Comparison

Train Maker vs Idle Train Tycoon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Train Maker

Design and assemble your own unique trains by combining various carriages. Watch your creations travel through diverse landscapes, tunnels, and crossings, experiencing the journey with vibration feedback. Collect new trains and explore different camera angles for an immersive railway adventure.

Highlights
  • Freely combine train carriages
  • Eight diverse stages to travel through
  • Switchable camera views
  • Adjustable train speed and stopping
  • Earn track miles and use train roulette for new trains
  • Train collection and organization
Features
Read full description

Create your own trains by freely uniting the carriages of bullet trains and regular trains in any way you want! The trains you create will travel through tunnels and railway crossings. You can experience the bumpy experience with the vibration feature once your train gets going. This is the perfect game app for anyone who loves trains. User feedback "It's really cool that so many trains are united with the rail yard!" "It's so fun to unite the white bullet train with the yellow bullet train!" "It's exciting to see the carriages of the united bullet trains moving up slopes!" Features of this app *You are free to unite your own choice of "leading carriages," "middle carriages," and "tail carriages" of bullet trains and trains. *You can choose from eight different stages that your train will travel through: "a mountain and a tunnel", "lots of railway crossings", "a big river and a railway bridge", "highway route","Japanese scenery","Jet coaster","Inbound and outbound" and "Pass through many". *You can switch between camera views and watch your running train from your favorite angle. *You can use the "UP" and "DOWN" buttons to change the speed of your train or stop it. *You can get new trains by accumulating "track miles," which you earn according to the distance you have traveled, and by turning the train roulette. How to play 1. The game begins at the rail yard. First, tap the "Create" button to create your train. 2. After selecting your first train, tap the "+" button to select the next train. 3. You can tap the "-" button to remove carriages. 4. When you are done, tap the "Finish" button in the top right corner to return to the rail yard. The train you have created will be shown at the top. 5. Tap the "GO" button on the right and select your preferred stage in the stage selection screen. 6. On the play screen, you can adjust the speed of your train using the bottom left button, change the camera distance with the bottom right button, focus the camera on your choice of carriage using the top right button, and freely adjust the camera position by dragging the area outside of the train. Give it a go and find the coolest angle! 7. You can tap and hold to stop the camera. It is also exciting to wait for a passing train to come back. 8.Tap the arrow button on the upper left to return to the railroad yard from the play screen. You can then check how many "Track miles" you've earned for the distance you've traveled. 9.100 Track Miles lets you play Train Roulette one time. You can link up the trains you win in Train Roulette to have more fun. 10.Check your Train Collection to see the trains you've collected so far. (You can check your Train Collection from the rail yard screen.) 11. You can tap the "Organizing" button at the rail yard to change the order of trains or delete trains that you do not want. 12. From the Settings button on the title screen, you can also toggle settings such as music, sound effects, image quality, vocal effects, and vibration mode.

About

Idle Train Tycoon

Build and manage a railway empire by earning money, expanding your network, and upgrading your trains. Unlock new stations and rolling stock to increase your idle earnings and become a powerful train tycoon.

Highlights
  • Manage and upgrade trains
  • Build and improve train stations
  • Expand railway network
  • Increase idle earnings
  • Unlock new rolling stock
  • Tap boost for trains
Features
Read full description

Are you a true train & railway fan? Become a real train tycoon by earning money & expanding your railway and upgrading your trains! In this game, you can become a real train master: build your stations, improve train efficiency, increase revenue of your rolling stock. -Manage trains Unlock more trains, collect different trains, and level them up! Your earnings go up as you unlock and upgrade more trains! -Build stations for more money Build & Improve your train stations to earn even more money from your Railway Empire! Unlock a real map of the western United States by connecting cities with rail tracks. -Upgrade Rolling Stock Purchase & Upgrade your trains rolling stock to unlock even more idle earnings. -Tap Boost Help your Train by providing it with a tap boost. If you are a fan of idle games, you’ll definitely fall for Idle Train Tycoon! It is simple, fun, and player-friendly. Earn hundreds, thousands, millions of dollars and be amazed as the earnings accumulate into massive quantities! Can you become the world’s most powerful train tycoon?

Screenshots

Train Maker4 screens
Idle Train Tycoon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Train Maker at 4.7 against Idle Train Tycoon's 4.0. Train Maker also leads on ratings volume (865 vs 28) and review sentiment (76% vs 60%). Idle Train Tycoon's advantage is monetization model (ad-supported vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Train Maker holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Train Maker has 865 ratings behind it against 28, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Train Maker's written reviews are positive against 60% of Idle Train Tycoon's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Train Maker ships an update every 3 months, Idle Train Tycoon every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Train Maker versus Idle Train Tycoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrain MakerIdle Train Tycoon
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (865 ratings) — better4.0 (28 ratings)
Positive reviews76.1% of reviews — better60.0% of reviews
Number of ratings865 — better28
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size127 MB148 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developermonois Inc.1788918 Alberta Ltd

Customer experience

Train Maker

All ratings865 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral3.1%
Negative4.0%
Written reviews88 reviews
Positive76.1%
Neutral11.4%
Negative12.5%

Idle Train Tycoon

All ratings28 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral7.1%
Negative21.4%
Written reviews5 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%

Bugs and requests

Train Maker

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Trains switching order at the end of the line
  • Limited to 16 carriages per train
  • Restricted to 180-degree turns instead of 360 degrees

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add more trains (Hikari RailStar, Avlo, Amtrak Acela, etc.)
  • Ability to create custom tracks and layouts
  • Add more camera views and driving modes
  • Implement sound effects and animations (horn, lights, doors, etc.)
  • Allow multiple trains on a single line

Idle Train Tycoon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Train Maker

No in-app purchases

None

Idle Train Tycoon

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Train Maker free?
Train Maker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Idle Train Tycoon free?
Idle Train Tycoon is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Train Maker or Idle Train Tycoon?
Train Maker is rated higher. Train Maker averages 4.7 out of 5 from 865 ratings, while Idle Train Tycoon averages 4.0 from 28 ratings.
Do Train Maker or Idle Train Tycoon have ads?
Both Train Maker and Idle Train Tycoon show ads.
Which is updated more often, Train Maker or Idle Train Tycoon?
Train Maker ships an update every 3 months, and Idle Train Tycoon every 6 months. Most recently, Train Maker was updated on October 15, 2026 and Idle Train Tycoon on September 21, 2026.

Other comparisons