# Control Tower vs Ship Maneuvering Simulator

Control Tower and Ship Maneuvering Simulator both sit at 4.2 stars, but that hides the real split: 86% of Ship Maneuvering Simulator's written reviews are positive against 39% of Control Tower's. Ship Maneuvering Simulator also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 2) and update cadence (every 6 days vs every 7 months). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Control Tower sells 2 one-off in-app purchases. Ship Maneuvering Simulator asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.2 for Control Tower against 4.3 for Ship Maneuvering Simulator. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 193 and 105 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 39% of Control Tower's written reviews are positive against 86% of Ship Maneuvering Simulator's.

Control Tower ships an update every 7 months, Ship Maneuvering Simulator every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Control Tower | Ship Maneuvering Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (193 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-tower-air-traffic/id457562295/reviews) | **[4.3 (105 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-maneuvering-simulator/id6475722175/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **193** | 105 |
| Positive reviews | 39.4% of reviews | **85.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | **No** |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 6 days** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Ad-supported** |
| Size | 82 MB | 390 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [4 SAVE SOFT DOO NOVI SAD](https://appshunter.io/developer/434676499) | [WPC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1681830786) |

## What reviewers say

### Control Tower

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/control-tower-air-traffic/id457562295)

Guide aircraft to safe landing zones and prevent collisions by drawing flight paths. This strategy game requires quick reflexes and careful planning to manage air traffic and achieve high scores.

**Highlights:** Guide aircraft to landing zones, Draw flight paths, Classic game mode, Online high scores, Achievements, Addictive gameplay

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (2)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock FULL game | $0.99 | one-time |
| Control Tower Pro | $2.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🎮 Addictive and engaging gameplay
- 👍 Simple and easy to learn mechanics
- 🧠 Good brain exercise and attention training
- 🎨 Nice graphics and visual design
- ⚡ Quick to download and lightweight

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent app crashes and freezes
- 📺 Excessive and intrusive advertisements
- 🎮 Uncontrollable planes at screen borders
- 📱 Poor scaling on newer devices (iPhone 11+)
- 🎯 Unfair gameplay mechanics (planes spawn uncontrollably)

**Reported bugs**

- Planes spawn on screen edges and cannot be controlled
- App crashes when submitting scores
- App freezes mid-game with no save function
- Touch input delay and unresponsive controls
- Planes crash due to uncontrollable border spawns

**Requested features**

- New maps and levels
- Restore original Flight Control game
- Better sound design and music
- Improved plane graphics and visual clarity
- Tutorial for new players


### Ship Maneuvering Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ship-maneuvering-simulator/id6475722175)

Pilot large vessels through challenging maritime scenarios. Experience realistic ship physics and handling in various missions, from navigating channels to berthing. Compete globally on leaderboards and unlock new ships as you progress.

**Highlights:** Realistic ship physics (MMG hydrodynamic model), Career mode with ranks and missions, 8 unique ships with distinct handling, Free play mode with custom settings, Weekly and all-time leaderboards, Detailed sound effects

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Control Tower free?

Control Tower is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is Ship Maneuvering Simulator free?

Ship Maneuvering Simulator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Control Tower or Ship Maneuvering Simulator?

Ship Maneuvering Simulator is rated higher. Control Tower averages 4.2 out of 5 from 193 ratings, while Ship Maneuvering Simulator averages 4.3 from 105 ratings.

### Do Control Tower or Ship Maneuvering Simulator have ads?

Both Control Tower and Ship Maneuvering Simulator show ads.

### Which is updated more often, Control Tower or Ship Maneuvering Simulator?

Control Tower ships an update every 7 months, and Ship Maneuvering Simulator every 6 days. Most recently, Control Tower was updated on November 6, 2026 and Ship Maneuvering Simulator on November 4, 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.*