Comparison

Astrå vs Pixl8

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

Head to head
About

Astrå

Embark on an adventure as Hemera, the goddess of daylight, to combat darkness and uncover the secrets of a unique universe. This orbital platformer features beautiful art, soothing music, and intuitive one-touch controls.

Highlights
  • Arcade action gameplay
  • Unique art, music, and gameplay
  • Simple one-touch controls
  • Auto-runner platformer with space physics
  • Explore, solve puzzles, and discover secrets
  • Game Center integration
  • iCloud support
Features
Read full description

Astrå is the adventure of Hemera, the goddess of daylight. Help her fight darkness, and discover the wonders and secrets of the unique Astrå universe. In the media: "Astrå is one of those rare titles that proves just how rewarding the simple things in life can be. By taking the tried-and-tested platforming formula and reducing it down to its very core, Molina has managed to assemble one of the most unique, elegant, and bewitching mobile games I've ever had the good fortune of playing." - Chris Kerr (Stuff) "The graphics are beautiful and incredibly detailed, the music is soothing with whimsical sound effects, the controls feel natural and let you play it with one hand, and the gameplay is challenging." - Christine Chan (AppAdvice) - 4.5 / 5 "Really, Astra stands out among other orbital platformers for its unique art and great feel. But it is a trying game"..."that made the successes more rewarding, and it's long way to the top, that's for sure." - Carter Dotson (TouchArcade) - 4/5 Awards and recognition: • App Store Editors' Choice, Best of 2015 and Greatest Indie Games. • Indie Prize Nominee • Big Indie Pitch Nominee • Junceda illustration prize Features: • Arcade action. • Unique art, music and gameplay. • Designed for touch screen. Simple one touch controls. • Auto-runner platformer with space physics. • Go explore, solve small puzzles, and discover secrets. • Master the game in order to compete in the Game Center. • iCloud support • 32 levels to explore (more to come as free updates) Fabuloso team: Pablo Molina - Game design, programming, production, level design Laia Arqueros - Art concept and graphics design Juan Molina - Sound design, level design, QA

About

Pixl8

This app transforms your iPhone into a retro 8-bit console for PICO-8 games. It allows you to play a vast library of handcrafted pixel-art games, with features like customizable touch controls, controller support, and cross-platform multiplayer.

Highlights
  • PICO-8 game library
  • Tap-and-play cart system
  • Customizable touch controls
  • Bluetooth controller support
  • Cross-platform multiplayer
  • Save states management
Read full description

Pixl8 turns your iPhone into a pocket-sized retro 8-bit-style console for PICO-8, the fantasy console loved for its tiny, handcrafted pixel-art games. Point Pixl8 at the folder where you keep your carts and it turns them into a tap-and-play library. Each cart is a single PNG image (example.p8.png) with a whole game inside: art, music and code. If you love retro gaming, chiptune soundtracks and hand-drawn pixel art, Pixl8 lets you carry a whole community's worth of indie games in your pocket: arcade shooters, platformers, puzzlers, RPGs, roguelikes and playable demos, all in that unmistakable low-res, high-charm PICO-8 style. https://pixl8.dev What you get: • A growing library of games, added with their authors' permission and playable right away. • Library, Favourites and Recent tabs for your own collection. • Per-cart actions on long-press: open the BBS page, resume game, start fresh game, manage save states. • Cross-platform multiplayer: play with friends on other devices, over local Wi-Fi or the internet. Plays the way you want: • Touch controls with a fully editable on-screen layout. Drag, resize and save your placement. • Bluetooth game controllers. Pair a retro-style gamepad for the authentic feel. • Hardware keyboard supported. • Shader effects, including a retro LCD look. Pro features (optional one-time purchase): • Save states, up to 10 per cart, plus an auto-save-on-exit slot. • Host multiplayer games. • Resume on tap: open a cart and pick up exactly where you left off, with no menu navigation. • In-game quick-save and quick-load on a gamepad combo. • Manage Save States screen with export and import. Whether you grew up on 8-bit handhelds or just love the pixel-art aesthetic, Pixl8 makes it effortless to discover, collect and play the best of the PICO-8 scene. Pixl8 does not ship PICO-8 itself or any of Lexaloffle's copyrighted assets. It is an independent player that reads the public PICO-8 cart format. To run a cart you will need either one of the bundled examples (included with permission) or your own files. The lexaloffle.com BBS hosts thousands of free community carts. Pixl8 is not affiliated with Lexaloffle.

Screenshots

Astrå3 screens
Pixl84 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Pixl8 at Free against Astrå's $0.99. Pixl8 also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 5 months). Astrå's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (21 vs 2). On ads 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

Pixl8 is free to download; Astrå costs $0.99 up front. Pixl8 sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Astrå asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Pixl8 holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Astrå has 21 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Astrå ships an update every 5 months, Pixl8 every 4 days. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard8 real differences · 2 level
Astrå versus Pixl8: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAstråPixl8
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating4.0 (21 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews57.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings21 — better2
Update frequencyEvery 5 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size181 MB10 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperPablo Molina GarciaCodedreams

Customer experience

Astrå

All ratings21 ratings
Positive61.9%
Neutral23.8%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive57.9%
Neutral15.8%
Negative26.3%

Pixl8

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

Astrå

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Pixl8

One-time1
  • Pixl8 Pro:Save States & Multiplayer$6.99

Questions

Is Astrå free?
Astrå costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Pixl8 free?
Pixl8 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Astrå or Pixl8?
Pixl8 is rated higher. Astrå averages 4.0 out of 5 from 21 ratings, while Pixl8 averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Astrå or Pixl8 have ads?
Neither Astrå nor Pixl8 shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Astrå or Pixl8?
Astrå ships an update every 5 months, and Pixl8 every 4 days. Most recently, Astrå was updated on October 26, 2026 and Pixl8 on October 26, 2026.

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