Premium
Orbitarion is free to play. Every mechanic, every ship class, every research branch, every race, every nebula slot, every Dominion sector — fully accessible without spending a single coin. The game does not gate gameplay behind a paywall, and it never will.
Premium Commander is the optional subscription for players who want to support the game and get a few quality-of-life improvements. It changes how you experience the game — not how you win it.
What you get with Premium Commander
There are six premium-differentiated features. Everything else is identical between free and premium accounts.
1. Planned attacks
Schedule a fleet to launch at a specific future tick. Free players have to launch manually — open the app, build the fleet, hit send. Premium players can queue a launch days in advance.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Free | Launch immediately — fleet departs the moment you confirm |
| Premium | Schedule a launch tick — fleet departs automatically at your chosen tick |
This is the single most impactful premium feature for active players. Coordinating an alliance attack to land on a specific tick is night-and-day easier when multiple members can pre-schedule their launches instead of having to be online at the exact moment.
2. Ad-free experience
Free players see occasional banner ads and can watch optional rewarded ads for free scans (1 per 4-hour real-time cooldown). Premium removes all of it.
| Mode | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Free | Banner ads occasionally shown; must watch a rewarded ad to claim any of the 4 ad-rewards (orbital / resource / production / research) |
| Premium | No banner ads, ever. Same 4-reward menu still has its shared cooldown, but no ad to watch when claiming |
Premium doesn't grant more ad-rewards or shorter cooldowns — it removes the ad interruption from the rewards you'd already earn. The 4-reward menu, the per-choice cooldowns (4h/6h/8h/8h), and the shared lockout across all four rewards are identical for free and premium players. See Orbitals — Rewarded ad rewards for the full reward breakdown.
3. Push notifications
Free players see all game events in the in-app news feed. Premium players additionally get phone push notifications for time-sensitive events:
- Incoming attack — someone has launched fleets at your planet
- Battle resolved — your attack or defense has completed
- Nebula attack — your alliance's nebula slot is being attacked
- Alliance event — alliance-level activity (your alliance was attacked, new member, etc.)
- Protection ended — your 96-tick protection window has expired
Push notifications can be turned off per category in your settings. The default is "all on" when premium activates.
For free players, all of these events still appear in the news feed — you just see them when you next open the app, not as phone alerts.
4. Avatar customization
Personalize your commander profile picture. Free players use a default avatar. Premium players can choose from a library of avatars (race-themed, alliance-themed, faction-themed) that display on your planet profile, in the leaderboard, and in alliance views.
5. Theme customization
Choose how the app looks. Free players use the standard dark sci-fi theme. Premium players unlock alternate theme variants — color schemes, accent variations, UI tints.
6. Badge customization
Display a custom badge on your planet profile. Free players show no badge. Premium players choose from a library of badges (race-themed, achievement-themed, alliance-themed) that decorate your public profile.
What's the same for everyone
Premium has zero effect on the following — these are universal:
| Feature | Available to |
|---|---|
| Battle engine | Everyone — same combat math, same outcomes |
| Battle calculator | Everyone — tools.orbitarion.com is open-access |
| Scanning | Everyone — same scan types, same success rates, same costs |
| Gameplay mechanics | Everyone — research, build, fleet, attack, defend, scan |
| All 38 ships | Everyone — every ship from every race, every PDS class |
| Alliances | Everyone — full alliance functionality including tier benefits |
| Seasons | Everyone — same season length, same ticks, same race choices |
Premium changes convenience and personalization. It does not change outcomes. A free player and a premium player with identical strategy and identical fleet will play identical battles and get identical results.
Pricing
The subscription is called Premium Commander. Two plans:
| Plan | Price (USD) | Per-month equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $2.99 / month | $2.99 |
| Yearly | $24.99 / year | ~$2.08 |
Yearly works out to about 30% savings vs the monthly rate. Both plans unlock the identical feature set — yearly is just a long-term commitment at a discount.
Prices shown above are USD. Actual prices in your local store are localized — your iOS or Google Play account currency, your country's pricing tier, and any local taxes are reflected at checkout.
Auto-renewal
Both plans auto-renew unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period:
- iOS — Payment is charged to your Apple ID. Manage and cancel via Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions.
- Android — Payment is charged to your Google Play account. Manage and cancel via Google Play Store → Payments & Subscriptions.
