# Acrobots vs Thomas & Friends Minis

The clearest difference is price: Thomas & Friends Minis at Free against Acrobots's $0.99. Thomas & Friends Minis also leads on ratings volume (61K vs 25). Acrobots's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 4 months). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Thomas & Friends Minis is free to download; Acrobots costs $0.99 up front. Thomas & Friends Minis sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $9.99 per month. Acrobots asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Acrobots against 4.4 for Thomas & Friends Minis. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thomas & Friends Minis has 61K ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 87% of Acrobots's written reviews are positive against 72% of Thomas & Friends Minis's.

Acrobots ships an update every 5 weeks, Thomas & Friends Minis every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Acrobots | Thomas & Friends Minis |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $0.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.4 (25 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobots/id322149014/reviews)** | [4.4 (61K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-minis/id1216643761/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 25 | **61K** |
| Positive reviews | **86.7% of reviews** | 71.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 5 weeks** | Every 4 months |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#172** | — |
| Size | 2 MB | 202 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Vectorpark](https://appshunter.io/developer/322149017) | [Budge Studios](https://appshunter.io/developer/390712652) |

## What reviewers say

### Acrobots

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/acrobots/id322149014)

**Currently charting:** #172 Top Paid · Entertainment (US App Store)

A physics-based toy for iPhone and iPad. Drag and toss living bots, watch them interact, and stack them to create structures. Customize their behavior and environment for endless playful experimentation.

**Highlights:** Drag and toss bots, Physics-based interactions, Stack bots to form structures, Shake to scatter bots, Customize scale, gravity, balance, speed, and legs

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🎉 Fun and entertaining
- 👍 Mesmerizing and relaxing
- 🤖 Clever and unique physics simulation
- 💻 Great port from the web version
- 🕰 Good time-waster

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional bugs and crashes
- 🔍 Lack of customization options
- 💤 Can get boring after a while
- 💰 Some feel it's not worth the price

**Reported bugs**

- Acrobots disappearing when device is leveled
- Buttons/controls not always responsive
- Performance issues with many acrobots on screen

**Requested features**

- Ability to customize individual acrobots (color, size, etc.)
- More interactive elements (explosives, trampolines, etc.)
- Ability to pause/freeze the simulation
- Additional background options
- Sound effects


### Thomas & Friends Minis

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-minis/id1216643761)

Build and customize your own train sets with a variety of tracks, decorations, and terrain. Drive your favorite engines through your creations, experiencing thrilling stunts and adventures. Explore unique worlds and let your imagination run wild.

**Highlights:** Build exciting train tracks, Customize with decorations and terrain, Perform spectacular stunts, Drive trains in 3rd person, Explore unique themed worlds, Create from scratch or use pre-made sets

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (8)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly Subscription | $9.99 | per month |
| Monthly Subscription | $12.99 | per month |
| Gordon's  Winter Wonderland | $6.99 | one-time |
| Percy's Spooky Forest | $6.99 | one-time |
| Toby's Busy City | $6.99 | one-time |
| James's Jurassic Cove | $6.99 | one-time |
| Spencer's Aqua Park | $6.99 | one-time |
| Unlock Everything | $59.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and creative game
- 🚀 Engrossing gameplay
- 💡 Allows building custom train sets
- 🤩 Nostalgic for Thomas fans

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 📺 Constant ads and pop-ups
- 🔒 Difficulty restoring purchases across devices
- 🐛 Glitches and bugs

**Reported bugs**

- Blueprints not unlocking properly
- Trains getting stuck or freezing
- Inability to restore previous purchases

**Requested features**

- Add more free content and characters
- Larger build areas and more track pieces
- Option to turn off ads after purchase
- Ability to rotate track pieces
- More free challenges and unlockables


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Acrobots free?

Acrobots costs $0.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thomas & Friends Minis free?

Thomas & Friends Minis is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Acrobots or Thomas & Friends Minis?

Acrobots is rated higher. Acrobots averages 4.4 out of 5 from 25 ratings, while Thomas & Friends Minis averages 4.4 from 61K ratings.

### Do Acrobots or Thomas & Friends Minis have ads?

Neither Acrobots nor Thomas & Friends Minis shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Acrobots or Thomas & Friends Minis?

Acrobots ships an update every 5 weeks, and Thomas & Friends Minis every 4 months. Most recently, Acrobots was updated on November 6, 2026 and Thomas & Friends Minis on November 6, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*