# Red Planet Explorer Pinball vs Visual Pinball

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Visual Pinball at none against Red Planet Explorer Pinball's 4. Visual Pinball also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (4.3 vs 3.8). Red Planet Explorer Pinball's advantage is ratings volume (322 vs 74) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.6). On price and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Red Planet Explorer Pinball sells 4 one-off in-app purchases. Visual Pinball asks for nothing beyond the download.

Visual Pinball holds the better App Store score, 4.3 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 322 and 74 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 61% of Red Planet Explorer Pinball's written reviews are positive against 79% of Visual Pinball's.

Red Planet Explorer Pinball ships an update every 16 months, Visual Pinball fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Red Planet Explorer Pinball | Visual Pinball |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.8 (322 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-planet-explorer-pinball/id956845710/reviews) | **[4.3 (74 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **322** | 74 |
| Positive reviews | 61.1% of reviews | **78.6% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 16 months | **Fortnightly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 95 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 26.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 9+ |
| Developer | [BrainVault Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/967022364) | [Jason Millard](https://appshunter.io/developer/1527911552) |

## What reviewers say

### Red Planet Explorer Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/red-planet-explorer-pinball/id956845710)

Experience an intergalactic pinball adventure set on Mars. This award-winning game offers hours of entertainment with realistic physics and stunning graphics, bringing the pinball experience to your device.

**Highlights:** Intergalactic pinball adventure, Mars Expedition table, Award-winning design, Realistic physics, Gorgeous graphics, Hours of entertainment

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

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ball Saver x15 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Extra Ball x10 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Multiball x15 | $0.99 | one-time |
| Cheats Pack | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎨 Great graphics and visual design
- 👍 Fun and enjoyable gameplay
- ⚡ Smooth performance and no glitches
- 🎮 Good pinball mechanics and flipper control
- 📱 Works well on iPad/mobile devices

**What reviewers complain about**

- 📺 Excessive ads interrupting gameplay
- ⚠️ Only one ball in free version
- 💔 Missing full version from app store
- 🛒 In-app purchase system broken/unavailable
- 😤 Ads appear mid-game causing ball loss

**Reported bugs**

- In-app purchases not found in store
- Ad removal purchase unavailable
- Ball goes straight between flippers
- App not available in Canada
- Ads interrupt mid-game causing ball drain

**Requested features**

- More free balls per game
- Remove or reduce ad frequency
- Restore full version to app store
- Fix in-app purchase functionality
- Basic tutorial for new players


### Visual Pinball

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/visual-pinball/id6547859926)

Experience the full virtual pinball simulator with realistic physics, lighting, and sound. This open-source app offers a redesigned interface, enhanced table management, and the complete desktop experience for mobile devices. Enjoy a vast library of tables without ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** Realistic physics, lighting, and sound, Redesigned interface with Liquid Glass, Full in-game menu for graphics and controls, Support for various backglass and display types, Easy table import and management, Optimized memory usage

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Awesome way to play virtual pinball on the go
- 👍 Super easy to set up with minimal file prep time
- 👍 Insane that I can play favorite pins on just my phone
- 👍 Fantastic portable implementation of VPX
- 👍 Fun and exciting to archive the history of pinball

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔧 More ability to adjust table settings needed
- 🔧 Struggling to manage camera angle
- 🔧 No fullscreen on iPad, plunger and outlanes cropped
- 🔧 Some tables don't work or have issues

**Reported bugs**

- Tables don't load for some users
- Certain complex/intensive tables error out or run at low FPS

**Requested features**

- List of most played tables
- Ability to reposition DMD
- Option to skip startup checks for some tables
- Ability to edit table scripts on the app
- Direct link to table depository


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Red Planet Explorer Pinball free?

Red Planet Explorer Pinball is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Visual Pinball free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Red Planet Explorer Pinball or Visual Pinball?

Visual Pinball is rated higher. Red Planet Explorer Pinball averages 3.8 out of 5 from 322 ratings, while Visual Pinball averages 4.3 from 74 ratings.

### Do Red Planet Explorer Pinball or Visual Pinball have ads?

Red Planet Explorer Pinball shows ads; Visual Pinball does not.

### Which is updated more often, Red Planet Explorer Pinball or Visual Pinball?

Red Planet Explorer Pinball ships an update every 16 months, and Visual Pinball fortnightly. Most recently, Red Planet Explorer Pinball was updated on October 29, 2026 and Visual Pinball on October 30, 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.*