Comparison

TouchCab vs Alpicool

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

Head to head
About

TouchCab

Control your DCC model railroad wirelessly from your iPhone or iPod touch. Manage locomotives, speed, functions, and switches with a user-friendly interface. Compatible with ESU, Märklin, and Lenz command stations.

Highlights
  • Wireless DCC model railroad control
  • Control locomotives and their functions
  • Manage speed and train routes
  • Operate switches and signals
  • Alphabetical listing of locomotives and accessories
  • Switchable left/right-handed operation
Features
Read full description

You have a model railroad. You have an ECoS or ECoS2 digital command station from ESU, a Central Station from Märklin or a Lenz v3.6 command station. You also have an iPhone or an iPod touch from Apple and a wireless network connected to the command station. Would you like to run your model railroad from the iPhone or iPod? You can - with TouchCab. So what is TouchCab? TouchCab is a handheld controller for your DCC (Digital Command Control) model railroad / railway / train set. With TouchCab you can follow your trains around your layout without having to worry about plugging and unplugging a wired device. You can throw switches/turnouts and set train routes as you move along. Features: - Control all the locomotives defined in the command station. - Access up to 29 functions of each locomotive. - Clear overview of the locomotive’s speed and state. - Easily change the throttle from left- to right handed operation. - Wireless network connection to the command station. - Control all switches/turnouts and signals defined in the command station. - Locomotives and accessories are listed alphabetically, regardless of their order in the command station lists. Supported DCC command stations: ECoS 50000 by ESU (v1.1.3 or higher) ECoS 2 50200 by ESU (v3.2.0 or higher) Central Station 60212 by Märklin (v2.0.4 or higher) Lenz 23151 XpressNet Interface with Lenz v3.6 command stations LZV100 or LZ100 Requirements: -Digital Model Railway with a compatible DCC Command Station - Network connection to the command station - Wireless connection to the iPhone or iPod Touch Instructions: - Tap the speed wedge in either side to speed up and slow down your trains - Change speed gradually by dragging across the speed wedge - Double-tap the halt button to halt all trains. - Swipe the function buttons sideways to access locomotive functions above F7 - Switch between left and right hand operation from the options tab - Control routes and turnouts from the turnouts tab - Control signals and other accessories from the signals tab Want to try before your buy? Try TouchCab Free - a feature limited free version that is built on the same code base as TouchCab.

About

Alpicool

Control your smart car fridge remotely via Bluetooth. Monitor temperature, voltage, and adjust settings like temperature and power without needing to access the physical unit.

Highlights
  • Bluetooth connectivity
  • Remote temperature monitoring
  • Voltage display
  • Temperature setting
  • Power control
Features
Read full description

After searching for a smart car fridge via Bluetooth and binding it, you do not need to open the trunk and use the physical buttons on the refrigerator to operate. Use the APP, you can check the fridge temperature, voltage and other information, and you can also set the temperature and switch. Machine control. Convenient for your experience with smart car fridge .

Screenshots

TouchCab4 screens
Alpicool3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Alpicool at Free against TouchCab's $9.99. Alpicool also leads on rating (3.3 vs 2.1) and ratings volume (25 vs 7). TouchCab's advantage is review sentiment (77% vs 37%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.5). On update cadence, 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

Alpicool is free to download; TouchCab costs $9.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alpicool holds the better App Store score, 3.3 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 25 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of TouchCab's written reviews are positive against 37% of Alpicool's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TouchCab ships an update every 2 months, Alpicool every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 31, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
TouchCab versus Alpicool: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchCabAlpicool
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating2.1 (7 ratings)3.3 (25 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.3% of reviews — better37.0% of reviews
Number of ratings725 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.5
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB51 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperMike SutherlandAlpicool

Customer experience

TouchCab

All ratings7 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative71.4%
Written reviews22 reviews
Positive77.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative22.7%

Alpicool

All ratings24 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral16.7%
Negative33.3%
Written reviews54 reviews
Positive37.0%
Neutral14.8%
Negative48.1%

In-app purchases

None

TouchCab

No in-app purchases

None

Alpicool

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is TouchCab free?
TouchCab costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Alpicool free?
Alpicool is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, TouchCab or Alpicool?
Alpicool is rated higher. TouchCab averages 2.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Alpicool averages 3.3 from 25 ratings.
Do TouchCab or Alpicool have ads?
Neither TouchCab nor Alpicool shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchCab or Alpicool?
TouchCab ships an update every 2 months, and Alpicool every 3 months. Most recently, TouchCab was updated on October 31, 2026 and Alpicool on November 2, 2026.

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