Locontrol vs ECoS Cab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Locontrol
Control your model railroad locomotives with an elegant DCC controller. Capture videos and photos of your trains in action. Compatible with DCC systems featuring Wi-Fi modules and JMRI.
- DCC locomotive control
- In-app camera for videos and photos
- Wi-Fi module compatibility
- JMRI integration
- Elegant and easy-to-use interface
- Locomotive list management
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Control your locomotives in a model railroad layout with the most elegant DCC controller for iOS! And with the Locontrol camera, make videos and take photos while commanding the trains! Locontrol is compatible with any DCC system with a Wi-Fi module, as MRC (with a Prodigy Wi-Fi Module) or Digitrax (with a LNWI module). Locontrol can also control your trains via JMRI. - Make videos and take pictures while controlling your locos; - Easy to use through your locomotive list; - Elegant interface with easy access to all main functions; - Compatible with any DCC system with a Wi-Fi server; - Use with JMRI: just set the Wi-Fi server available on Decoder Pro; Terms & Conditions: https://locontrol.flycricket.io/terms.html Privacy Policy: https://locontrol.flycricket.io/privacy.html
ECoS Cab
Transform your mobile devices into wireless handheld controllers for your model railroad. Seamlessly manage trains, signals, and accessories across your layout without the hassle of wired connections. Requires a compatible command station connected to your network.
- Handheld model railroad controller
- Wireless network connection
- Control trains, signals, and accessories
- No need for wired devices
- Compatible with ESU ECoS, CabControl, PIKO SmartBox
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ECoS Cab is the number-one application that turns your devices into handheld controllers for your model railroad. With ECoS Cab, you can follow your trains around your layout without worrying about plugging and unplugging a wired device as you move. Using a wireless network connection and an ESU ECoS, ESU CabControl, PIKO SmartBox, or Central Station Reloaded command station connected to the network, ECoS Cab can run trains and control signals, turnouts, and other accessories configured in the command station.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ECoS Cab at 4.0 against Locontrol's 3.0. ECoS Cab also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 47%) and device support (4 vs 2). Locontrol's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks). On price, in-app purchases 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. Locontrol sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and ECoS Cab sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
ECoS Cab holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 15 and 5 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Locontrol's written reviews are positive against 60% of ECoS Cab's.
Locontrol ships an update weekly, ECoS Cab every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Locontrol | ECoS Cab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (15 ratings) | 4.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.4% of reviews | 60.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 6 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.2 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Danny Araujo | Kostiantyn Kolesnik |
Customer experience
Locontrol
ECoS Cab
In-app purchases
Locontrol
- Full Access1 Month trial$0.991 Month
- Full Access$9.991 Year
ECoS Cab
- Cloud Sync, monthly$2.991 Month
- Client, monthly2 variants$12.991 Month
- Web Server, monthly2 variants$17.991 Month
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- Client, annually2 variants$99.991 Year
- Client, life-time2 variants$149.99
