Vastward vs Planet Builder
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side โ with what reviewers say about each.
Vastward
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You found her drifting dark between stars: a generation ship the size of a city, silent for centuries. One held breath on the reactor and her heartbeat returns. Everything after that is yours to rebuild. Vastward is an idle game about restoration. Every purchase repairs a recognizable part of the vessel โ water thaws and starts to move, gardens climb a dead district, homes light up and people return, and a star drive that hasnโt fired in living memory warms deck by deck. Progress is something you watch happen to a ship, not a number on a card. THE SHIP COMES FIRST โข A hand-painted cutaway ark that visibly transforms with every restoration โข Widen the power grid, bank a reserve for the hours youโre away, and watch both on the hull itself โข Purpose-built hull classes with module bays โ a build, not a checklist PLAY YOUR WAY โข Honest idle: production continues while youโre away, capped and clearly reported โ never a fee to collect it โข Hold-to-play Reactor Overdrive and Command Momentum reward focused sessions without punishing rest โข Four signal games โ a drift, a puzzle, a lander, a loading dock โ each a different skill, each paying real Power โข Ship dispatches with transparent, deterministic choices; no hidden odds anywhere THE LONG GAME โข Ignite the star drive, chart routes to a shattered seed-vault and a dormant foundry โข Found a permanent fleet: archived ships terraform visible worlds with their own economies โข Game Center leaderboards for every signal game; progress backed up with iCloud No advertisements. No purchases. No energy timers, streaks, or expiring offers. Vastward is free and complete.
Planet Builder
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Turn a dead rock into a living world โ one tap at a time. Planet Builder is an idle clicker where you mine resources, raise mighty buildings, and terraform your very own planet through stunning visual stages. Play actively or let your planet work while you're away โ it keeps producing even offline. TERRAFORM YOUR WORLD โ Watch your planet transform from barren stone to a thriving world. Choose your destiny: a volcanic Material powerhouse, a deep-blue Ocean world, or a lush Verdant paradise โ each path with its own unique buildings and powers. TAP OR IDLE โ YOUR CHOICE โ Click to mine minerals, water and biomass, or build drills, reactors and harvesters that run day and night. Come back to a fortune. REBIRTH AND GROW STRONGER โ Prestige your planet for permanent boosts, spend rebirth tokens in a skill tree built for the long game, climb the rank ladder from Miner to Galactic God, and take on harder difficulties for even greater rewards. COLLECT ANCIENT ARTEFACTS โ Discover 70+ artefacts across 5 rarities, upgrade them with shards, and ascend the mightiest into game-changing relics. GO TO WAR WITH YOUR ALLIANCE โ Found or join an alliance, chat with your members, and conquer shared goals together. Then fight matchmade alliance wars: weekly battles, war ops to complete as a team, and a ranking that climbs as your alliance proves itself. COMPETE IN LIVE EVENTS โ Rotating weekly events, the Eclipse and the Starforge, weekend expeditions with the Galaxy Road minigame, a monthly Convergence for veterans, and global leaderboards. MAKE IT YOURS โ Planet skins, avatars, frames and titles, earned or unboxed โ show off your style on the leaderboards. MEET PIP โ Your companion repair drone, along for the whole journey. Your planet is waiting. How far will you take it?
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Vastward at none against Planet Builder's 10. Vastward also leads on ads (none vs shown). Planet Builder's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price ยท Rating ยท Positive reviews ยท Number of ratings ยท Update frequency ยท Ads ยท In-app purchases ยท Monetization ยท Best chart rank ยท Devices ยท Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Planet Builder sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Vastward asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Vastward | Planet Builder |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | โ | Daily |
| Ads | No โ better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No โ better | Yes |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod โ better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.0 โ better |
| Further details โ not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 95 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Carl Samuelson | Matej Spano |
In-app purchases
Vastward
No in-app purchases
Planet Builder
- Bag of Diamonds$1.99
- Starter Pack$3.99
- Remove Ads$4.99
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- Elite Starter Pack$12.99
- Sakura Bloom Bundle$17.99
- Star Voyager Pack$34.99
- Crystal Spire Bundle$44.99
- Molten Core Bundle$44.99
- Polar Aurora Bundle$44.99
- Galactic Overlord Pack$99.99
Questions
Is Vastward free?
Is Planet Builder free?
Do Vastward or Planet Builder have ads?
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