# Retail Store Simulator vs City Shop Simulator

The clearest difference is review sentiment: City Shop Simulator at 84% against Retail Store Simulator's 37%. City Shop Simulator also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and ads (none vs shown). Retail Store Simulator's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Retail Store Simulator sells 4 one-off in-app purchases and City Shop Simulator sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

City Shop Simulator holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 552 and 1.3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of Retail Store Simulator's written reviews are positive against 84% of City Shop Simulator's.

Retail Store Simulator ships an update fortnightly, City Shop Simulator every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Retail Store Simulator | City Shop Simulator |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (552 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retail-store-simulator/id6499522230/reviews) | **[4.8 (1.3K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/city-shop-simulator/id6502181069/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 552 | **1.3K** |
| Positive reviews | 36.5% of reviews | **83.9% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 192 MB | 174 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | 13.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Martin Sinko](https://appshunter.io/developer/1554061108) | [Dmitriy Dedkov](https://appshunter.io/developer/1144501643) |

## What reviewers say

### Retail Store Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/retail-store-simulator/id6499522230)

Manage your own supermarket, from stocking shelves and designing the store to serving customers and handling payments. Expand your business, hire staff, and unlock new items to become the best shop in town.

**Highlights:** Stock and design your store, Serve customers and fulfill wishes, Upgrade and expand your supermarket, Handle cash and card payments, Hire employees to maximize profit, Unlock a variety of products

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small pack of money | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium pack of money | $1.99 | one-time |
| Remove ads | $2.99 | one-time |
| Big pack of money | $4.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive and fun gameplay
- 👍 Customizable store
- 👍 Realistic supermarket simulation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and loading issues
- 🐛 Freezing and glitches
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 📺 Excessive ads

**Reported bugs**

- Workers getting stuck during restocking
- Customers freezing and glitching
- Inability to remove starting cash register
- Progress loss after crashes or reinstalls

**Requested features**

- Add more product variety
- Implement save progress and account system
- Add manager/AI to automate tasks
- Allow more customization and expansion options


### City Shop Simulator

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/city-shop-simulator/id6502181069)

Build and manage your own supermarket, starting from a small shop and expanding into a bustling retail empire. Customize your store's interior, manage inventory, hire staff, and strategically set prices to attract customers and maximize profits.

**Highlights:** Build and expand your store, Customize interior and exterior, Manage inventory and product assortment, Hire and manage staff, Set prices and analyze demand, Serve customers at checkout

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small currency pack | $0.99 | one-time |
| Limited offer | $0.99 | one-time |
| Medium currency pack | $2.99 | one-time |
| Big currency pack | $7.99 | one-time |
| Huge currency pack | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Great game mechanics
- 🚀 Excellent variety of products
- 💡 Ability to view price changes
- 👍 No order amount restrictions
- 👍 Customization options

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Stock rack labels cannot be removed
- 🐛 Cannot put empty boxes on stock racks
- 🐛 Stocker doesn't have an option to put boxes on non-labeled stock racks
- 🐛 Box picture covered by action button when holding a box
- 🐛 Restockers getting stuck in corners

**Reported bugs**

- Restockers getting stuck in corners
- Customers not being served due to slow cashiers
- Customers complaining about missing products that are actually in stock
- Issues with cash purchases not being properly recorded

**Requested features**

- Add self-checkout machines
- Increase number of cashiers
- Expand storage room capacity
- Improve staff work speed
- Add more product licenses (e.g., fruits, vegetables, toys)


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Retail Store Simulator free?

Retail Store Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is City Shop Simulator free?

City Shop Simulator is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Retail Store Simulator or City Shop Simulator?

City Shop Simulator is rated higher. Retail Store Simulator averages 4.3 out of 5 from 552 ratings, while City Shop Simulator averages 4.8 from 1.3K ratings.

### Do Retail Store Simulator or City Shop Simulator have ads?

Retail Store Simulator shows ads; City Shop Simulator does not.

### Which is updated more often, Retail Store Simulator or City Shop Simulator?

Retail Store Simulator ships an update fortnightly, and City Shop Simulator every 2 months. Most recently, Retail Store Simulator was updated on October 21, 2026 and City Shop Simulator on October 22, 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.*