Comparison

Thomas & Friends™ vs Bloom

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

Head to head
About

Thomas & Friends™

Children can drive their favorite trains, build custom tracks with scenery, and embark on exciting journeys across the Island of Sodor. This app is designed for preschoolers and neurodivergent children, fostering creativity and developmental skills in a safe, inclusive environment.

Highlights
  • Drive favorite engines like Thomas and Bruno
  • Build custom train tracks with scenery
  • Explore various locations on the Island of Sodor
  • Kid-friendly driving controls
  • Develops spatial awareness and fine motor skills
  • Inclusive design for neurodivergent children
  • Offline play available
Features
Read full description

Thomas & Friends: Let’s Roll invites kids to drive their favorite engines and build their own tracks, fueling big imaginations and tons of hands-on fun. Perfect for preschoolers ages 2-6 and thoughtfully made for all kids to enjoy! • Drive around the Island of Sodor to enjoy lots of exciting journeys! • You can pick a different engine for each journey, including Thomas, Bruno, Percy, and more. Even very young children can enjoy a rewarding driving experience with our kid-friendly driving controls. • The TRACK BUILDER feature lets you build a train track and drive a toy train on it! • You can enhance your track with lots of fun and interesting scenery options. • Watch your trains chug along the track and the landscape you created! • This app helps kids develop spatial awareness, fine motor skills, and self-expression. FUN FOR EVERYONE Designed for ALL kids, (especially little neurodivergent engineers) this app brings expert input from autistic writer Jody O'Neill to create a playful, inclusive experience. Kids set their own pace, are offered clear choices, and can safely explore alongside Bruno the Brake Car, a neurodivergent friend from Sodor. Designed for repeated play sessions, this app will offer joy and comfort to kids, over and over again! JOURNEYS The Old Mine, Whiff’s Recycling Plant, Norramby Beach, McColl’s Farm, and Winter Wonderland CHARACTERS Thomas, Bruno, Gordon, Percy, Nia, Diesel and Kana FEATURES - Safe and age-appropriate - Designed responsibly to let your child enjoy screen time while developing healthy digital habits at a young age - Play pre-downloaded content offline without Wi-Fi or internet - Regular updates with new content - Apple Family Sharing for easy subscription sharing with other family members - No third-party advertising - No in-app purchases for subscribers SUPPORT For any questions or assistance, please reach out to us at support@storytoys.com. ABOUT STORYTOYS Our mission is to bring the world's most popular characters, worlds, and stories to life for children. We make apps for kids that engage them in well-rounded activities designed to help them learn, play, and grow. Parents can enjoy peace of mind knowing their kids are learning and having fun at the same time. PRIVACY & TERMS StoryToys takes children's privacy seriously and ensures that its apps comply with privacy laws, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). If you would like to learn more about the information we collect and how we use it, please visit our privacy policy at https://storytoys.com/privacy. Read our terms of use here: https://storytoys.com/terms/ SUBSCRIPTION DETAILS This app contains sample content that is free to play. However, LOTS MORE fun and entertaining games and activities are available if you purchase a monthly or yearly subscription. While you are subscribed you can play with EVERYTHING. We regularly add new stuff, so subscribed users will enjoy ever-expanding play opportunities. • Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually according to the rate of the selected subscription plan. • You can change your mind at any point. Cancelling can be done through your iTunes settings. • Your subscription will auto-renew at the cost of the chosen package unless you cancel it 24 hours before the end of the current subscription period. Subscription fees are charged to your iTunes account. • After purchase, you can manage your subscription and turn off auto-renewal by going to your Account Settings. • When you purchase a subscription, you forfeit any unused portion of a free trial period. • You can use your subscription on any device registered with the same Apple ID that you subscribed from. © 2026 Gullane (Thomas) Limited. The Thomas name and character and the Thomas & Friends™ logo are trademarks of Gullane (Thomas) Limited and its affiliates and are registered in many jurisdictions throughout the world.

About

Bloom

Features
Read full description

Watch your child flourish with Bloom — fun, research-backed activities for children ages 0–5, personalized for your family in just minutes a day. Every child develops at their own pace. Bloom makes it easy for busy parents and caregivers to support that growth with short, engaging activities tailored to your child's age, interests, and needs — no planning required. WHAT YOU GET • Personalized daily activities aligned with early learning standards and CDC developmental milestones • Activities across every area of development: language & literacy, math, social-emotional skills, gross & fine motor, creative arts, science, and self-care • Quick Start shortcuts for busy days — 5-minute activities, active play, storytime, puzzles, kitchen fun, calm-down time, and more • Progress tracking with streaks, XP, and milestone badges to celebrate every win • Support for multiple children, each with their own personalized activity feed • Available in English and Spanish • Optional daily reminders to help build a consistent routine BUILT FOR PARENTS, NOT SCREENS Bloom is designed to be used by you — the activities happen off the app, in the real world, with your child. There's no gameplay, ads, or screen time built in for kids. SCHOOL DISTRICT PARTNERSHIPS Bloom partners with school districts to bring high-quality early learning support directly to families. If your district partners with Bloom, use your invite code to unlock activities aligned with your community's early learning goals. PRIVACY FIRST We never sell your data. Information about your child is used only to personalize your experience. Read our full Privacy Policy at bloomforkids.org/privacy. Start today and watch your child bloom, one activity at a time.

Screenshots

Thomas & Friends™4 screens
Bloom4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Bloom at none against Thomas & Friends™'s 8. Bloom also leads on update cadence (daily vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads, 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

Both are free to download. Thomas & Friends™ sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Bloom asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Thomas & Friends™ ships an update every 5 weeks, Bloom daily. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 5, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Thomas & Friends™ versus Bloom: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThomas & Friends™Bloom
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (10K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews71.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings10K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksDaily — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemium—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size456 MB37 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperStoryToys LimitedWonderKiln, Inc.

Bugs and requests

Thomas & Friends™

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Bloom

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

7 purchases

Thomas & Friends™

Subscriptions7
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING$4.991 Month
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING-7 day trial7 Days trial$6.991 Month
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING$6.991 Month
Show 4 more
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE$6.991 Month
  • 7day trial & UNLOCK EVERYTHING7 Days trial$29.991 Year
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE2 variants$29.991 Year
  • UNLOCK EVERYTHING - BEST VALUE$39.991 Year
None

Bloom

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Thomas & Friends™ free?
Thomas & Friends™ is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bloom free?
Bloom is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Thomas & Friends™ or Bloom have ads?
Neither Thomas & Friends™ nor Bloom shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Thomas & Friends™ or Bloom?
Thomas & Friends™ ships an update every 5 weeks, and Bloom daily. Most recently, Thomas & Friends™ was updated on November 8, 2026 and Bloom on November 5, 2026.

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