator. There are plenty of cases to solve. Assist our field agents using your computer console and ingenuity to bring criminals to justice. Ready to make the world a better place? Investigate Crimes: Solve cases such as murders, missing people, and cyber attacks. Use FDI Software: Analyze evidence and find clues using cutting-edge tools. Dig Deeper: Follow the evidence as it twists and turns, no matter where it leads. Uncover the Truth: Each case is a mind-bending story to unravel, so take notes. Assist Our Field Agents When our field agents need support, they'll call you. Help them by fact-checking, searching databases, identifying killers, and more. Each case will have evidence to evaluate, and it's your job to dig into documents, connect the clues, and solve the mysteries. Cutting-Edge Software You have the finest FDI software to help with those challenging cases. Tap through the Video and Photo Analyzer, Citizen and Vehicle Database, ChemScan, Notepad and a fully functional Terminal at any point to find out what you need. In Truth, We Seek To find the truth, you must follow the evidence and see where it leads, no matter how unsettling. But don't poke into unauthorized areas without first notifying your superiors. FDI's Most Wanted WARNING: Any new information on the cyber criminal known as HAL should be reported to your supervisor immediately. For the safety of the general public and your fellow agents, please keep all evidence confidential. ///// TRUST NO ONE ///// [End Transmission]

About

Starlift

A fast-paced puzzle game where matching three blocks ignites them and launches everything above. Explore eleven unique worlds with different gravity mechanics and challenge yourself in various game modes.

Highlights
  • Unique gravity mechanics per world
  • Branching star chart Voyage mode
  • Multiple game modes: Endless, Time Attack, Versus, Royale
  • Online multiplayer and daily challenges
  • One-handed portrait gameplay
  • No ads or account required for solo play
Features
Read full description

Blocks rain down. Line up three and they don't disappear: they ignite, and everything stacked on top lifts off with them. Starlift is a fast portrait puzzle game built for thumbs. Drag blocks up and down their columns, light a row or a column, and ride the stack into orbit. Too heavy to fly? Match again in mid-air and boost it the rest of the way. ELEVEN WORLDS, ELEVEN KINDS OF GRAVITY Every planet plays differently. Halcyon is balanced. Brine is slow and floaty. Cinder is heavy and rewards columns. On Aerie only chained ignitions launch anything, on Ferrum stacks hop instead of float, on Vesper rows fly and columns fizzle, and on Bazaar it rains items. Win new worlds as you fly the Voyage. VOYAGE Follow the rain to its source across a branching star chart. Each world has a keeper with a health bar and a signature attack: slabs of slag, belt rocks, a shield that only one big lift can break. What you launch is the damage. Three acts, a finale against the Rainmaker, and three endings that depend on the routes you fly. MODES • Endless: the rain speeds up until you are overrun. • Time Attack: two minutes, highest score. • Versus: a computer rival at three difficulties. • Royale: last world standing against seven rivals. Tap a rival's field to aim your launches. • Daily Launch: one run that is identical for every player that day, with a global board. • Online: Quick Match drops you into a Royale for up to eight in seconds, or play friends by room code in a 1v1 duel or a Royale. Computer players fill the empty seats. ITEMS Bombs, boosters, drills and prisms fall with the blocks. Tap one to light its fuse. MADE FOR THE PHONE • One-handed portrait play with big blocks, and two-thumb dragging if you want it. • Every block type has its own shape as well as its own colour. • A hands-on tutorial that teaches by doing. • Sound, music, haptics and reduced flashing each have their own switch. • No ads. No account. Solo play works offline. FREE TO START Play free: two worlds in Endless and Time Attack, the opening of the Voyage, one Daily Launch run and three online Quick Matches a day, and joining friends' rooms. One purchase unlocks the full game: nine more worlds, Versus and Royale against the computer, the whole Voyage, unlimited Quick Match, three Daily Launch runs a day, and hosting rooms for friends. No subscription. PRICE AND TERMS Starlift is free to download. The full game is a single in-app purchase of $4.99 (USD; the price may differ in other countries). You pay once and keep it. There is no subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://starlift.banjtheman.xyz/privacy/

Screenshots

The Operator4 screens
Starlift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Starlift at every 2 days against The Operator's fortnightly. Starlift also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 80%). The Operator's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (675 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. The Operator sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Starlift sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for The Operator against 5.0 for Starlift. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: The Operator has 675 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 80% of The Operator's written reviews are positive against 100% of Starlift's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

The Operator ships an update fortnightly, Starlift every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
The Operator versus Starlift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThe OperatorStarlift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (675 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews79.7% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings675 — better4
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#194 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size761 MB114 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperBureau 81Banjo Obayomi

Customer experience

The Operator

All ratings627 ratings
Positive96.8%
Neutral1.9%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews79 reviews
Positive79.7%
Neutral10.1%
Negative10.1%

Starlift

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

The Operator

One-time1
  • Full Game$7.99
1 purchases

Starlift

One-time1
  • Full Game$4.99

Questions

Is The Operator free?
The Operator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starlift free?
Starlift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, The Operator or Starlift?
Starlift is rated higher. The Operator averages 4.9 out of 5 from 675 ratings, while Starlift averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do The Operator or Starlift have ads?
Neither The Operator nor Starlift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, The Operator or Starlift?
The Operator ships an update fortnightly, and Starlift every 2 days. Most recently, The Operator was updated on November 10, 2026 and Starlift on November 6, 2026.

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