# Ship Tycoon vs Ship Simulator Online

The clearest difference is price: Ship Simulator Online at Free against Ship Tycoon's $0.99. Ship Tycoon's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (49% vs 27%). On rating, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Ship Simulator Online is free to download; Ship Tycoon costs $0.99 up front. Ship Tycoon sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Ship Simulator Online sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.3 for Ship Tycoon against 3.2 for Ship Simulator Online. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 38 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 49% of Ship Tycoon's written reviews are positive against 27% of Ship Simulator Online's.

Ship Tycoon ships an update fortnightly, Ship Simulator Online every 4 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ship Tycoon | Ship Simulator Online |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[3.3 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-tycoon/id1168512535/reviews)** | [3.2 (38 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-simulator-online/id1619013795/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **48** | 38 |
| Positive reviews | **48.9% of reviews** | 27.3% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 4 weeks |
| Monetization | **Paid** | Subscription |
| Size | 232 MB | 307 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TRADEGAME Lab Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/313478127) | [ALSA GAMES YAZILIM SANAYI TICARET LIMITED SIRKETI](https://appshunter.io/developer/1506901109) |

## What reviewers say

### Ship Tycoon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-tycoon/id1168512535)

Manage a global shipping company in this multiplayer business simulation game. Compete with players worldwide to build the largest fleet and become the best CEO. Features include various ship types, ports, and dynamic economic factors.

**Highlights:** Online multiplayer business simulation, Manage a shipping company, Build a global fleet, Compete with worldwide users, Multiple ship types and ports, Dynamic global economy factors

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

**In-app purchases (6)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pocket of Credits | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pile of Credits | $4.99 | one-time |
| Sack of Credits | $9.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Credits | $19.99 | one-time |
| Box of Credits | $49.99 | one-time |
| Trunk of Credits | $99.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Highly addictive and engaging gameplay
- 📊 Deep strategy and realistic business simulation
- 🌍 Global shipping empire building experience
- 🎨 Good graphics and visual quality
- ⚙️ Detailed management mechanics

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Requires additional in-app purchases despite paid version
- 🌐 Requires internet connection even for single-player mode
- ⏰ Severe play-time limitations and accumulation system
- 🔄 Slow gameplay with excessive loading times
- 📱 Incompatible with newer iPhone models (notch issues)

**Reported bugs**

- Menu buttons hidden under notch on iPhone X/newer models
- Game freezes on every move/action
- In-app purchase credits not received after payment
- Account loss after app updates
- iOS 11 compatibility issues

**Requested features**

- True offline single-player mode without internet requirement
- Unlimited play time or extended day limits
- Bank/loan system for financing
- Offline play capability for travel
- Extended game duration beyond 30 years


### Ship Simulator Online

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-simulator-online/id1619013795)

Build your own shipping company, trade globally, and expand your fleet in this realistic ship simulation game. Explore diverse ports and cities worldwide with detailed ship models and ocean physics. Engage in multiplayer adventures and earn in-game income through ship rentals.

**Highlights:** Establish a shipping company, Trade worldwide, Expand ship fleet, Realistic ports and cities, Over 20 ship models, Multiplayer online feature, Ship rental system

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

**In-app purchases (12)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Multiplayer Subscriptions | $0.99 | per month |
| 15.000.000 Money Buy | $0.99 | one-time |
| 25.000.000 Money Buy | $1.99 | one-time |
| 100.000.000 Money Buy | $1.99 | one-time |
| 100 Gold Buy! | $2.99 | one-time |
| Buy 500 Gold | $2.99 | one-time |
| 50.000.000 Money Buy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 500.000.000 Money Buy | $3.99 | one-time |
| 100.000.000 Money Buy | $4.99 | one-time |
| Buy 500 Gold | $4.99 | one-time |
| 500.000.000 Money Buy | $7.99 | one-time |
| Remove ADS | $49.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ship Tycoon free?

Ship Tycoon costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.

### Is Ship Simulator Online free?

Ship Simulator Online is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ship Tycoon or Ship Simulator Online?

Ship Tycoon is rated higher. Ship Tycoon averages 3.3 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Ship Simulator Online averages 3.2 from 38 ratings.

### Do Ship Tycoon or Ship Simulator Online have ads?

Ship Simulator Online shows ads; Ship Tycoon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ship Tycoon or Ship Simulator Online?

Ship Tycoon ships an update fortnightly, and Ship Simulator Online every 4 weeks. Most recently, Ship Tycoon was updated on October 29, 2026 and Ship Simulator Online 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.*