# Ship Tycoon vs Ship Factory Tycoon

The clearest difference is price: Ship Factory Tycoon at Free against Ship Tycoon's $0.99. Ship Factory Tycoon also leads on rating (4.4 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 2 days vs fortnightly). Ship Tycoon's advantage is review sentiment (49% vs 7%) and ads (none vs shown). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Ship Factory Tycoon is free to download; Ship Tycoon costs $0.99 up front. Ship Tycoon sells 6 one-off in-app purchases and Ship Factory Tycoon sells 10 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Ship Factory Tycoon holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 48 and 159 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 49% of Ship Tycoon's written reviews are positive against 7% of Ship Factory Tycoon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Ship Tycoon ships an update fortnightly, Ship Factory Tycoon every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ship Tycoon | Ship Factory Tycoon |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [3.3 (48 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-tycoon/id1168512535/reviews) | **[4.4 (159 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-factory-tycoon/id6740305321/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 48 | **159** |
| Positive reviews | **48.9% of reviews** | 6.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | **Every 2 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Size | 232 MB | 226 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [TRADEGAME Lab Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/313478127) | [Xiamen Yiniao Game Technology Co.,Ltd.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1560762979) |

## 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 Factory Tycoon

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-factory-tycoon/id6740305321)

Manage a growing shipyard, from initial construction to optimizing production. Oversee workers, launch ships, and earn significant profits to build a vast shipbuilding empire. Enjoy a challenging yet accessible simulation experience.

**Highlights:** Build and upgrade shipyard facilities, Manage and assign tasks to workers, Optimize shipbuilding processes, Launch ships and earn profits, Grow a shipbuilding empire, Engaging simulation gameplay

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Newbie Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Value Pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Special Ship Pack | $1.99 | one-time |
| 30% Revenue Boost | $4.99 | one-time |
| Popular Pack | $5.99 | one-time |
| 70% Revenue Boost | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special offers 7 | $9.99 | one-time |
| DIAMOND3 | $9.99 | one-time |
| Special offers | $14.99 | one-time |
| DIAMOND6 | $69.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Difficult to see money and exit buttons
- 📏 UI not properly scaled for larger screens
- 🔍 Parts of the UI go past the screen bounds

**Reported bugs**

- Automatic ads after upgrades
- Inability to close certain menus

**Requested features**

- Offline money accumulation
- UI customization options
- Improved UI scaling for different screen sizes


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ship Tycoon free?

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

### Is Ship Factory Tycoon free?

Ship Factory Tycoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Ship Tycoon or Ship Factory Tycoon?

Ship Factory Tycoon is rated higher. Ship Tycoon averages 3.3 out of 5 from 48 ratings, while Ship Factory Tycoon averages 4.4 from 159 ratings.

### Do Ship Tycoon or Ship Factory Tycoon have ads?

Ship Factory Tycoon shows ads; Ship Tycoon does not.

### Which is updated more often, Ship Tycoon or Ship Factory Tycoon?

Ship Tycoon ships an update fortnightly, and Ship Factory Tycoon every 2 days. Most recently, Ship Tycoon was updated on November 6, 2026 and Ship Factory Tycoon on October 30, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*