e vs Virtual Railfan
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Smartphone/tablet operation
- Supports Z, N, and HO scales
- Operates DC and DCC cars
- Built-in sound function
- Simple and easy to use
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●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
Virtual Railfan
Stream live video feeds of real trains from numerous cameras across North America. Experience the thrill of watching trains in real-time, with a wide selection of locations available.
- Watch real trains live
- Live camera feeds
- Multiple North American locations
- Real-time train viewing
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Watch real trains live. The most live cameras and locations in North America. Terms of Use (EULA) - https://live.virtualrailfan.com/terms-and-conditions/web
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: e at 4.0 against Virtual Railfan's 3.5. e also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). Virtual Railfan's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 1). On price, update cadence, 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
Both are free to download. Virtual Railfan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month. e asks for nothing beyond the download.
e holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Virtual Railfan has 52 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
e ships an update weekly, Virtual Railfan every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | e | Virtual Railfan |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (1 ratings) — better | 3.5 (52 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 50.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 52 — better |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 64 MB | 90 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | toytec | Virtual Railfan |
Customer experience
e
Virtual Railfan
In-app purchases
e
No in-app purchases
Virtual Railfan
- First Class- Monthly Billing$8.991 Month
- First Class- Annual Billing$99.991 Year