The cancellation honors the period you've already paid for. Cancel a yearly subscription 3 months in and you keep premium for the remaining 9 months, but it doesn't renew.
Cross-platform handling
Premium is sold through Apple App Store (iOS) and Google Play Store (Android). Each platform's purchase is tracked through RevenueCat, which manages entitlement state across the apps.
If you sign in with the same account on both iOS and Android, your premium entitlement carries over — but the subscription itself is tied to whichever store you purchased through. You manage the subscription in the store you bought it from, not in Orbitarion.
Restore purchases
If you reinstall the app, switch devices, or are otherwise missing your premium entitlement after a purchase, the Restore Purchases button in the Premium screen re-syncs your account with your store records. This is a free operation and doesn't charge you.
Speed Round premium policy
During Speed Rounds (beta tests between regular seasons), premium features may be free for all participants. This is announced per-Speed-Round in the Discord and on the sign-up screen.
The intent is twofold: encourage Speed Round participation, and stress-test premium features at high volume before they ship to a long-running regular season.
A Speed Round that grants free premium does not affect your real subscription — if you don't have one, you get premium for that round only. If you do have one, it continues normally afterward.
What Premium does NOT include
- Pay-to-win mechanics — none exist in Orbitarion. Premium has no impact on ships, combat math, scan success, research speed, or any gameplay outcome.
- Currency or resources — premium does not grant in-game Titanium, Silicon, or Uranium. You earn resources the same way: orbitals + research + production.
- Exclusive ships or races — every player has access to every ship and every race.
- Faster research or build times — production speed is determined entirely by race bonus and research, not by subscription.
- More ad-rewards — premium removes the ad when claiming a reward, but doesn't grant extra rewards or reduce the shared cooldown.
- Combat advantages — every premium player and every free player fights with the same battle engine.
The promise is simple: Premium does not change game outcomes. It only changes how you interact with the game.
Subscription terms
By subscribing to Premium Commander, you agree to:
- Automatic renewal — your subscription renews automatically at the end of each period unless cancelled
- 24-hour cancellation window — cancellations must be made at least 24 hours before the end of the current period
- Store-managed billing — Apple App Store or Google Play Store handles the payment, refunds, and disputes
- No refunds from Orbitarion — we don't process refunds directly; for refund requests, contact the store you purchased from
For full terms, see Terms of Use. For privacy details on data handled in the subscription flow, see Privacy Policy.
Cancelling Premium
You can cancel at any time:
- iOS — Settings → Your Name → Subscriptions → Premium Commander → Cancel Subscription
- Android — Google Play Store → Profile icon → Payments & Subscriptions → Subscriptions → Premium Commander → Cancel
Cancellation does not refund the current period — you keep premium for the remainder of the time you've paid for. Auto-renewal stops at the next renewal date.
After cancellation, your account returns to the free tier. All your gameplay progress, planet, alliance membership, and Commander Career stats are preserved — nothing about your game state changes.
Why subscribe?
If you find yourself coordinating with an alliance, defending against frequent attacks, or just appreciating not seeing ads in your favorite game, premium pays back in convenience. The price is intentionally modest — it's a way to support continued development without locking out free players from any meaningful content.
Orbitarion is a solo-developed indie game (Kaffekullen Interactive). Premium subscriptions fund hosting, infrastructure, and ongoing development. We appreciate every subscriber who supports the game.
Quick reference
| Concept | Detail |
|---|---|
| Subscription name | Premium Commander |
| Monthly price | $2.99 USD |
| Yearly price | $24.99 USD (~$2.08/month) |
| Yearly savings | ~30% |
| Auto-renewal | Yes, until cancelled |
| Cancellation deadline | At least 24 hours before period end |
| Billing platform (iOS) | Apple App Store |
| Billing platform (Android) | Google Play Store |
| Subscription manager | RevenueCat |
| Cross-platform entitlement | Yes — same account, both platforms |
| Restore purchases | Available in-app |
| Refunds | Through Apple or Google directly |
| Premium-differentiated features | 6 (planned attacks, ads, push, avatar, theme, badge) |
| Gameplay impact | None — premium does not affect outcomes |
| Speed Round policy | May be free for all participants (announced per round) |
Documentation reflects Orbitarion v2.0. Last updated: 2026-05-29.