Comparison

Idle Stars vs Build Your Datacenter

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

Head to head
About

Idle Stars

Build a star-spanning empire by managing resources, researching technologies, and colonizing new worlds. Engage in diplomacy or conflict with alien civilizations. Reset your universe with permanent upgrades to achieve greater progress each cycle.

Highlights
  • Layered idle economy with five resources
  • Research paths and automation
  • Galaxy map with exploration and colonization
  • Diplomacy and conflict with civilizations
  • Supernova resets with permanent progression
  • Offline progress and notifications
Features
Read full description

Begin with one quiet world and turn it into an empire among the stars. Idle Stars is an incremental strategy game about connected systems. Build solar arrays, mines, laboratories, habitats, and spaceports. Balance five resources, research technologies that change how your economy works, and install AI Directors to automate each world while you are away. When your first planet is no longer enough, launch explorers into a living galaxy. Colonize new worlds, connect them into sectors, and meet civilizations with their own histories and strengths. Open talks, send envoys, or bring the fleet—the choices you make shape the empire and what the galaxy remembers. Eventually, growth reaches its limit. Trigger a supernova, carry stardust and permanent upgrades into a fresh universe, and push farther on every cycle. FEATURES • A layered idle economy built around energy, minerals, science, population, and influence • Research paths and automation that transform how worlds grow • A galaxy map with exploration, travel, colonization, and sectors • Civilizations that can be approached through diplomacy or force • Supernova resets with lasting progression • Offline progress and optional local notifications • Game Center achievements • Optional iCloud document sync between your Apple devices • Universal support for iPhone and iPad • No ads and no subscription The complete game is free. The optional Supporter Pack permanently unlocks three styles for planets, ships, and the app icon. You can also buy one hour of ×2 production: the timer runs in real time, even while the app is closed, and the multiplier never stacks above ×2. The optional Stellar Charter permanently multiplies all production by ×1.5, in every run.

About

Build Your Datacenter

Features
Read full description

Turn a small server room into a growing data center business. Build Your Datacenter is an isometric management game about making the most of limited space, hardware and resources. Place racks, add CPU, GPU and storage capacity, and match your setup to the jobs your customers need. Every expansion brings a new decision. Keep equipment cool, balance electricity supply and demand, and choose from solar, wind and nuclear power as your operation grows. More hardware creates more opportunities, but it also means more costs to manage. RUN THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE MACHINES - Plan your layout and expand your server capacity. - Take on tenant contracts and balance workloads with available resources. - Hire staff to automate daily operations. - Maintain equipment and prepare for unexpected breakdowns. - Purchase land and develop your expanding facility. - Manage your budget and support the local community. Choose your next investment: more capacity, stronger infrastructure or a healthier budget. Your decisions shape the business.

Screenshots

Idle Stars4 screens
Build Your Datacenter4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Idle Stars at none against Build Your Datacenter's shown. Build Your Datacenter's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 3 weeks). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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. Idle Stars sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Build Your Datacenter sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Idle Stars ships an update every 3 weeks, Build Your Datacenter weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 10, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Idle Stars versus Build Your Datacenter: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterIdle StarsBuild Your Datacenter
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (7 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings7 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB8 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperPULSAR LLCPax Games

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Idle Stars

One-time3
  • 1-Hour Boost$1.99
  • Supporter Pack$4.99
  • Stellar Charter$7.99
4 purchases

Build Your Datacenter

One-time4
  • Starter Pack$3.00
  • Lifetime Traffic 1.5×$4.99
  • Staff Pack$4.99
Show 1 more
  • 10 Million Game Cash$9.99

Questions

Is Idle Stars free?
Idle Stars is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Build Your Datacenter free?
Build Your Datacenter is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Idle Stars or Build Your Datacenter have ads?
Build Your Datacenter shows ads; Idle Stars does not.
Which is updated more often, Idle Stars or Build Your Datacenter?
Idle Stars ships an update every 3 weeks, and Build Your Datacenter weekly. Most recently, Idle Stars was updated on November 10, 2026 and Build Your Datacenter on October 31, 2026.

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