Locontrol vs Train Throttle
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
Train Throttle
Control your DCC model trains wirelessly from your Mac, iPhone, or iPad. Manage multiple engines, set turnouts, and toggle routes. A free trial offers core functionality, with a subscription unlocking advanced features.
- Wireless DCC train control
- Control multiple engines/consists
- Set turnouts and toggle routes
- Free trial with core features
- Full feature subscription
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Train Throttle is a fully featured client for the JMRI WiThrottle server, which allows you to control your DCC equipped model trains using your iPhone or iPad and a compatible WiThrottle server. You can control multiple engines or consists, set turnouts, toggle routes, and more. The free trial is unlimited! However, certain features are disabled, including: * Turnout control * Route control * Roster lists * Functions 13-68 * Some Customization features The use of this app is covered by Apple's EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ This app respects your privacy: https://drewhoffman.net/trainthrottle/privacy.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Train Throttle at 100% against Locontrol's 47%. Train Throttle also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.0). Locontrol's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (15 vs 2). On price, ads, 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 Train Throttle sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Train Throttle holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Locontrol has 15 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 47% of Locontrol's written reviews are positive against 100% of Train Throttle's.
Locontrol ships an update weekly, Train Throttle every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Locontrol | Train Throttle |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (15 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 15 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.2 — better | 16.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 32 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Danny Araujo | Drew Hoffman |
Customer experience
Locontrol
Train Throttle
In-app purchases
Locontrol
- Full Access1 Month trial$0.991 Month
- Full Access$9.991 Year
Train Throttle
- Subscribe$1.991 Year
- Tip a Coffee$3.99
- Purchase$12.99






