Subway Idle vs Idle Light Bulb
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Subway Idle
Build and manage a subway network in a growing city. Connect stations, upgrade your lines, and earn money to expand your metro. Keep the city moving by strategically investing in your network.
- Upgrade and connect subway stations
- Earn money while offline
- Progress through multiple cities
- Expand your metro network
- Strategic cash flow management
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Subway Idle tycoon, the idle metro simulator! Subway Idle is all about upgrading and maintaining a subway map for a growing city. Upgrade and connect stations between other stations and get your trains running. As new stations open, earn more money and upgrade your metro even further! Decide where to use your limited cash flow. Be sure to keep your city moving. • Multiple cities to progress through! • Earn while your offline to advance your metro! • Tons of upgrades to advance your network.
Idle Light Bulb
Build and manage a light bulb production empire. Start with a single line, upgrade efficiency, and expand your operations. Hire managers to automate and grow your business into the world's largest.
- Produce light bulbs
- Upgrade production lines
- Transport and sell bulbs
- Hire administrators
- Expand company operations
- Become a bulbs tycoon
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Starting from the first light bulb production line, produce light bulbs, transport them to the conveyor belt, and sell them. Use the profit to upgrade the production line to improve production efficiency. You can also buy new production lines to generate more light bulbs. When you have enough wealth, you can hire administrators to help you manage. Continuously develop your company until it becomes the largest one in the world.
Screenshots
Verdict
Subway Idle and Idle Light Bulb both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 82% of Idle Light Bulb's written reviews are positive against 33% of Subway Idle's. Subway Idle's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, ads and monetization model 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. Idle Light Bulb sells 8 one-off in-app purchases. Subway Idle asks for nothing beyond the download.
Idle Light Bulb holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Subway Idle has 24K ratings behind it against 3.3K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of Subway Idle's written reviews are positive against 82% of Idle Light Bulb's.
Subway Idle ships an update every 3 weeks, Idle Light Bulb every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.
| Parameter | Subway Idle | Idle Light Bulb |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (24K ratings) | 4.8 (3.3K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 32.9% of reviews | 81.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 24K — better | 3.3K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 198 MB | 221 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | seven technologies S.L | Solid Games |
Customer experience
Subway Idle
Idle Light Bulb
User reviews
Subway Idle
From 24K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Fast gameplay
- 👍 Fun and addictive
- 💡 Potential for more content
Room to improve
- 🔍 Too many ads
- ⏱️ Slow progression
- 💰 Expensive premium subscription
Idle Light Bulb
From 3.3K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Fun and addictive game
- 💡 Unique concept with light bulbs
- 🚀 Fast progression for new players
- 🤩 Enjoyable gameplay experience
Room to improve
- 🤬 Excessive ads and pop-ups
- 🐛 Offline earnings not always credited
- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🔋 High battery consumption
Bugs and requests
Subway Idle
Reported bugs
3 issues- Game freezing and crashing
- Progression issues and level locks
- Inconsistent ad experiences
Requested features
3 requests- More subway lines and cities
- Ability to customize subway routes
- Offline progress tracking
Idle Light Bulb
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to scroll up and purchase new lines
- Bulb upgrades not allowing players to sell
- Inconsistent performance and crashes
Requested features
4 requests- Improve offline earnings tracking
- Reduce frequency of ads
- Add more levels and content
- Implement save/restore progress feature
In-app purchases
Subway Idle
No in-app purchases
Idle Light Bulb
- Diamond Pack 1$1.99
- No Ads Lite$3.99
- Diamond Pack 2$4.99
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- Diamond Pack 3$9.99
- No Ads Plus$9.99
- Diamond Pack 4$19.99
- Diamond Pack 5$49.99
- Diamond Pack 6$99.99
Questions
Is Subway Idle free?
Is Idle Light Bulb free?
Which has better reviews, Subway Idle or Idle Light Bulb?
Do Subway Idle or Idle Light Bulb have ads?
Which is updated more often, Subway Idle or Idle Light Bulb?
Other comparisons
