Design A Train vs Train Sim Pro
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Design A Train
Design and color your own trains with a variety of tools and stickers. Once complete, you can save, share, print, or integrate your creations into other train-themed games.
- Customize train cars and engines
- Easy one-touch coloring
- Add and reposition stickers
- Assemble and rearrange full trains
- Export to other train games
- Save, share, and print creations
Read full descriptionHide full description
Do you love trains? Do you love coloring? Then Design A Train is the perfect app for you - or your train-loving toddler. Design A Train allows you to select a train car or engine and customize it to your heart's delight. Simply pick a train car or engine, color it in as desired with easy one-touch fill, and then add some stickers for extra fun. When you're done with your locomotive masterpiece you can save it to your device, share it with the family - or perhaps print it out for a prize place on the family fridge. FEATURES: - CUSTOMIZE & COLOR Easily add color to your train. Just tap a color from the palette and then tap your train. - ZOOM (iPhone/iPod Touch only) Easily zoom in to color some of the smaller regions. - STICKERS Browse a range of stickers and then tap to add to your train. Change your mind about a sticker? You can drag stickers to reposition them or just double-tap to delete. - PLAY WITH YOUR TRAIN Once you have customized a car or engine, you can add it to your full train and then rearrange and place your train cars as desired. - INTEGRATION WITH BUILD A TRAIN Customize your train and then with one tap, you can export your very own personal train for use with Build A Train. - INTEGRATION WITH BUILD A TRAIN PUZZLES Customize your train and select the train yard of your choice. Then with one tap, you can export your very own customized puzzle for use with Build A Train Puzzles. - SAVE, SHARE AND PRINT You can save your train cars to your device library, easily send them to friends or print them out. Note: printing is supported for devices running iOS 4.2+ that are connected to AirPrint enabled printers. "Highly recommend" - http://Best10Apps.com Got suggestions for improving Design A Train? Leave a review and let us know! We love to hear constructive feedback - it helps make the app better. -- To learn more about Playtend please visit us at http://playtend.com
Train Sim Pro
Experience realistic train simulation with over 70 train types and 15 environments. Build custom scenes, enjoy cab views, and realistic sounds. Perfect for train enthusiasts of all ages.
- Realistic 3D graphics
- 70+ 3D train types
- 15 realistic 3D environments
- Custom environment building
- Cab views for all trains
- Realistic train sounds
- Train derailments
Read full descriptionHide full description
The #1 Train Simulator with over 34M downloads! FEATURES - Awesomely realistic 3D graphics - 80+ realistic 3D Train Types - 50 Train Car Types - 15 realistic 3D environments - 1 Kids Scene with Toy Trains - 1 Underground Subway Scene - Build Custom Environments for Trains - Cab views for all trains - Realistic Train Sounds - Train derailments - Kid friendly - Easy controls - Regular content updates - No Ads Perfect fun for both adults and kids who love trains, pick up passengers from stations, or carry some freight. Control your favorite historical or modern trains perfectly recreated in 3D. Sit inside the trains, passenger cars, or simply view the train from the ground as it comes towards you.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Design A Train at none against Train Sim Pro's 3. Design A Train also leads on review sentiment (71% vs 63%) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). Train Sim Pro's advantage is ratings volume (161 vs 25). On price, rating, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Design A Train costs $1.99 and Train Sim Pro $1.99 up front. Train Sim Pro sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Design A Train asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Design A Train against 4.5 for Train Sim Pro. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Train Sim Pro has 161 ratings behind it against 25, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 71% of Design A Train's written reviews are positive against 63% of Train Sim Pro's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on August 25, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Design A Train | Train Sim Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 | $1.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (25 ratings) | 4.5 (161 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 71.4% of reviews — better | 62.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 25 | 161 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 12.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 35 MB | 809 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Playtend Apps LLP | 1788918 Alberta Ltd |
Customer experience
Design A Train
Train Sim Pro
Bugs and requests
Design A Train
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Train Sim Pro
Reported bugs
4 issues- Frequent crashes when loading maps or starting sessions
- Trains behaving unrealistically (e.g. cars going off track, wheels not turning)
- Graphical issues like 2D train models and missing details
- Inconsistent or missing sound effects
Requested features
6 requests- Add more modern and diverse train models
- Improve train physics and animations
- Expand track layouts and environments
- Introduce missions, goals, and multiplayer
- Allow more customization options
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Add sound effects and controls for horns, bells, etc.
In-app purchases
Design A Train
No in-app purchases
Train Sim Pro
- Freight Train Driver$0.99
- Commuter Train Driver$0.99
- Steam Train Driver$0.99
Questions
Is Design A Train free?
Is Train Sim Pro free?
Which has better reviews, Design A Train or Train Sim Pro?
Do Design A Train or Train Sim Pro have ads?
Which is updated more often, Design A Train or Train Sim Pro?
Other comparisons















