TouchCab vs ECoS Cab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
ECoS Cab
Transform your mobile devices into wireless handheld controllers for your model railroad. Seamlessly manage trains, signals, and accessories across your layout without the hassle of wired connections. Requires a compatible command station connected to your network.
- Handheld model railroad controller
- Wireless network connection
- Control trains, signals, and accessories
- No need for wired devices
- Compatible with ESU ECoS, CabControl, PIKO SmartBox
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ECoS Cab is the number-one application that turns your devices into handheld controllers for your model railroad. With ECoS Cab, you can follow your trains around your layout without worrying about plugging and unplugging a wired device as you move. Using a wireless network connection and an ESU ECoS, ESU CabControl, PIKO SmartBox, or Central Station Reloaded command station connected to the network, ECoS Cab can run trains and control signals, turnouts, and other accessories configured in the command station.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: ECoS Cab at Free against TouchCab's $9.99. ECoS Cab also leads on rating (4.0 vs 2.1) and device support (4 vs 2). TouchCab's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 9) and ads (none vs shown). On ratings volume and update cadence 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
ECoS Cab is free to download; TouchCab costs $9.99 up front. ECoS Cab sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. TouchCab asks for nothing beyond the download.
ECoS Cab holds the better App Store score, 4.0 against 2.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7 and 5 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 77% of TouchCab's written reviews are positive against 60% of ECoS Cab's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
TouchCab ships an update every 2 months, ECoS Cab every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TouchCab | ECoS Cab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $9.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 2.1 (7 ratings) | 4.0 (5 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 77.3% of reviews — better | 60.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 7 — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | Free with in-app purchases — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 124 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mike Sutherland | Kostiantyn Kolesnik |
Customer experience
TouchCab
ECoS Cab
In-app purchases
TouchCab
No in-app purchases
ECoS Cab
- Cloud Sync, monthly$2.991 Month
- Client, monthly2 variants$12.991 Month
- Web Server, monthly2 variants$17.991 Month
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- Client, annually2 variants$99.991 Year
- Client, life-time2 variants$149.99








