# Star Realms vs Ephod™

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.

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.

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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Realms | Ephod™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (4.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews) | [4.6 (1K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ephod/id1633480108/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **4.4K** | 1K |
| Positive reviews | **56.5% of reviews** | 43.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 470 MB | 212 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) | [Jinhyeok Jeong](https://appshunter.io/developer/1499612601) |

## 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


### Ephod™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ephod/id1633480108)

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:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 3,000 | $1.99 | one-time |
| 6,600 | $3.99 | one-time |
| 11,500 | $6.99 | one-time |
| Remove Pre-Game Ads | $6.99 | one-time |
| Stocking Pass | $7.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

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

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 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

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*