Comparison

e vs Thomas & Friends Minis

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

e

Control your model railroad with your smartphone or tablet. This app supports various scales and both DC and DCC cars, featuring built-in sound capabilities for a more immersive experience. Simple and intuitive operation makes managing your trains effortless.

Highlights
  • Smartphone/tablet operation
  • Supports Z, N, and HO scales
  • Operates DC and DCC cars
  • Built-in sound function
  • Simple and easy to use
Features
Read full description

●This application functions on Smart Phone and Tablet Phone, which will make it easy to operate most model railroads when used together with Rokuhan e-Train controller"(sold separately). ■Most model railroad scales will be operated.■ Z-scale as well as N-scale and HO scale will be opearted. ■Applicable to DC car as well as DCC car!■ DC cars (without any additional work) as well as DCC cars (mounting decoder) can be operated. ■Equipped with sound function.■ A speaker is mounted in "e-Train controller" thus, no need to work on your cars to emit running sound as well as effect sound. ■Simple and easy operation■ A car is operated easily as you normally operate Smart phone and Tablet phone, e-Train controller http://www.rokuhan.com/ ---Cautions--- ・Rokuhan "e-Train controller"(sold separately) is necessary to operate this application on Smart phone and Tablet phone. ・Function of this application depends on the condition of your Smart phone or Tablect phone. ・Recommend to be a member of Packet service to save money. ©ROKUHAN

About

Thomas & Friends Minis

Build and customize your own train sets with a variety of tracks, decorations, and terrain. Drive your favorite engines through your creations, experiencing thrilling stunts and adventures. Explore unique worlds and let your imagination run wild.

Highlights
  • Build exciting train tracks
  • Customize with decorations and terrain
  • Perform spectacular stunts
  • Drive trains in 3rd person
  • Explore unique themed worlds
  • Create from scratch or use pre-made sets
Features
Read full description

Create your very own train set piece by piece and bring it to life with Thomas and all his friends. Customize tracks and let your imagination run free with whirly waterslides, frozen loops, rainbow bridges and more! Climb aboard your favorite Minis engine and experience every twist, turn and stunt! Ready, set, build! Fun train games for kids of all ages! THE ULTIMATE TRAIN SET BUILDER GAME FOR KIDS • BUILD tons of exciting tracks, from twisting turns to rattling ramps • ROCKET yourself through spectacular stunts, bold boosts and raging rollercoasters! • DECORATE your train set with tall trees, beautiful buildings and dazzling decorations • PAINT your set’s terrain with sandy beaches, bubbling lava and snowy blizzards • DRIVE through your creations in 3rd person • CREATE your world from scratch or play with one of our awesome pre-made sets! GET CREATIVE WITH UNIQUE WORLDS TO DISCOVER • THOMAS’ COUNTRYSIDE: Explore the windmills, train stations and workshops of verdant Sodor! • GORDON’S WINTER WONDERLAND: Ride over frozen bridges and crash through ice walls! • PERCY’S SPOOKY FOREST: Dare you enter the hollow log tunnel and haunted mansion? • SPENCER’S AQUA PARK: Dive through the whirlpool tunnel and slide down the waterslide loop! • EMILY’S COASTER CITY: Embark on a rollercoaster adventure at the fair PRIVACY & ADVERTISING Budge Studios takes children's privacy seriously and ensures that its apps are compliant with privacy laws. This application has received the “ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) Privacy Certified Kids’ Privacy Seal”. For more information, please visit our privacy policy at: https://budgestudios.com/en/legal/privacy-policy/, or email our Data Protection Officer at: privacy@budgestudios.ca. Before you download this app, please note that it is free to try, but some content may only be available via in-app purchases. In-app purchases cost real money and are charged to your account. To disable or adjust the ability to make in-app purchases, change your device settings. This app may contain contextual advertising (including the option to watch ads for rewards) from Budge Studios regarding other apps we publish, from our partners and some third parties. Budge Studios does not permit behavioral advertising or retargeting in this app. The app may also contain social media links that are only accessible behind a parental gate. Please note that this app gives users the ability to take and/or create photos in-app that can be saved locally to their devices. These photos are never shared with other users in-app, nor are they shared by Budge Studios with any unaffiliated third party companies. TERMS OF USE / END-USER LICENSE AGREEMENT This application is subject to an End-User License Agreement available through the following link: https://budgestudios.com/en/legal-embed/eula/ ABOUT BUDGE STUDIOS Budge Studios was founded in 2010 with the mission to entertain and educate boys and girls around the world, through innovation, creativity and fun. Its high-quality app portfolio consists of original and branded properties, including Bluey, PAW Patrol, Barbie, PAW Patrol, Hot Wheels, Transformers, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, Hello Kitty and Crayola. Budge Studios maintains the highest standards of safety and age-appropriateness, and has become a global leader in children’s apps for smartphones and tablets. Budge Playgroup™ is an innovative program that allows kids and parents to actively participate in the creation of new apps. HAVE QUESTIONS? Contact us 24/7 at support@budgestudios.ca BUDGE and BUDGE STUDIOS are trademarks of Budge Studios Inc. Thomas & Friends™ Minis © 2017-2025 Budge Studios Inc. All rights reserved

Screenshots

e4 screens
Thomas & Friends Minis4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: e at none against Thomas & Friends Minis's 17. e also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 13.0). Thomas & Friends Minis's advantage is rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (60K vs 1). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Thomas & Friends Minis sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. e asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Thomas & Friends Minis holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thomas & Friends Minis has 60K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

e ships an update weekly, Thomas & Friends Minis every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
e versus Thomas & Friends Minis: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametereThomas & Friends Minis
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (1 ratings)4.4 (60K ratings) — better
Positive reviews—71.4% of reviews
Number of ratings160K — better
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size64 MB202 MB
Age rating4+4+
DevelopertoytecBudge Studios

Customer experience

e

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Thomas & Friends Minis

All ratings57,428 ratings
Positive84.6%
Neutral7.3%
Negative8.0%
Written reviews749 reviews
Positive71.4%
Neutral7.3%
Negative21.2%

Bugs and requests

e

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Thomas & Friends Minis

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blueprints not unlocking properly
  • Trains getting stuck or freezing
  • Inability to restore previous purchases

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more free content and characters
  • Larger build areas and more track pieces
  • Option to turn off ads after purchase
  • Ability to rotate track pieces
  • More free challenges and unlockables

In-app purchases

None

e

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Thomas & Friends Minis

Subscriptions3
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription$9.991 Month
  • Monthly Subscription1 Month trial$12.991 Month
One-time9
  • Iron Bert's Box$3.99
  • Millie's Box$3.99
  • Percy's Spooky Forest2 variants$6.99
Show 6 more
  • James's Jurassic Cove2 variants$6.99
  • Gordon's Winter Wonderland2 variants$6.99
  • Toby's Busy City$6.99
  • Spencer's Aqua Park3 variants$6.99
  • Emily's Coaster City$9.99
  • Unlock Everything$59.99

Questions

Is e free?
e is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Thomas & Friends Minis free?
Thomas & Friends Minis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, e or Thomas & Friends Minis?
Thomas & Friends Minis is rated higher. e averages 4.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Thomas & Friends Minis averages 4.4 from 60K ratings.
Do e or Thomas & Friends Minis have ads?
Neither e nor Thomas & Friends Minis shows ads.
Which is updated more often, e or Thomas & Friends Minis?
e ships an update weekly, and Thomas & Friends Minis every 4 months. Most recently, e was updated on October 2, 2026 and Thomas & Friends Minis on October 22, 2026.

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