Comparison

Star Realms vs Ephod™

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

Head to head
About

Star Realms

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
Read full description

Star Realms is a hugely popular space combat deckbuilding game. Download and play today to find out why Star Realms is the winner of SXSW 2014 Board Game of the Year, 7 Golden Geek Awards from BoardGameGeek, including Best Mobile Game, and 2 Dice Tower awards! Reviews: "My readers are going to have a seizure about how good Star Realms is." -Owen Faraday, pockettactics.com “Good on all levels, thumbs up!” -Tom Vasel, The Dice Tower “This game is superb! I think it’s a brilliant game. Beautiful artwork, second to none.” -Tim Norris, Grey Elephant Gaming “What can I say? Star Realms is excellent.” - Lenny, ISlaytheDragon.com “I desperately wanted to play again and again. It's just consistently fun every time.” -The Critical Boardgamer Star Realms combines addictive deck building game play with exciting Trading Card Game (TCG) style combat! Designed by Magic the Gathering Hall of Famers Darwin Kastle and Rob Dougherty (of the Ascension Deckbuilding Game), Star Realms provides tons of playability for free, and a one-time upgrade to be able play with your friends and more on any device. Free Version •Universal Application: Play on iPhone, iPod, iPad, iPad Mini, and Ipad Air. •Addictive Deckbuilding Game with Player VS Player Combat. •Tutorial teaches you to play in minutes. •Stunning visuals. •Play VS the AI. •6 mission campaign mode. Full Game Additional Features •Play the AI on 3 different difficulty settings. •9 additional campaign missions. •Battle friends face to face with Pass and Play. •Online play with global rankings. •Challenge a friend online.

About

Ephod™

Engage in real-time strategy card battles. Collect gems, buy cards, and outmaneuver opponents to reach a target score. Compete globally, climb seasonal ranks, and customize your game experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time matches
  • Seasonal ranks and leaderboards
  • Multiple game modes
  • Connect with friends
  • Character and theme customization
Features
Read full description

Ephod™ is a real-time strategy card game where you collect gems, purchase cards, and outsmart opponents to score points. Manage your resources wisely and be the first to reach the target score. ◆ Key Features ◆ • Real-Time Matches – Compete with players worldwide in strategic battles • Season Ranks – Earn points, climb the ladder, and prove your skills each season • Leaderboards – Compare global and friend rankings • Multiple Modes – Ranked, Quick Match, Private, and Custom games • Friends & Likes – Connect with players you’ve met and show appreciation • Customization – Personalize your character and game themes Download now and prove your skills among players from all around the world!

Screenshots

Star Realms3 screens
Ephod™4 screens

Verdict

The call

Star Realms and Ephod™ both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 43% of Ephod™'s. Star Realms also leads on ratings volume (4.4K vs 1K). Ephod™'s advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence 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

Both are free to download. Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases and Ephod™ sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Star Realms against 4.6 for Ephod™. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 4.4K and 1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 57% of Star Realms's written reviews are positive against 43% of Ephod™'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Realms ships an update every 2 weeks, Ephod™ weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Star Realms versus Ephod™: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar RealmsEphod™
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (4.4K ratings)4.6 (1K ratings)
Positive reviews56.5% of reviews — better43.3% of reviews
Number of ratings4.4K — better1K
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size470 MB212 MB
Age rating12+12+
DeveloperWhite Wizard GamesJinhyeok Jeong

Customer experience

Star Realms

All ratings4,436 ratings
Positive91.3%
Neutral2.1%
Negative6.6%
Written reviews398 reviews
Positive56.5%
Neutral11.1%
Negative32.4%

Ephod™

All ratings1,010 ratings
Positive88.7%
Neutral3.9%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews178 reviews
Positive43.3%
Neutral14.6%
Negative42.1%

User reviews

Star Realms

From 4.4K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Ephod™

From 1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great implementation of Splendor
  • 🚀 Smooth gameplay
  • 💎 Faithful recreation of the board game
  • 🎨 Excellent visual design
  • 🤝 Enjoyable multiplayer experience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
  • 🔁 Excessive need to update the app
  • 🕰️ Freezing and turn skipping issues
  • 💰 Aggressive monetization with ads and coins
  • 🔌 Connectivity problems and disconnections

Bugs and requests

Star Realms

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

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

Ephod™

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Blank screens and loading issues
  • Incorrect scoring and noble card distribution
  • Account login and progress loss problems
  • Unresponsive controls and buttons
  • Crashes and force-quits during gameplay

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline/single-player mode
  • Ability to customize game settings (e.g., points target)
  • Replay/review functionality
  • Improved matchmaking and ranked system
  • Support for more players in private games

In-app purchases

12 purchases

Star Realms

One-time12
  • High Alert: Invasion$1.99
  • Crisis: Bases and Battleships Set$1.99
  • Crisis: Events Set$1.99
Show 9 more
  • Crisis: Heroes Set$1.99
  • Crisis: Fleets and Fortresses$1.99
  • Command$1.99
  • Gambit Set$3.99
  • Cosmic Gambit$3.99
  • High Alert: First Strike$3.99
  • Full Version$4.99
  • Colony Wars$4.99
  • Frontiers$4.99
5 purchases

Ephod™

One-time5
  • 3,000$1.99
  • 6,600$3.99
  • 11,500$6.99
Show 2 more
  • Remove Pre-Game Ads$6.99
  • Stocking Pass$7.99

Questions

Is Star Realms free?
Star Realms is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Ephod™ free?
Ephod™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Realms or Ephod™?
Star Realms and Ephod™ are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 4.4K and 1K ratings respectively.
Do Star Realms or Ephod™ have ads?
Neither Star Realms nor Ephod™ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Ephod™?
Star Realms ships an update every 2 weeks, and Ephod™ weekly. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on September 25, 2026 and Ephod™ on September 24, 2026.

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