Comparison

Hello Tower vs Airport Tycoon

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

Head to head
About

Hello Tower

Experience realistic airport ground control with this simulation app. Manage aircraft movements, issue clearances, and handle emergencies across over 40 diverse airports. Progress from simple single-runway operations to complex hub airports.

Highlights
  • Airport ground maneuvering simulation
  • Over 40 different airports
  • Simplified and real-size airport versions
  • Pushback, taxi, and take-off clearances
  • Emergency handling
  • Level-based progression
Features
Read full description

Airport ground maneuvering simulation of more than 40 different airports including  London Heathrow LHR, Philadelphia PHL, Miami Intl. MIA, Singapore, New York JFK, Las Vegas LAS, São Paulo GRU, Montreal YUL, Boston BOS, and many more.  Different versions of airports included: - Play the simplified version, where the airport is scaled down to an easy playable experience. - Play the real thing. Here the whole airport is in real size displayed, where all your skills are required. Features - Give pushback, taxi, holding and take-off clearances.  - Handle emergencies and try to release all flights on time in order to release the next level. From an easy single-runway operation at the beginning to demanding hub airports with multiple active runways where all your skills are required.

About

Airport Tycoon

Manage an airport, from maintaining aircraft and controlling air traffic to signing airline contracts and building your own fleet. Expand terminals and acquire special aircraft to become a global aviation tycoon.

Highlights
  • Realistic aircraft maintenance and painting
  • Air traffic control for arrivals and departures
  • Build and manage your own aircraft fleet
  • Expand airport terminals (domestic, international, cargo, VIP)
  • Acquire special aircraft like Concorde and An225
Features
Read full description

Airport Tycoon is an airport simulation game, as the director in the game world you start with an airport and hangar, you should maintain airplanes from airlines at beginning, control air traffic, sign contracts with airlines and build your own fleet! You can see your airways all over the world! === Game Features === *Relastic Maintenance & Paint Aircraft Play as a professional aircraft maintenance engineer, through cleaning, de-icing, engine disassembly, etc. To complete the regular maintenance of the aircraft to ensure that the aircraft safely perform every takeoff and landing tasks. *Air Traffic Control In your busy airport, play the role of ATC to make decisions on flight arrivals and departures, to sort out aircraft queues, to ease congestion and delays, to effectively improve flight efficiency and to expand airport revenue! *Build Fleet & Be the tycoon In the process of gradual contracting, it is also possible to expand domestic, international, cargo, VIP terminals, land special aircraft such as Concorde, An225 and C919! Become a rich Airport Tycoon!

Screenshots

Hello Tower4 screens
Airport Tycoon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Airport Tycoon at Free against Hello Tower's $2.99. Airport Tycoon also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.4) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 9 days). Hello Tower's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (71% vs 38%). On ratings volume, in-app purchases, monetization model 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

Airport Tycoon is free to download; Hello Tower costs $2.99 up front. Hello Tower sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and Airport Tycoon sells 9 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Airport Tycoon holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 65 and 172 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 71% of Hello Tower's written reviews are positive against 38% of Airport Tycoon's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Hello Tower ships an update every 9 days, Airport Tycoon every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Hello Tower versus Airport Tycoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHello TowerAirport Tycoon
Price$2.99Free — better
Rating4.4 (65 ratings)4.8 (172 ratings) — better
Positive reviews70.7% of reviews — better37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings65172 — better
Update frequencyEvery 9 daysEvery 4 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size412 MB357 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSascha TrachselFuzhou Lingyuan Technology Co., Ltd.

Customer experience

Hello Tower

All ratings65 ratings
Positive86.2%
Neutral3.1%
Negative10.8%
Written reviews123 reviews
Positive70.7%
Neutral14.6%
Negative14.6%

Airport Tycoon

All ratings165 ratings
Positive94.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative50.0%

Bugs and requests

Hello Tower

Reported bugs

37 issues
  • Flight freezing on runway holding and turns
  • Aircraft getting stuck and blocking routes
  • 30-second departure timer disappearing
  • Aircraft crashing with held aircraft on taxiway
  • Levels not unlocking
Show 32 more
  • Game freezes/crashes, especially at Heathrow
  • Separation logic errors
  • Aircraft not selectable
  • Game hangs/freezes after updates
  • New UI is confusing and unreadable
  • Sounds missing after update
  • Focus on aircraft and readability worsened
  • Aircraft symbols obscured by labels
  • Tapping messages only selects aircraft once
  • Parking spots shown as available when occupied
  • Planes crossing paths and getting stuck
  • Aircraft becoming 'ghosts' blocking routes
  • Runway timer resets to zero before 30 seconds
  • Departure separation timer sometimes fails to appear
  • Recent updates have made the game fiddly and difficult
  • UI is worse after recent updates
  • Levels changed after recent updates
  • Game becomes unplayable after updates
  • Aircraft roll with extreme speed
  • UI for iPhones is terrible
  • Previous version was better
  • Custom game mode is buggy
  • Some airport orientations are off
  • Ground radars not oriented to true north
  • Cannot make aircraft move
  • Cannot park landed aircraft
  • Game ends with blocked runway when it's not
  • Impossible timings leading to penalties
  • Aircraft launching in both directions on the same runway simultaneously
  • Departure slot timer bug
  • Aircraft on final approach not being able to be directed away
  • Aircraft on runway preventing others from crossing

Requested features

23 requests
  • Add more airports (US, European, Asian, Indian cities)
  • Add an endless/sandbox mode
  • Add AI voice recognition and ATC dialogues
  • Implement a tutorial or walk-through
  • Add a 'continue game' or save progress option
Show 18 more
  • Add more realistic separation rules and traffic patterns
  • Improve UI and controls (smaller buttons, better organization)
  • Add option to designate departure/arrival runways
  • Add rejected takeoffs, emergency vehicles, emergency inbounds
  • Add ability to call a go-around
  • Allow custom stop points
  • Add more sounds for aircraft
  • Add a smaller tutorial airport
  • Add day/night environment switching
  • Add towing/pushback option for stuck aircraft
  • Add Chinese language support
  • Add more content/levels, possibly a sequel
  • Improve graphics and aircraft dynamics
  • Add music and better menu
  • Add indication when flights actually depart
  • Add beacon lights to taxiway hotspots
  • Add more realistic taxi speeds and turnaround times
  • Add runway vacation instructions

Airport Tycoon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

4 purchases

Hello Tower

One-time4
  • Hello Tower Test$0.99
  • Airport Pack$0.99
  • Sandbox test2 variants$0.99
Show 1 more
  • Airport Pack$1.99
9 purchases

Airport Tycoon

One-time9
  • A Couple of Gems$0.99
  • Special Pack$1.99
  • Super Radar$1.99
Show 6 more
  • No Ads$4.99
  • A Handful of Gems$4.99
  • A Pile of Gems$9.99
  • A Sack of Gems$19.99
  • A Box of Gems$29.99
  • A Crate of Gems$49.99

Questions

Is Hello Tower free?
Hello Tower costs $2.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Airport Tycoon free?
Airport Tycoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Hello Tower or Airport Tycoon?
Airport Tycoon is rated higher. Hello Tower averages 4.4 out of 5 from 65 ratings, while Airport Tycoon averages 4.8 from 172 ratings.
Do Hello Tower or Airport Tycoon have ads?
Airport Tycoon shows ads; Hello Tower does not.
Which is updated more often, Hello Tower or Airport Tycoon?
Hello Tower ships an update every 9 days, and Airport Tycoon every 4 days. Most recently, Hello Tower was updated on October 17, 2026 and Airport Tycoon on October 16, 2026.

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