Comparison

Element vs Out There

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

Head to head
About

Element

Engage in a visually stunning space strategy game designed for busy players. Mine resources, build units, and battle enemies to escape a decaying solar system and reach new frontiers.

Highlights
  • Real-time strategy gameplay
  • Space exploration and combat
  • Resource mining and management
  • Unit building and deployment
  • Visually stunning graphics
  • Accessible for short play sessions
Features
Read full description

Element is a realtime strategy space game for people who don't have time to play realtime strategy space games. Home no longer provides a means to survive. A fight for resources to escape our system has begun. The future lies beyond… Element is a visually stunning realtime strategy space game with a focus on sharp, accessible gameplay. Element is for lovers of beautifully crafted, original looking games. It is for people who are into space and strategy games but don’t have hours of time to invest. It’s also for gamers who enjoy launching missiles and blowing things up :) You are escaping a decaying solar system. You must visit each planet, mine enough element, and defeat the enemy to progress to the outer planets and beyond. Generate energy, mine element, build attack and defense units, and destroy the enemy while maintaining a balance between earth, air and water. Element A Flightless Game by John O'Reilly & Greg Harding. © 2014-2018 Flightless Ltd. All Rights Reserved. Available for iPhone, iPad, and MacOS. http://elementgame.com http://www.flightless.co.nz http://twitter.com/flightlessnz element@flightless.co.nz

About

Out There

Embark on a challenging space survival adventure where you must manage resources, explore a procedurally generated galaxy, and unravel a compelling narrative. Encounter alien species and make critical choices to determine the fate of humanity.

Highlights
  • Procedurally generated galaxy exploration
  • Resource management and crafting
  • Handwritten narrative adventures
  • Multiple endings
  • Discover and upgrade spaceships
  • Engage with alien life
Features
Read full description

5/5 - TouchArcade 5/5 - PocketTactics 9/10 'Gold Award' - PocketGamer Grand Prize - DevGAMM Moscow 2015 Excellence in Narrative - DevGAMM 2015 Best Game Design Award - Casual Connect EE 2014 Excellence In Narrative Finalist - IMGA 2015 Best iPhone and iPad Games of 2014 - TouchArcade Best Mobile Games of 2014 - Game Informer Best Mobile Games of 2014 - Gamezebo WARNING : this game is hard ! Check the forum for strategy tips : http://outthere.forumactif.org/ You are an astronaut awaking from cryonics not in the solar system, but... out there... in a far and unknown place of the galaxy. In Out There, you will have to survive, tinkering your ship with what you can gather drifting in the void, and spot garden planets to refill your oxygen supply. Space is an hostile place ; dangerous and mysterious adventures will mark each step of your travel. You will not only meet intelligent species that won’t care about you, but also deal with ancient powers linked to your destiny and the fate of mankind itself. Survival and understanding of what is really at stake in the galaxy is the core of what Out There has to offer. Music by award-winning composer Siddhartha Barnhoorn (Antichamber, The Stanley Parable) • Game Center : 59 achievements, leaderboard • A dark and melancholic, hard sci-fi adventure • Explore a freshly procedurally-generated galaxy every new game • 350+ multiple choices handwritten game book adventures • Epic main storyline with 4 different endings • 10 spaceships with different specs to discover • Crafting system with 20 alien technologies built from 15 materials • Engage with alien life forms and learn their language • No combat ! It’s you against the environment • Eerie score by award-winning composer Siddartha Barnhoom (Antichamber, The Stanley Parable) • Fantastic pulp comics graphics • High replay value

Screenshots

Element4 screens
Out There4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Out There at every 2 months against Element's every 10 months. Element's advantage is price ($1.99 vs $4.99) and iOS requirement (10.0 vs 12.0). On rating, review sentiment, ratings volume and ads 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

Element costs $1.99 and Out There $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Element holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 474 and 373 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 72% of Element's written reviews are positive against 69% of Out There's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Element ships an update every 10 months, Out There every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Element versus Out There: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterElementOut There
Price$1.99 — better$4.99
Rating4.6 (474 ratings) — better4.4 (373 ratings)
Positive reviews72.4% of reviews — better69.2% of reviews
Number of ratings474 — better373
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidPaid
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size139 MB212 MB
Age rating9+9+
DeveloperFlightlessStoreRider

Customer experience

Element

All ratings474 ratings
Positive93.5%
Neutral2.7%
Negative3.8%
Written reviews58 reviews
Positive72.4%
Neutral6.9%
Negative20.7%

Out There

All ratings373 ratings
Positive83.6%
Neutral5.9%
Negative10.5%
Written reviews373 reviews
Positive69.2%
Neutral12.1%
Negative18.8%

User reviews

Element

From 474 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🎮 Fun and engaging gameplay mechanics
  • 🎨 Beautiful minimalist low-poly graphics
  • 🧠 Strategic depth with simple learning curve
  • ⚡ Quick, bite-sized gaming sessions
  • 🎯 Intuitive controls and UI design

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Extremely short campaign (4 hours completion)
  • 🔄 Repetitive gameplay after initial planets
  • 💰 Expensive for content length ($5 price point)
  • ⚙️ Tracking and progress system doesn't work properly
  • 🎮 Unbalanced gameplay - can destroy enemy base instantly

Out There

From 373 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Well-made game
  • 🌟 Immersive atmosphere
  • 🎨 Beautiful graphics and music
  • 📚 Engaging story and writing
  • 🔁 High replayability

Room to improve

  • 🎲 Heavily reliant on RNG
  • 🤯 Extremely difficult, even on easy mode
  • 🔁 Repetitive gameplay
  • 🧭 Lack of clear progression/strategy
  • 🔍 Unclear mechanics

Bugs and requests

Element

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Progress tracking doesn't register completed mines
  • Game crashes frequently on iPad Pro M1
  • Purchase transaction issues and money deduction without delivery
  • UI text too small on iPhone XR and newer models
  • Tutorial doesn't adequately explain mechanics

Requested features

12 requests
  • Multiplayer/PvP mode
  • More levels and planets
  • Random world generator or sandbox mode
  • Local co-op gameplay
  • Skirmish/custom difficulty modes
Show 7 more
  • Infinite/survival mode
  • Alien races or unique planet variants
  • Sequel or prequel
  • Bonus missions for capturing all mines
  • Special upgrades for captured planet ores
  • Larger UI text scaling for iPhone
  • Post-game content or endless mode

Out There

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • Crashes and performance issues on newer devices
  • Bugs causing lost progress or broken mechanics

Requested features

4 requests
  • Difficulty settings
  • Save/load functionality
  • More varied gameplay and content
  • Optimization for newer devices

In-app purchases

None

Element

No in-app purchases

None

Out There

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Element free?
Element costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Out There free?
Out There costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Element or Out There?
Element is rated higher. Element averages 4.6 out of 5 from 474 ratings, while Out There averages 4.4 from 373 ratings.
Do Element or Out There have ads?
Neither Element nor Out There shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Element or Out There?
Element ships an update every 10 months, and Out There every 2 months. Most recently, Element was updated on September 24, 2026 and Out There on September 24, 2026.

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