Comparison

TouchCab vs Locontrol

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

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Read full description

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

Screenshots

TouchCab4 screens
Locontrol4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Locontrol at Free against TouchCab's $9.99. Locontrol also leads on rating (3.0 vs 2.1) and update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). TouchCab's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and review sentiment (77% vs 47%). On ratings volume, ads 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

Locontrol is free to download; TouchCab costs $9.99 up front. Locontrol sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. TouchCab asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Locontrol holds the better App Store score, 3.0 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 15 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of TouchCab's written reviews are positive against 47% of Locontrol'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, Locontrol weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
TouchCab versus Locontrol: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTouchCabLocontrol
Price$9.99Free — better
Rating2.1 (7 ratings)3.0 (15 ratings) — better
Positive reviews77.3% of reviews — better47.4% of reviews
Number of ratings715 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.2
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB32 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperMike SutherlandDanny Araujo

Customer experience

TouchCab

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

Locontrol

All ratings15 ratings
Positive46.7%
Neutral6.7%
Negative46.7%
Written reviews19 reviews
Positive47.4%
Neutral5.3%
Negative47.4%

In-app purchases

None

TouchCab

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Locontrol

Subscriptions2
  • Full Access1 Month trial$0.991 Month
  • Full Access$9.991 Year

Questions

Is TouchCab free?
TouchCab costs $9.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Locontrol free?
Locontrol is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TouchCab or Locontrol?
Locontrol is rated higher. TouchCab averages 2.1 out of 5 from 7 ratings, while Locontrol averages 3.0 from 15 ratings.
Do TouchCab or Locontrol have ads?
Neither TouchCab nor Locontrol shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TouchCab or Locontrol?
TouchCab ships an update every 2 months, and Locontrol weekly. Most recently, TouchCab was updated on October 3, 2026 and Locontrol on October 7, 2026.

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