Comparison

Star Vector vs Stellar Patrol Space Combat

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

Head to head
About

Star Vector

Engage in thrilling 3D space combat on your mobile device. Pilot your starfighter using intuitive tilt controls to battle pirates and aliens across a randomly generated universe. Progress through levels, unlock new spacecraft, and upgrade your abilities to face increasingly challenging enemies.

Highlights
  • 3D space combat
  • Tilt sensor controls
  • Randomly generated universe
  • Unlockable spacecraft
  • Level progression
  • Increasing enemy difficulty
Read full description

Fly against space pirates! 3D space combat game on the go! Use your iPhone's tilt sensor to pilot your star fighter and battle against space pirates and aliens! * Straight to action space combat game! * Easy controls using accelerometer (tilt sensor)! * Explore randomly generated universe! * Progress through the levels to unlock more advanced spacecraft! * Level up to earn more credits to fight against increasing enemy AI difficulty! This app contains advertising. If you have any interest in sci-fi space combat, download Star Vector now and try it out, it's FREE!

About

Stellar Patrol Space Combat

Embark on a retro space simulation adventure to liberate the galaxy from invaders. Battle enemies, upgrade your ship and weapons, and explore a vast universe with numerous planets and bases. Your actions will shape your reputation and determine the fate of the free galaxy.

Highlights
  • Galaxy-wide combat against invaders
  • Ship and weapon upgrades
  • Explore 39+ star systems and 200+ planets
  • Mine asteroids and trade with planets
  • Pilot various ship types
  • Reputation system and achievements
  • Open galaxy exploration
Features
Read full description

Fly a fighter out of a carrier on a wild ride and take back a galaxy, one sector at a time. Stellar Patrol is an open-galaxy space combat sim. Launch from the TCS Independence, clear hostile sectors, run missions for the planets that will have you, mine asteroids, trade cargo between systems, and upgrade your way from a stock Avro light fighter into something that can break a stronghold on its own. YOUR CARRIER, YOUR HOME The TCS Independence is your base, your dock and your jump drive. Every run begins on her bow pad. Refit between sectors, take on new work, and jump to any sector you have unlocked. 39 SECTORS TO TAKE BACK Zeta through Trantor, each with its own planets, bases, pirate strongholds and civilian traffic. Break a sector's defences and its ports open to you for trade, missions and supply. 31 SHIPS Light fighters, interceptors, strike fighters, heavy interdictors, freighters and experimental hulls. Buy them, fit them, fly them. MAKE A LIVING • Mine asteroids for ore and materials • Trade cargo between systems and work the price differences • Take missions from the planets and bases you have befriended • Salvage wrecks for what is still worth taking FIGHT • Real-time combat against fighters, turrets, defence platforms and capital ships • Shields, armour, countermeasures and hull repairs to manage mid-fight • Pirate bases that answer back, launching garrisons to defend themselves • Full external gamepad support CLIMB • Earn prestige, climb the ranks and unlock the next sector • World and country leaderboards • Per-sector records to beat • Cloud backup, so your career survives a new phone Free to play, with optional in-app purchases to remove ads or top up crystals. Available in English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese and Russian. ** A note from the developer ** Stellar Patrol first launched in 2016, and then I left it alone for far too long. Version 2.0 is me coming back to it properly: a rebuilt mission system, a carrier to call home, sectors that actually feel alive, and a long list of things I should have fixed years ago. If you hit a bug, or something just feels wrong, please tell me at support@gbeegames.com. I read every message, and I would much rather hear about a problem than have you quietly uninstall. Thanks for flying. — Greg, GBeeGames

Screenshots

Star Vector4 screens
Stellar Patrol Space Combat4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Star Vector at none against Stellar Patrol Space Combat's 9. Star Vector also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (44 vs 11). Stellar Patrol Space Combat's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (4.0 vs 3.7). On price, review sentiment and device support 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. Stellar Patrol Space Combat sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Star Vector asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Stellar Patrol Space Combat holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 11 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 74% of Star Vector's written reviews are positive against 67% of Stellar Patrol Space Combat's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Star Vector ships an update every 2 months, Stellar Patrol Space Combat weekly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Star Vector versus Stellar Patrol Space Combat: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStar VectorStellar Patrol Space Combat
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (44 ratings)4.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews73.8% of reviews — better66.7% of reviews
Number of ratings44 — better11
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.1 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size206 MB81 MB
Age rating12+9+
DeveloperThird Wire Productionsgreg brady

Customer experience

Star Vector

All ratings44 ratings
Positive68.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative22.7%
Written reviews42 reviews
Positive73.8%
Neutral9.5%
Negative16.7%

Stellar Patrol Space Combat

All ratings11 ratings
Positive63.6%
Neutral18.2%
Negative18.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral25.0%
Negative8.3%

In-app purchases

None

Star Vector

No in-app purchases

9 purchases

Stellar Patrol Space Combat

One-time9
  • 100 Crystals$1.99
  • Turn off ads$1.99
  • 200 Crystals$2.99
Show 6 more
  • 500 Crystals$4.99
  • 1000 Crystals$6.99
  • 2000 Crystals$14.99
  • 5000 Crystals$29.99
  • 10000 Crystals$49.99
  • 20000 Crystals$89.99

Questions

Is Star Vector free?
Star Vector is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Stellar Patrol Space Combat free?
Stellar Patrol Space Combat is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Star Vector or Stellar Patrol Space Combat?
Stellar Patrol Space Combat is rated higher. Star Vector averages 3.7 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while Stellar Patrol Space Combat averages 4.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Star Vector or Stellar Patrol Space Combat have ads?
Stellar Patrol Space Combat shows ads; Star Vector does not.
Which is updated more often, Star Vector or Stellar Patrol Space Combat?
Star Vector ships an update every 2 months, and Stellar Patrol Space Combat weekly. Most recently, Star Vector was updated on October 24, 2026 and Stellar Patrol Space Combat on October 24, 2026.

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