# Star Realms vs Captain Derkin

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Captain Derkin at none against Star Realms's 12. Star Realms's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Realms sells 12 one-off in-app purchases. Captain Derkin asks for nothing beyond the download.

Star Realms ships an update every 11 days, Captain Derkin every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Realms | Captain Derkin |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.4K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 56.9% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 11 days | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 473 MB | 68 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) | [Hammrtech LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1105200354) |

## 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


### Captain Derkin

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/captain-derkin/id6749721348)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Realms free?

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

### Is Captain Derkin free?

Captain Derkin is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Star Realms or Captain Derkin have ads?

Captain Derkin shows ads; Star Realms does not.

### Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Captain Derkin?

Star Realms ships an update every 11 days, and Captain Derkin every 6 days. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on October 18, 2026 and Captain Derkin on October 7, 2026.

---

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