Comparison

XCOM vs NugSmasher®

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

Head to head
About

XCOM

This digital companion app enhances a cooperative board game by managing the alien invasion. It tracks time, presents dynamic invasion plans, and adapts to player decisions, creating a challenging strategic experience to defend humanity.

Highlights
  • Manages alien invasion plans
  • Tracks in-game time
  • Dynamic turn structure
  • Randomized invasion scenarios
  • Supports cooperative play
Features
Read full description

The XCOM digital companion app is a free tool designed for use with XCOM: The Board Game. In XCOM: The Board Game, you and up to three friends assume the roles of the leaders of the elite, international organization known as XCOM. It is your job to defend humanity, quell the rising panic, and turn back the escalating alien invasion coordinated by the game’s innovative, free digital companion app. Each round, the app tracks the time you have allotted to respond to each task, forcing you to think quickly, even as you must carefully measure the strategic implications of your decisions. However, the app does far more than track time. Its design is integrated deep into gameplay, and it permits both a mutable alien invasion plan and a dynamic turn structure. When you start a game of XCOM: The Board Game, the app randomly selects one of five different invasion plans. These plans represent the different, overarching strategies that the aliens might employ as they send forces against the earth’s different continents, create catastrophes, and target your base, pressing back against your resistance efforts. Destroy UFOs. Research alien technology. Defend your base. Uncover the alien invasion plan. Should you fail, humanity is doomed.

About

NugSmasher®

Log and manage your rosin press sessions directly from your phone. Access past sessions, share results with the community, and easily find strains by name, rating, or material type. This updated app offers improved design and functionality for a streamlined experience.

Highlights
  • Log press sessions
  • Access past sessions
  • Share press results
  • Search strains by name
  • Search by rating
  • Search by material type
  • Streamlined menu and navigation
Features
Read full description

The NugSmasher app has been updated, we listened to your feedback and built this app from the ground up with significant improvements to the overall design and functionality of the app. Now, with our Terpfile feature, you can log your press sessions and access them on your phone. That means no more lost data or forgotten settings. Plus, you can share your press results with friends and other members of the NugSmasher community to get feedback and improve your technique.  We've made it easier than ever to find what you're looking for with our streamlined menu and simple navigation. Plus, our new search feature lets you find strains by name, rating and material type.

Screenshots

XCOM4 screens
NugSmasher®4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: XCOM at 51% against NugSmasher®'s 20%. XCOM also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.4). NugSmasher®'s advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

XCOM holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 29 and 24 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of XCOM's written reviews are positive against 20% of NugSmasher®'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

XCOM ships an update every 2 months, NugSmasher® fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
XCOM versus NugSmasher®: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterXCOMNugSmasher®
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (29 ratings) — better3.4 (24 ratings)
Positive reviews51.0% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings29 — better24
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size182 MB68 MB
Age rating12+17+
DeveloperFantasy Flight GamesPMG COS. L.L.C.

Customer experience

XCOM

All ratings28 ratings
Positive64.3%
Neutral7.1%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive51.0%
Neutral9.8%
Negative39.2%

NugSmasher®

All ratings23 ratings
Positive52.2%
Neutral17.4%
Negative30.4%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral30.0%
Negative50.0%

In-app purchases

None

XCOM

No in-app purchases

None

NugSmasher®

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is XCOM free?
XCOM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NugSmasher® free?
NugSmasher® is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, XCOM or NugSmasher®?
XCOM is rated higher. XCOM averages 3.7 out of 5 from 29 ratings, while NugSmasher® averages 3.4 from 24 ratings.
Do XCOM or NugSmasher® have ads?
Neither XCOM nor NugSmasher® shows ads.
Which is updated more often, XCOM or NugSmasher®?
XCOM ships an update every 2 months, and NugSmasher® fortnightly. Most recently, XCOM was updated on October 22, 2026 and NugSmasher® on October 24, 2026.

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