# Star Realms vs Runway Army

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Runway Army at none against Star Realms's 10. Runway Army also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs every 10 days). Star Realms's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Star Realms sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Runway Army asks for nothing beyond the download.

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, Runway Army every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Star Realms | Runway Army |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (4.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/star-realms/id893447125/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **4.5K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 57.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 509 MB | 46 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [White Wizard Games](https://appshunter.io/developer/893447128) | [JACK J MARSHALL](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796858792) |

## 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 (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 |
| 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


### Runway Army

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/runway-army/id6796858789)

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Star Realms free?

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

### Is Runway Army free?

Runway Army is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do Star Realms or Runway Army have ads?

Runway Army shows ads; Star Realms does not.

### Which is updated more often, Star Realms or Runway Army?

Star Realms ships an update every 10 days, and Runway Army every 2 days. Most recently, Star Realms was updated on November 6, 2026 and Runway Army on October 31, 2026.

---

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