# Thomas & Friends vs HoverBots Assembly Instruction

The clearest difference is rating: HoverBots Assembly Instruction at 5.0 against Thomas & Friends's 4.4. HoverBots Assembly Instruction also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 12). Thomas & Friends's advantage is update cadence (every 6 months vs every 37 months) and ratings volume (77K vs 6). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Thomas & Friends sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. HoverBots Assembly Instruction asks for nothing beyond the download.

HoverBots Assembly Instruction holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thomas & Friends has 77K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Thomas & Friends ships an update every 6 months, HoverBots Assembly Instruction every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Thomas & Friends | HoverBots Assembly Instruction |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (77K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-magic-tracks/id1126382960/reviews) | **[5.0 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoverbots-assembly-instruction/id1480546764/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **77K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 61.6% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 6 months** | Every 37 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 253 MB | 152 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Budge Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/390712652) | [Franckh-Kosmos Verlags GmbH & Co. KG](https://appshunter.io/developer/375309682) |

## What reviewers say

### Thomas & Friends

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-magic-tracks/id1126382960)

Embark on a magical train adventure with interactive mini-games and customizable train sets. Build your own railway, collect toys, and ride with favorite characters in this safe and engaging game for young children.

**Highlights:** Interactive mini-games, Customizable train sets, Collect track pieces, toys, and decorations, Play with favorite engines, Safe and easy gameplay, Ride and explore

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Frederico's Mini Pack! | $1.99 | one-time |
| Unlock the Great Race Pack! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Kana's Builder Pack! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Diesel's Builder Pack! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Emily's Splash Mountain Adventure Box | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock James' Boulder Escape Adventure Box! | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Percy's Haunted Castle Adventure Box! | $4.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Gordon's Quarry Race Adventure Box! | $4.99 | one-time |
| Get All the Toys! | $19.99 | one-time |
| Get All the Toys! | $39.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🤗 Fun game
- 💕 Nostalgic for childhood
- 🥰 Loved by kids

**What reviewers complain about**

- 😡 Dislike changes to character designs
- 🤬 Too many ads and in-app purchases
- 🤯 Glitches and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Game freezes and crashes
- Trains get stuck in certain areas
- Purchases not restoring properly

**Requested features**

- Bring back original character designs
- Add option to revert to old version
- Fix glitches and crashes
- Reduce ads and in-app purchases


### HoverBots Assembly Instruction

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hoverbots-assembly-instruction/id1480546764)

This digital manual provides 3D, step-by-step assembly instructions for building models from the "Robotics: Smart Machines – HoverBots" engineering kit. It guides users through each stage of construction using the included pieces.

**Highlights:** 3D digital assembly instructions, Step-by-step guidance, Model building for HoverBots kit, Uses included kit pieces

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

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Thomas & Friends free?

Thomas & Friends is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is HoverBots Assembly Instruction free?

HoverBots Assembly Instruction is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Thomas & Friends or HoverBots Assembly Instruction?

HoverBots Assembly Instruction is rated higher. Thomas & Friends averages 4.4 out of 5 from 77K ratings, while HoverBots Assembly Instruction averages 5.0 from 6 ratings.

### Do Thomas & Friends or HoverBots Assembly Instruction have ads?

Neither Thomas & Friends nor HoverBots Assembly Instruction shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Thomas & Friends or HoverBots Assembly Instruction?

Thomas & Friends ships an update every 6 months, and HoverBots Assembly Instruction every 37 months. Most recently, Thomas & Friends was updated on October 26, 2026 and HoverBots Assembly Instruction on October 24, 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.*