Comparison

Strut vs Mini Metro

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Strut

Explore the world by uncovering billions of virtual tiles on a global map. Track your travels by any means of transport, discover new routes, and compete with others on leaderboards. Earn medals and level up as you open up your world.

Highlights
  • Uncover billions of world tiles
  • Track all forms of travel
  • Explore surroundings and new routes
  • Compete on global leaderboards
  • Earn medals and level up
  • Apple Watch integration
Features
Read full description

Imagine the entire world is covered in billions of tiles. How many can you open up? Strut is a game of exploration where you compete with other players around the world to uncover the map of the earth. –––––– TRACK YOUR TRAVELS Whether you walk, run, bike, drive, sail, ride a goat or take a hot air balloon, use Strut to keep track of exactly where you've been in the world. Share your map with friends, or keep your wanderings private... we won't tell. EXPLORE YOUR SURROUNDINGS Take a new route to work. Go down that street you never walked through. Visit every nook and cranny of your city. See more of your neighborhood – who knows what you might find? OPEN UP YOUR WORLD Strut around, level up and climb to the top of the leaderboards – there's a top 10 for every city, state, country, and the entire world. There are also a ton of medals to earn, so keep exploring and see what pops up in your adventures around the globe. You can also now keep track of your tile counts and your Strutting status on your Apple Watch! –––––– *Please note that continued use of GPS running in the background could dramatically decrease battery life.

About

Mini Metro

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
Read full description

Mini Metro, the sublime subway simulator, now on iPhone and iPad. • Included in the App Store Best of 2016 • Mac Game of the Year in over 30 countries • BAFTA-nominated • IGF award-winning • IGN Mobile Game of the Year nominee • Included in Gamespot's Best Mobile Games of 2016 Mini Metro is a game about designing a subway map for a growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving? • Random city growth means each game is unique. • Over two dozen of real-world cities to test your planning skills. • A variety of upgrades so you can tailor your network. • Normal mode for quick scored games, Endless to relax, or Extreme for the ultimate challenge. • Build your metro exactly how you want to with the Creative mode. • Compete against the world every day in the Daily Challenge. • Colorblind and night modes. • Responsive soundtrack created by your metro system, engineered by Disasterpeace. "If you love the city-planning aspect of Sim City but can't handle the pressure of playing god, then you may have just found your new favorite time-waster." - Ashley Feinberg, Gizmodo "Take my word for it that a game about mass-transit system design can be a tense, white-knuckle thriller." - Owen Faraday, Pocket Tactics "Mini Metro: fun game simulates planning and running public transit system." - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

Screenshots

Strut4 screens
Mini Metro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Strut at Free against Mini Metro's $3.99. Mini Metro's advantage is rating (4.9 vs 3.7) and review sentiment (89% vs 48%). On ads, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Strut is free to download; Mini Metro costs $3.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Mini Metro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Metro has 31K ratings behind it against 67, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Strut's written reviews are positive against 89% of Mini Metro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Strut ships an update every 6 months, Mini Metro every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Strut versus Mini Metro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStrutMini Metro
PriceFree — better$3.99
Rating3.7 (67 ratings)4.9 (31K ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.0% of reviews88.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings6731K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterPaid
Best chart rank—#14 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size11 MB179 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThickpolicy LLCDinosaur Polo Club

Customer experience

Strut

All ratings67 ratings
Positive64.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative28.4%
Written reviews100 reviews
Positive48.0%
Neutral21.0%
Negative31.0%

Mini Metro

All ratings31,463 ratings
Positive97.5%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews1,509 reviews
Positive88.8%
Neutral4.5%
Negative6.7%

User reviews

Strut

From 67 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🗺️ Innovative tile-based map exploration concept
  • 👍 Well-designed, polished user interface
  • 🎮 Gamification encourages exploration and travel
  • 🚶 Motivates users to discover new places and routes
  • 💰 Free app with optional donations

Room to improve

  • 🔋 Severe battery drain and excessive heat generation
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and instability
  • 📱 Background tracking stops or becomes unreliable
  • 🔄 Slow server performance and syncing issues
  • ❌ Abandoned development with infrequent updates

Mini Metro

From 31K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

Bugs and requests

Strut

Reported bugs

14 issues
  • App crashes on login, especially with Facebook/Twitter authentication
  • Background tracking stops randomly and requires app restart
  • Pending sync tiles accumulate and never fully sync
  • Tiles lost during phone transfers or account recovery
  • Medal and achievement counts not updating
Show 9 more
  • City/town tile counts not updating for weeks or months
  • Level-up banner cannot be dismissed without closing app
  • Apple Watch app completely non-functional
  • Map crashes when attempting to pan or interact
  • iOS 7+ compatibility issues
  • Crashes when camera app is opened during tracking
  • Text contrast issues making score screens unreadable
  • Slow server response times causing UI lag
  • Donation achievements not registering

Requested features

14 requests
  • Battery optimization and GPS efficiency improvements
  • Background tracking that works reliably
  • Apple Watch app with full map functionality
  • External GPS device support (Bluetooth GPS pucks)
  • GPX file import/export capability
Show 9 more
  • Alternative login methods (email, Apple ID)
  • Data export and backup options
  • Multiple leaderboard views (with/without flights)
  • Ability to add historical travel data
  • Friend finder and friends list feature
  • Tile color customization based on visit frequency
  • Improved map contrast and readability
  • Android version release
  • Monthly subscription option for ongoing support

Mini Metro

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

Strut

No in-app purchases

None

Mini Metro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Strut free?
Strut is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Mini Metro free?
Mini Metro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Strut or Mini Metro?
Mini Metro is rated higher. Strut averages 3.7 out of 5 from 67 ratings, while Mini Metro averages 4.9 from 31K ratings.
Do Strut or Mini Metro have ads?
Neither Strut nor Mini Metro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Strut or Mini Metro?
Strut ships an update every 6 months, and Mini Metro every 2 months. Most recently, Strut was updated on October 7, 2026 and Mini Metro on October 15, 2026.

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