# Taipan! Mobile vs Sid Meier’s Railroads!

The clearest difference is rating: Sid Meier’s Railroads! at 4.7 against Taipan! Mobile's 3.5. Sid Meier’s Railroads! also leads on ratings volume (1.4K vs 128). Taipan! Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 5 months) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.5). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Sid Meier’s Railroads! sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Sid Meier’s Railroads! holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Sid Meier’s Railroads! has 1.4K ratings behind it against 128, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Taipan! Mobile's written reviews are positive against 59% of Sid Meier’s Railroads!'s.

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Taipan! Mobile | Sid Meier’s Railroads! |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.5 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962/reviews) | **[4.7 (1.4K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sid-meiers-railroads/id1449719281/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 128 | **1.4K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **59.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 5 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 3 MB | 1.6 GB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 15.5 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fair Oaks Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327652659) | [Feral Interactive Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/402470125) |

## What reviewers say

### Taipan! Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962)

Experience a classic 1980s trading and adventure game set in the 1860s Western Pacific. Sail, trade exotic goods, battle pirates, and evade authorities. The game offers a nostalgic visual style with a modern mobile interface.

**Highlights:** Sail the Western Pacific, Trade exotic goods, Battle pirates, Evade customs officials, Fend off criminals, Pay tribute to Tin Hau

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Faithful recreation of classic 1980s Apple II game
- ⚡ Turbo feature speeds up lengthy battle animations
- 💾 Auto-save functionality preserves progress
- 🎯 Addictive gameplay mechanics remain engaging
- 📱 Smooth mobile adaptation with intuitive controls

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Deceptive freemium model with paywall after 5-15 minutes
- ⚠️ Unclear pricing disclosure at download
- 🎲 Difficulty appears artificially inflated compared to original
- 🔄 Restore purchase fails across devices requiring repayment
- 🎯 Limited gun/ship upgrade opportunities

**Reported bugs**

- Restore purchase fails on new devices, requiring repayment
- Game doesn't save properly when home button pressed mid-transaction
- Cannot trade after returning from interrupted session
- Restore purchase temporarily works then requests payment again
- Game freezes or crashes on iOS 11+ for some users

**Requested features**

- Sound effects and audio from original game
- Option to start with 5 guns and no debt
- Ability to purchase upgrades more frequently
- Modern graphics enhancement or Taipan 2 version
- Larger warehouse capacity and expandable storage


### Sid Meier’s Railroads!

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sid-meiers-railroads/id1449719281)

Become a railroad tycoon by building and managing intricate railway networks. Optimize routes, transport goods and passengers, and grow your profits through shrewd business decisions and innovation. Compete with historical figures to become the greatest rail baron.

**Highlights:** Lay tracks and design routes, Transport freight and passengers, Acquire patents and trade stocks, Build or buy industries, Compete with historical figures, Collect 40 famous trains, Train Table Mode for creative building

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Full Game Unlock | $12.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great game
- 👍 Faithful port of original
- 🎮 Enjoyable gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful graphics
- 🕰️ Hours of replay value

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🕹️ Fiddly track laying controls
- 🤖 Subpar AI opponents
- 💰 Expensive for a mobile game

**Reported bugs**

- Disappearing tracks
- Routing issues and inability to connect stations
- Map freezing and becoming unresponsive

**Requested features**

- Larger maps
- More scenarios and campaigns
- Multiplayer mode
- Ability to buy/sell shares
- More train and engine variety


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Taipan! Mobile free?

Taipan! Mobile is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Sid Meier’s Railroads! free?

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?

Sid Meier’s Railroads! is rated higher. Taipan! Mobile averages 3.5 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Sid Meier’s Railroads! averages 4.7 from 1.4K ratings.

### Do Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads! have ads?

Neither Taipan! Mobile nor Sid Meier’s Railroads! shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Taipan! Mobile or Sid Meier’s Railroads!?

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Sid Meier’s Railroads! every 5 months. Most recently, Taipan! Mobile was updated on October 21, 2026 and Sid Meier’s Railroads! on October 24, 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.*