Comparison

RocControl vs RailPilot

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

Head to head
About

RocControl

Control your digital model railroad layouts remotely. Manage locomotives, switches, and signals, and set trains to run automatically. Connect to a Rocrail server to operate your entire layout from your mobile device.

Highlights
  • Control locomotives, switches, and signals
  • Automatic train operation
  • Dialogs for blocks, turntables, and staging yards
  • Dedicated locomotive throttle
  • Layout, driving, and system control tabs
  • Automatic connection to local Rocrail servers
Features
Read full description

The app controls digital model railroad layouts by driving locomotives, set switches, set signal, and let run trains automatically. This app is a mobile client for the model railroad program Rocrail. See https://wiki.rocrail.net for more information on Rocrail. The app offers dialogs for blocks, turntables, traversers, staging and fiddleyards; All you need to control your model railroad layout with a mobile device. A special dialog is the throttle for controlling locomotives speed and functions. The app has 3 main tabs: One for the layout, one for driving and one for the system controls and tracing. In order to control a model railroad layout the app must be connected to a Rocrail server. If one is found on the local network, mDNS/Bonjour, it will automatically connect to it. The Rocrail Demo server can be connected if no local server has been found. This option is available in the Settings menu, the gear symbol right on top, if no local server has been found.

About

RailPilot

Read full description

RailPilot – The smart control for your model railroad RailPilot lets you control your model trains easily with your iPhone – fast, intuitive, and reliable. The app is specifically designed for use with the Z21 command station and offers a modern alternative to classic model railroad control. Your locos, centrally stored RailPilot stores all locomotive data on a server in your local network – hosted by you. This means your data always stays with you, and there’s no need to sync between devices: everyone on your network accesses the same collection. At a glance: β€’ Train control via the Z21 command station β€’ Central locomotive management through a local server β€’ No need to transfer data between devices β€’ Easy, user-friendly interface β€’ Fast access to your entire locomotive fleet Requirements: β€’ Z21 command station from Roco/Fleischmann β€’ Self-hosted RailPilot server on your local network Get RailPilot now and upgrade your model railroad control system!

Screenshots

RocControl4 screens
RailPilot3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: RocControl at fortnightly against RailPilot's every 4 months. RocControl also leads on iOS requirement (16.6 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

RocControl ships an update fortnightly, RailPilot every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and September 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
RocControl versus RailPilot: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRocControlRailPilot
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews50.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyFortnightly β€” betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch β€” betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.6 β€” better18.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size4 MB2 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRocrailEric Staedler

In-app purchases

None

RocControl

No in-app purchases

None

RailPilot

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is RocControl free?
RocControl is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RailPilot free?
RailPilot is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do RocControl or RailPilot have ads?
Neither RocControl nor RailPilot shows ads.
Which is updated more often, RocControl or RailPilot?
RocControl ships an update fortnightly, and RailPilot every 4 months. Most recently, RocControl was updated on September 30, 2026 and RailPilot on September 16, 2026.

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