# Star Realms vs Hero Realms

The clearest difference is rating: Star Realms at 4.6 against Hero Realms's 4.3. Star Realms also leads on ratings volume (4.5K vs 219). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Hero Realms sells 13 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Star Realms holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Star Realms has 4.5K ratings behind it against 219, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 60% of Hero Realms's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, Hero Realms every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Realms | Hero Realms |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews)** | [4.3 (219 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-realms/id1396367189/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | 219 |
| Positive reviews | 57.0% of reviews | **60.2% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 10 days** | Every 2 weeks |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 509 MB | 435 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) |

## What reviewers say

### Star Realms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125)

Engage in thrilling space combat with this popular deckbuilding game. Build your deck, outmaneuver opponents, and conquer the galaxy. Offers both single-player campaigns and multiplayer battles.

**Highlights:** Deckbuilding gameplay, Player vs Player combat, AI battles, Campaign mode, Online multiplayer, Pass and Play mode

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| High Alert: Invasion | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Events Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Heroes Set | $1.99 | one-time |
| Crisis: Fleets and Fortresses | $1.99 | one-time |
| Command | $1.99 | one-time |
| Gambit Set | $3.99 | one-time |
| Cosmic Gambit | $3.99 | one-time |
| High Alert: First Strike | $3.99 | one-time |
| Full Version | $4.99 | one-time |
| Colony Wars | $4.99 | one-time |
| Frontiers | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Excellent implementation
- 💡 Lots of content and features
- 🚀 Fast and smooth gameplay
- 👍 Challenging AI

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Issues with online play and connectivity
- 🐛 Unbalanced AI difficulty
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🐛 Confusing UI and navigation

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes on launch
- Online games getting stuck or timing out
- Inability to scrap or play certain cards
- Incorrect card behavior and interactions

**Requested features**

- Add undo/rewind functionality
- Improve offline/single-player experience
- Implement better matchmaking and player communication
- Provide more detailed game statistics and analytics


### Hero Realms

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hero-realms/id1396367189)

Engage in strategic deckbuilding combat, recruit powerful champions, and level up your heroes. Enjoy PvP, co-op against AI bosses, or a single-player campaign. The free version offers core gameplay with optional expansions.

**Highlights:** Deckbuilding combat, Recruit champions, Hero leveling system, Online PvP, Cooperative play vs AI, Single-player campaign, Multiple character classes

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (13)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 80 Gems | $0.99 | one-time |
| 200 gems | $2.29 | one-time |
| Four Journeys Campaign | $3.99 | one-time |
| 500 Gems | $4.99 | one-time |
| Hero Realms: Call to Arms | $4.99 | one-time |
| Journeys Expansions | $4.99 | one-time |
| Journeys Promo Expansion | $4.99 | one-time |
| Dungeons Expansion | $7.99 | one-time |
| 1200 Gems | $9.99 | one-time |
| Hero Realms Base Set | $9.99 | one-time |
| 2500 Gems | $19.99 | one-time |
| 6500 Gems | $49.99 | one-time |
| 14000 Gems | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game mechanics
- 🚀 Smooth and polished app
- 💡 Diverse game modes (PvP, co-op, campaign)
- 👍 Faithful adaptation of the physical card game
- 💡 Character progression and leveling system

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and crashes
- 🔒 Lack of local multiplayer (pass-and-play)
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases for additional content
- 🌐 Lack of language support (e.g., no French, Spanish)
- 🔍 Unclear tutorial and explanations of game mechanics

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes when trying to play online
- Inability to access purchased content
- Freezing and black screen issues
- Incorrect character level progression
- Matchmaking problems and long wait times

**Requested features**

- Add more expansions and additional content
- Implement a friends list and social features
- Improve the campaign mode with more levels and challenges
- Add an option to check the contents of your deck before playing
- Implement a turn timer to prevent players from stalling


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Realms free?

Star Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Hero Realms free?

Hero Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Star Realms or Hero Realms?

Star Realms is rated higher. Star Realms averages 4.6 out of 5 from 4.5K ratings, while Hero Realms averages 4.3 from 219 ratings.

### Do Star Realms or Hero Realms have ads?

Neither Star Realms nor Hero Realms shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Hero Realms?

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, and Hero Realms every 2 weeks. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on October 29, 2026 and Hero Realms on October 30, 2026.

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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.*