# Pilots vs Pulse Defense

The clearest difference is price: Pulse Defense at Free against Pilots's $0.99. Pulse Defense also leads on update cadence (every 4 days vs monthly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Pilots's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Pulse Defense is free to download; Pilots costs $0.99 up front. Pulse Defense sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pilots asks for nothing beyond the download.

Pilots ships an update monthly, Pulse Defense every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Pilots | Pulse Defense |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[5.0 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilots-ascension/id6780322889/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **5** | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 4 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Size | 4 MB | 4 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [Das Creative LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6814280422) | [URBISOFT LTD](https://appshunter.io/developer/1829563525) |

## What reviewers say

### Pilots

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pilots-ascension/id6780322889)

An aviation idle and incremental strategy game where you build an airfield from scratch. Research new technologies, design aircraft, and manage pilots to progress through different flight eras. Enjoy offline progress and dynamic weather without timers or ads.

**Highlights:** Idle and incremental strategy gameplay, Fleet and route design, Dynamic weather system, Pilot experience and ranks, Prestige reset for permanent upgrades, Offline progress simulation

**In-app purchases:** none


### Pulse Defense

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pulse-defense/id6780738249)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game Unlock | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Pilots free?

Pilots costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Pulse Defense free?

Pulse Defense is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do Pilots or Pulse Defense have ads?

Neither Pilots nor Pulse Defense shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Pilots or Pulse Defense?

Pilots ships an update monthly, and Pulse Defense every 4 days. Most recently, Pilots was updated on October 31, 2026 and Pulse Defense on November 5, 2026.

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