# E vs Terraforming Mars

The clearest difference is price: E at Free against Terraforming Mars's $8.99. E also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 6) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 13.0). Terraforming Mars's advantage is rating (4.5 vs 2.4) and review sentiment (45% vs 8%). On ads and device support there is nothing between them.

E is free to download; Terraforming Mars costs $8.99 up front. Terraforming Mars sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. E asks for nothing beyond the download.

Terraforming Mars holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Terraforming Mars has 7.6K ratings behind it against 9, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 8% of E's written reviews are positive against 45% of Terraforming Mars's.

E ships an update every 7 months, Terraforming Mars every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | E | Terraforming Mars |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $8.99 |
| Rating | [2.4 (9 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/e-board/id931626570/reviews) | **[4.5 (7.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 9 | **7.6K** |
| Positive reviews | 7.7% of reviews | **45.1% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | — | **#36** |
| Size | 15 MB | 353 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Michael Holt](https://appshunter.io/developer/930120773) | [Twin Sails Interactive](https://appshunter.io/developer/1135862620) |

## What reviewers say

### E

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/e-board/id931626570)

This companion app simplifies the board game "Acquire" by managing tile placements, company creations, merges, and cash-out calculations. It provides a digital reference chart and supports multiple game versions, offering crash resistance and recovery for a smoother experience.

**Highlights:** Tracks tile placements, company creations, and merges, Digital reference chart, Cash Out screen for end-of-game calculations, Crash resistance and recovery, Supports 3 popular game versions

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Terraforming Mars

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/terraforming-mars/id1353471030)

**Currently charting:** #36 Top Paid · Board, #110 Top Paid · Strategy (US App Store)

Lead a corporation to terraform Mars by building cities, forests, and oceans. Manage resources, complete objectives, and increase your Terraform Rating to make the planet habitable. Compete against rivals and lead humanity into a new era.

**Highlights:** Official board game adaptation, Play against AI or up to 5 players, Online and offline multiplayer, Corporate Era variant, Solo challenge mode, Expansions available for new content

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Original Promo Pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Terraforming Mars - Prelude | $3.99 | one-time |
| Hellas & Elysium | $3.99 | one-time |
| Venus Next | $3.99 | one-time |
| Colonies | $3.99 | one-time |
| Big Box Promo Pack | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Faithful adaptation of board game
- 👍 Great UI and animations
- 🕹️ Smooth solo gameplay
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🕹️ Unreliable multiplayer experience
- 🕰️ Long load times to resume games
- 🤯 Confusing multiplayer features
- 🤖 Weak AI opponents

**Reported bugs**

- Science tags not counted properly
- Power infrastructure card not functioning
- Inability to place tiles in some cases
- Saved games not loading properly

**Requested features**

- Undo button for actions
- Ability to see final game metrics
- Notifications for turn updates
- Ability to track win/loss records
- More expansion content


## Frequently asked questions

### Is E free?

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

### Is Terraforming Mars free?

Terraforming Mars costs $8.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, E or Terraforming Mars?

Terraforming Mars is rated higher. E averages 2.4 out of 5 from 9 ratings, while Terraforming Mars averages 4.5 from 7.6K ratings.

### Do E or Terraforming Mars have ads?

Neither E nor Terraforming Mars shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, E or Terraforming Mars?

E ships an update every 7 months, and Terraforming Mars every 3 weeks. Most recently, E was updated on November 1, 2026 and Terraforming Mars on November 9, 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.*