# XCOM® vs Star Traders

The clearest difference is rating: Star Traders at 4.6 against XCOM®'s 4.3. Star Traders also leads on review sentiment (73% vs 62%). XCOM®'s advantage is ratings volume (5.6K vs 668) and price ($4.99 vs $6.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

XCOM® costs $4.99 and Star Traders $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Star Traders holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: XCOM® has 5.6K ratings behind it against 668, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 62% of XCOM®'s written reviews are positive against 73% of Star Traders's.

XCOM® ships an update monthly, Star Traders every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | XCOM® | Star Traders |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **$4.99** | $6.99 |
| Rating | [4.3 (5.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcom-enemy-within/id881270303/reviews) | **[4.6 (668 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-traders-frontiers/id1442583232/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **5.6K** | 668 |
| Positive reviews | 62.0% of reviews | **73.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | #71 | **#28** |
| Size | 3.3 GB | 316 MB |
| Requires iOS | **9.0** | 12.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 17+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [2K](https://appshunter.io/developer/324563547) | [Trese Brothers](https://appshunter.io/developer/528949265) |

## What reviewers say

### XCOM®

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/xcom-enemy-within/id881270303)

**Currently charting:** #71 Top Paid · Action, #76 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

This is a standalone expansion to a critically acclaimed strategy game, offering new soldiers, abilities, enemies, maps, and a multiplayer mode. Players can upgrade their soldiers with genetic modifications and cybersuits, research new weapons, and counter new alien threats.

**Highlights:** New soldier abilities (genetics & cybersuits), New weapons and equipment, New enemy types and organization, New strategic resource (Meld), New story missions, New multiplayer maps, units, and abilities

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Excellent port of the PC game
- 👍 Great gameplay and strategy
- 💎 Addictive and replayable
- 🎮 Faithful to the XCOM franchise
- 🔝 Best strategy game on iOS

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Difficult to control on small screens
- 🔋 Battery draining
- 🗺️ Limited map selection compared to PC
- 🔇 Sound issues and lack of audio options

**Reported bugs**

- Tutorial getting stuck
- Crashes when returning to base
- Inability to move soldiers to elevated positions
- Unresponsive menus and UI
- Progression-blocking bugs

**Requested features**

- Controller support
- Improved camera controls
- Full screen support for newer devices
- Update to fix compatibility issues
- More customization options


### Star Traders

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-traders-frontiers/id1442583232)

**Currently charting:** #28 Top Paid · Role Playing, #77 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Command your own starship and crew in a vast, procedurally generated open universe. Forge your path as a pirate, merchant, bounty hunter, or explorer, influencing factions and shaping your crew through your choices in this epic sci-fi RPG.

**Highlights:** Open universe exploration, Multiple captain careers (26 jobs), Spaceship customization (350+ upgrades), Crew assembly and talent management, Dynamic narrative and faction influence, Crew molding based on player choices, Varied difficulty options including permadeath

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Impressive depth and complexity
- 🌍 Vast open-world with endless possibilities
- 🔍 Engaging story and lore
- 🤖 Diverse gameplay options (trading, exploration, combat, etc.)
- 🕹️ Satisfying ship and crew management

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🤔 Steep learning curve, lacks clear tutorials
- 🔍 Repetitive or tedious aspects in late game
- 📱 UI/UX issues on smaller mobile devices
- 🎲 Frustrating RNG elements and difficulty spikes
- 🔒 Lack of cloud save functionality

**Reported bugs**

- Crew combat screen UI issues causing accidental input
- Reputation/faction system bugs leading to unexpected outcomes
- Crashes and freezes when navigating certain screens
- Inconsistent behavior with ship component upgrades

**Requested features**

- Ability to customize ship colors and appearances
- Option to command/control multiple ships as a fleet
- More end-game content and progression systems
- Improved UI scaling and optimization for larger screens
- Cloud save/sync functionality across devices


## Frequently asked questions

### Is XCOM® free?

XCOM® costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Star Traders free?

Star Traders costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, XCOM® or Star Traders?

Star Traders is rated higher. XCOM® averages 4.3 out of 5 from 5.6K ratings, while Star Traders averages 4.6 from 668 ratings.

### Do XCOM® or Star Traders have ads?

Neither XCOM® nor Star Traders shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, XCOM® or Star Traders?

XCOM® ships an update monthly, and Star Traders every 3 weeks. Most recently, XCOM® was updated on October 1, 2026 and Star Traders on September 30, 2026.

### Which is more popular, XCOM® or Star Traders?

XCOM® currently peaks at #71 in the App Store charts, and Star Traders at #28. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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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.*