Comparison

Five Elements Chess vs Starlift

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

Head to head
About

Five Elements Chess

Engage in strategic spell duels with this match-three game. It blends elemental theory with puzzle mechanics for a unique gameplay experience. Enjoy both local and online player-versus-player battles.

Highlights
  • Match-three gameplay
  • Five Elements theory integration
  • Deep strategy
  • Zen-inspired visuals
  • Local PvP
  • Online PvP
Features
Read full description

Five Elements Chess is a spell-duel game that combines the Five Elements theory and match-three gameplay. Features • Simple rules, deep strategy • Calm, Zen-inspired visual style • A balance of strategy and luck that anyone can enjoy • Local and online PvP

About

Starlift

A fast-paced puzzle game where matching three blocks ignites them and launches everything above. Explore eleven unique worlds with different gravity mechanics and challenge yourself in various game modes.

Highlights
  • Unique gravity mechanics per world
  • Branching star chart Voyage mode
  • Multiple game modes: Endless, Time Attack, Versus, Royale
  • Online multiplayer and daily challenges
  • One-handed portrait gameplay
  • No ads or account required for solo play
Features
Read full description

Blocks rain down. Line up three and they don't disappear: they ignite, and everything stacked on top lifts off with them. Starlift is a fast portrait puzzle game built for thumbs. Drag blocks up and down their columns, light a row or a column, and ride the stack into orbit. Too heavy to fly? Match again in mid-air and boost it the rest of the way. ELEVEN WORLDS, ELEVEN KINDS OF GRAVITY Every planet plays differently. Halcyon is balanced. Brine is slow and floaty. Cinder is heavy and rewards columns. On Aerie only chained ignitions launch anything, on Ferrum stacks hop instead of float, on Vesper rows fly and columns fizzle, and on Bazaar it rains items. Win new worlds as you fly the Voyage. VOYAGE Follow the rain to its source across a branching star chart. Each world has a keeper with a health bar and a signature attack: slabs of slag, belt rocks, a shield that only one big lift can break. What you launch is the damage. Three acts, a finale against the Rainmaker, and three endings that depend on the routes you fly. MODES • Endless: the rain speeds up until you are overrun. • Time Attack: two minutes, highest score. • Versus: a computer rival at three difficulties. • Royale: last world standing against seven rivals. Tap a rival's field to aim your launches. • Daily Launch: one run that is identical for every player that day, with a global board. • Online: Quick Match drops you into a Royale for up to eight in seconds, or play friends by room code in a 1v1 duel or a Royale. Computer players fill the empty seats. ITEMS Bombs, boosters, drills and prisms fall with the blocks. Tap one to light its fuse. MADE FOR THE PHONE • One-handed portrait play with big blocks, and two-thumb dragging if you want it. • Every block type has its own shape as well as its own colour. • A hands-on tutorial that teaches by doing. • Sound, music, haptics and reduced flashing each have their own switch. • No ads. No account. Solo play works offline. FREE TO START Play free: two worlds in Endless and Time Attack, the opening of the Voyage, one Daily Launch run and three online Quick Matches a day, and joining friends' rooms. One purchase unlocks the full game: nine more worlds, Versus and Royale against the computer, the whole Voyage, unlimited Quick Match, three Daily Launch runs a day, and hosting rooms for friends. No subscription. PRICE AND TERMS Starlift is free to download. The full game is a single in-app purchase of $4.99 (USD; the price may differ in other countries). You pay once and keep it. There is no subscription. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://starlift.banjtheman.xyz/privacy/

Screenshots

Five Elements Chess4 screens
Starlift4 screens

Verdict

The call

Five Elements Chess and Starlift both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Starlift's written reviews are positive against 82% of Five Elements Chess's. Starlift also leads on update cadence (every 2 days vs weekly). Five Elements Chess's advantage is ratings volume (106 vs 4). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Five Elements Chess sells 3 one-off in-app purchases and Starlift sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Starlift holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Five Elements Chess has 106 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 82% of Five Elements Chess's written reviews are positive against 100% of Starlift's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Five Elements Chess ships an update weekly, Starlift every 2 days. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Five Elements Chess versus Starlift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFive Elements ChessStarlift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (106 ratings)5.0 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews81.8% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings106 — better4
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 2 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size280 MB114 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperMing GaoBanjo Obayomi

Customer experience

Five Elements Chess

All ratings103 ratings
Positive97.1%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.9%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive81.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative13.6%

Starlift

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Five Elements Chess

One-time3
  • Time Skin Pack$1.99
  • Five Elements Chess full game$3.99
  • Seasons Skin Pack$3.99
1 purchases

Starlift

One-time1
  • Full Game$4.99

Questions

Is Five Elements Chess free?
Five Elements Chess is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Starlift free?
Starlift is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Five Elements Chess or Starlift?
Starlift is rated higher. Five Elements Chess averages 4.8 out of 5 from 106 ratings, while Starlift averages 5.0 from 4 ratings.
Do Five Elements Chess or Starlift have ads?
Neither Five Elements Chess nor Starlift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Five Elements Chess or Starlift?
Five Elements Chess ships an update weekly, and Starlift every 2 days. Most recently, Five Elements Chess was updated on November 6, 2026 and Starlift on November 6, 2026.

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