# 1849 vs Sid Meier’s Railroads!

The clearest difference is price: Sid Meier’s Railroads! at Free against 1849's $5.99. Sid Meier’s Railroads! also leads on rating (4.7 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (1.4K vs 24). 1849's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 5 months). On review sentiment and ads there is nothing between them.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download; 1849 costs $5.99 up front. Sid Meier’s Railroads! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. 1849 asks for nothing beyond the download.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sid Meier’s Railroads! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 24, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 65% of 1849's written reviews are positive against 59% of Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

1849 ships an update every 2 weeks, Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | 1849 | Sid Meier’s Railroads! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $5.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (24 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1849-gold-edition/id1016041206/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sid-meiers-railroads/id1449719281/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 24 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | **64.7% of reviews** | 59.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 weeks** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 76 MB | 1.6 GB |
| Requires iOS | **6.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [SomaSim](https://appshunter.io/developer/840299644) | [Feral Interactive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/402470125) |

## What reviewers say

### 1849

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/1849-gold-edition/id1016041206)

Build and manage towns during the California Gold Rush. Coordinate production and trade networks to ensure your settlements thrive, from mining camps to bustling cities. Explore diverse scenarios and a procedurally generated sandbox map.

**Highlights:** Campaign mode with unique city scenarios, Procedurally generated sandbox maps, Extensive production and trade management, Over 50 resources to manage, New Nevada scenarios with train trading, Post-Gold Rush epilogue scenarios

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none


### Sid Meier’s Railroads!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sid-meiers-railroads/id1449719281)

Become a railroad tycoon by building and managing intricate railway networks. Optimize routes, transport goods and passengers, and grow your profits through shrewd business decisions and innovation. Compete with historical figures to become the greatest rail baron.

**Highlights:** Lay tracks and design routes, Transport freight and passengers, Acquire patents and trade stocks, Build or buy industries, Compete with historical figures, Collect 40 famous trains, Train Table Mode for creative building

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game Unlock | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Faithful port of original
- 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🕰️ Hours of replay value

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🕹️ Fiddly track laying controls
- 🤖 Subpar AI opponents
- 💰 Expensive for a mobile game

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing tracks
- Routing issues and inability to connect stations
- Map freezing and becoming unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Larger maps
- More scenarios and campaigns
- Multiplayer mode
- Ability to buy/sell shares
- More train and engine variety


## Frequently asked questions

### Is 1849 free?

1849 costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Sid Meier’s Railroads! free?

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, 1849 or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is rated higher. 1849 averages 4.0 out of 5 from 24 ratings, while Sid Meier’s Railroads! averages 4.7 from 1.4K ratings.

### Do 1849 or Sid Meier’s Railroads! have ads?

Neither 1849 nor Sid Meier’s Railroads! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, 1849 or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?

1849 ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. Most recently, 1849 was updated on November 1, 2026 and Sid Meier’s Railroads! on November 6, 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.*