# Create a Car vs Thomas & Friends™

The clearest difference is price: Thomas & Friends™ at Free against Create a Car's $2.99. Thomas & Friends™ also leads on ratings volume (10K vs 102) and update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months). Create a Car's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 8) and review sentiment (88% vs 72%). On rating, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Thomas & Friends™ is free to download; Create a Car costs $2.99 up front. Thomas & Friends™ sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Create a Car asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.0 for Create a Car against 4.2 for Thomas & Friends™. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Thomas & Friends™ has 10K ratings behind it against 102, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 88% of Create a Car's written reviews are positive against 72% of Thomas & Friends™'s.

Create a Car ships an update every 4 months, Thomas & Friends™ monthly. Both last shipped on October 29, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | Create a Car | Thomas & Friends™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $2.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [4.0 (102 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/create-a-car/id388173036/reviews) | **[4.2 (10K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-lets-roll/id6469109492/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 102 | **10K** |
| Positive reviews | **88.0% of reviews** | 71.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Monthly** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Freemium** |
| Size | 19 MB | 462 MB |
| Requires iOS | **8.1** | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Curiosity Media](https://appshunter.io/developer/332510497) | [StoryToys Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/326301831) |

## What reviewers say

### Create a Car

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/create-a-car/id388173036)

This app allows young children to design and build their own cars using a variety of parts and styles. Once created, they can save their vehicles to a garage and then drive them on a road, collecting suns and avoiding obstacles. It also includes educational prompts to encourage imaginative thinking and descriptive language.

**Highlights:** Design custom cars, Save creations to garage, Drive cars on a road, Over 70 parts, 30 car styles, Five player profiles, Educational prompts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and creative
- 🚀 Keeps kids entertained for hours
- 💡 Great for developing imagination
- 👍 Easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes
- 🔌 Limited number of parts/vehicles
- 💡 Lack of ability to change car colors
- 💡 Desire to drive the created cars

**Reported bugs**

- Crashes on certain devices
- Text boxes too small
- Incompatible with newer iOS versions

**Requested features**

- More car bodies and parts to choose from
- Ability to change car colors
- Option to drive the created cars
- Integration with social media to share creations


### Thomas & Friends™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/thomas-and-friends-lets-roll/id6469109492)

Children can drive their favorite engines and build custom train tracks on the Island of Sodor. This app offers hands-on fun, encourages imagination, and helps develop important skills for preschoolers and neurodivergent children.

**Highlights:** Drive favorite engines, Build custom train tracks, Explore Island of Sodor, Kid-friendly controls, Develops spatial awareness, Inclusive play experience

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING | $4.99 | per month |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING-7 day trial | $6.99 | per month |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING | $6.99 | per month |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE | $6.99 | per month |
| 7day trial & UNLOCK EVERYTHING | $29.99 | per year |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE | $29.99 | per year |
| UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE | $39.99 | per year |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Fun and engaging game
- 🎨 Faithful to the All Engines Go theme
- 👨‍🎨 Unique playable character (Bruno)
- 🎉 Potential for great future updates

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Excessive in-app purchases and subscription model
- 🐛 Bugs and glitches (loading issues, missing sounds, corrupted textures)
- 🚫 Limited content (only one playable character and map at launch)

**Reported bugs**

- Respawning issues at McColl's Farm
- Inability to complete the loop in Crystal Cave
- Character catchphrases turning back on after restart

**Requested features**

- Add more playable engines (James, Emily, Edward, etc.)
- Introduce new locations (Knapford, Vicarstown, etc.)
- Implement interactive journey scenarios (railroad crossings, traffic jams, etc.)
- Fix issues with cargo physics and character whistles/horns
- Improve performance and stability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Create a Car free?

Create a Car costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Thomas & Friends™ free?

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

### Which has better reviews, Create a Car or Thomas & Friends™?

Thomas & Friends™ is rated higher. Create a Car averages 4.0 out of 5 from 102 ratings, while Thomas & Friends™ averages 4.2 from 10K ratings.

### Do Create a Car or Thomas & Friends™ have ads?

Neither Create a Car nor Thomas & Friends™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Create a Car or Thomas & Friends™?

Create a Car ships an update every 4 months, and Thomas & Friends™ monthly. Most recently, Create a Car was updated on October 29, 2026 and Thomas & Friends™ on October 29, 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.*