Astra Idle vs Idle Forge
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side ā with what reviewers say about each.
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
Idle Forge
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Idle Forge at none against Astra Idle's 9. Idle Forge also leads on update cadence (every 6 days vs fortnightly). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price Ā· Rating Ā· Positive reviews Ā· Number of ratings Ā· Update frequency Ā· Ads Ā· In-app purchases Ā· Monetization Ā· Best chart rank Ā· Devices Ā· Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Astra Idle sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Idle Forge asks for nothing beyond the download.
Astra Idle ships an update fortnightly, Idle Forge every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Astra Idle | Idle Forge |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Every 6 days ā better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No ā better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details ā not scored | ||
| Size | 337 MB | 78 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | shlomi astangelov | Erik Tobias Rinde Tharaldsen |
In-app purchases
Astra Idle
- Gems Small$0.99
- Multiplier 2X$2.99
- Gems Medium$4.99
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- 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
Idle Forge
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Astra Idle free?
Is Idle Forge free?
Do Astra Idle or Idle Forge have ads?
Which is updated more often, Astra Idle or Idle Forge?
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