I think it's better than Freelancer.
If you want to break down both Freelancer to this game, then think of this.. They are both identical in structure, design and element. The only difference I've spotted so far is that you fly only one ship in darkstar. I felt that I was flying only "one" ship in freelancer. Every time I bought a new ship, my internal and external graphics changed. It either went faster, or slower with bigger guns. Darkstar has upgrades as well as an enourmous array of weapon customization. The upgrading of Darkstar for every space artifact you find has already put this game ahead of freelancer.
Oh, and yes. The Darkstar ship changes in looks as well as the game progresses.
Freelancer is old. Yes it's good. But Darkstar is better. Trust me ;)