# Taipan! Mobile vs Mini Metro

The clearest difference is price: Taipan! Mobile at Free against Mini Metro's $3.99. Taipan! Mobile also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Mini Metro's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On update cadence, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Taipan! Mobile is free to download; Mini Metro costs $3.99 up front. Taipan! Mobile sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mini Metro asks for nothing beyond the download.

Mini Metro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Metro has 32K 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 89% of Mini Metro's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Taipan! Mobile | Mini Metro |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $3.99 |
| Rating | [3.5 (128 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/taipan-mobile/id381945962/reviews) | **[4.9 (32K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 128 | **32K** |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews | **88.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | **Free with in-app purchases** | Paid |
| Best chart rank | — | **#13** |
| Size | 3 MB | 179 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.0** | 12.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 12+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Fair Oaks Labs, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/327652659) | [Dinosaur Polo Club](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119391227) |

## 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


### Mini Metro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959)

**Currently charting:** #13 Top Paid · Strategy, #14 Top Paid · Simulation, #39 Top Paid · Games, #62 Top Paid (US App Store)

Design and manage a subway system for a growing city. Draw lines, start trains, and adapt your network as new stations open. Strategically use limited resources to keep the city moving and achieve the highest score.

**Highlights:** Design subway maps, Draw lines between stations, Manage train routes, Adapt to random city growth, Utilize limited resources, Over two dozen real-world cities, Variety of upgrades

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and relaxing gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful minimalist design
- ⏱️ Addictive and time-killing
- 🌐 Wide variety of cities to play
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Trains skipping stations
- 🤯 Overwhelming difficulty at times
- 🔍 Lack of clear instructions
- 🔀 Difficulty removing/rerouting lines
- 🕰️ No ability to save progress

**Reported bugs**

- Leaderboard issues with daily challenges
- Crashes and compatibility problems on certain devices
- Unexpected behavior when trains skip stations

**Requested features**

- Undo/redo functionality
- Ability to create branching lines
- More detailed statistics and analytics
- Additional game modes (e.g. career, scenarios)
- Integration with real-world transit data


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Taipan! Mobile free?

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

### Is Mini Metro free?

Mini Metro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Taipan! Mobile or Mini Metro?

Mini Metro is rated higher. Taipan! Mobile averages 3.5 out of 5 from 128 ratings, while Mini Metro averages 4.9 from 32K ratings.

### Do Taipan! Mobile or Mini Metro have ads?

Neither Taipan! Mobile nor Mini Metro shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Taipan! Mobile or Mini Metro?

Taipan! Mobile ships an update every 2 months, and Mini Metro every 2 months. Most recently, Taipan! Mobile was updated on October 17, 2026 and Mini Metro on October 20, 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.*