Comparison

ThrottleCard vs iTrain 6 remote

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

Head to head
About

ThrottleCard

Control your model railroad with this app featuring vintage-inspired controls and realistic animations. It supports multiple trains, game controllers, and offers advanced features like turnout and route control. A free version is available, with a premium subscription for enhanced functionality.

Highlights
  • Multi-throttle support
  • Vintage-inspired controls
  • Game controller integration
  • Automatic command station discovery
  • Turnout and route control
  • Apple Watch support
Features
Read full description

All aboard! Take control of your model railroad with this elegantly designed app that brings vintage charm to modern model train control. Whether you're a seasoned engineer or just starting your journey in model railroading, ThrottleCard delivers powerful features wrapped in a beautiful, easy-to-use interface. Hear what the community is saying: "FINALLY! The BEST Model Railroad Mobile App for IPhone?" - DIY and Digital Railroad YouTube Channel KEY FEATURES: * Control multiple trains simultaneously with intuitive multi-throttle support * Beautiful vintage-inspired gauges and controls with realistic animations * Game Controller Support! Easily drive your Trains with a PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or MFi Game Controller with pre-mapped buttons * Landscape mode on iPhone is optimized for excellent compatibility with handheld MFi Game Controllers. * Easily create consists on the fly right from within the app * Automatic command station discovery * Comprehensive locomotive function control * Full turnout (switch) control * Routes Support * Fast Clock Support * Supports WiThrottle and DCC-EX Protocols * Roster with locomotive images * A variety of classic railroad inspired themes * Haptic Feedback for intuitive responsiveness and operation * Mirror-Mode mode for comfortable operation in either hand * Multiple classic railroad-inspired themes * iPad support * Apple Watch Support With many more exciting features in the roadmap! To use ThrottleCard, simply connect to any WiThrottle Protocol enabled command station including JMRI, DCC-EX, and various commercial offerings. ThrottleCard can be used for free without a subscription to control the speed, direction, and functions of a single locomotive at a time, throw turnouts, and change to any of the railroad inspired themes. Subscribe to Premium for $0.99/Month or $9.99/Year - 16% off - to unlock the ability to control multiple trains (cards), multiple locomotives in a consist, game controllers, routes, locomotive programming* and to support the future development of additional, exciting features! We’ll even give you a week free to try it out. ThrottleCard Watch will mirror the throttles you have setup on your phone and will allow for remote control of speed with the Digital Crown as well as light, horn, and bell control right from your wrist. For best results, change the "Return to Clock" settings for ThrottleCard watch to "After 1 Hour" by going to Settings (on watch or watch iOS app) > General > Return To Clock > ThrottleCard > Choose "Custom" > Choose "After 1 Hour" below. This will keep ThrottleCard open on your watch longer while it's in the foreground. We’re committed to making the best tools possible for the model railroad community and would love to hear your feedback on the features you’d like to see next. Get started with the latest in model railroading today! *DCC-EX Command Station is required for locomotive programming. The ‘WiThrottle protocol’ is a communications protocol developed by Brett Hoffman. ‘WiThrottle’ is a trademark owned by Brett Hoffman. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://throttlecard.com/privacy.html

About

iTrain 6 remote

Features
Read full description

The iTrain 6 remote is an App to control your model railroad trains. It connects as a client to the software iTrain 6 in Server mode and cannot be used on itself, but it is only a wireless remote control for this software. Before starting the App you have to configure the network settings in the Preferences of the device (so not in the App itself). You have to supply the name or IP address of the iTrain 6 Server. You can easily find the server address at the bottom of the main windows of the iTrain application. Just double-click on the icon before Clients. See the iTrain manual for more info. The buttons at the bottom on the left are for starting routes in Automatic and Semi-Automatic mode (green), Finishing the route (yellow) and Stopping the route (red). With the buttons at the bottom on the right side you can reserve the next block in the direction of the locomotive (+) or withdraw the reservation (-) when no route is active.

Screenshots

ThrottleCard4 screens
iTrain 6 remote2 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: iTrain 6 remote at none against ThrottleCard's 2. iTrain 6 remote also leads on ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.5). ThrottleCard's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). On price and device support 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. ThrottleCard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. iTrain 6 remote asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ThrottleCard ships an update weekly, iTrain 6 remote every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ThrottleCard versus iTrain 6 remote: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterThrottleCardiTrain 6 remote
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (14 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings14 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS17.515.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size117 MB17 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRyan GantBerros

In-app purchases

2 purchases

ThrottleCard

Subscriptions2
  • ThrottleCard Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • ThrottleCard Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
None

iTrain 6 remote

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ThrottleCard free?
ThrottleCard is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is iTrain 6 remote free?
iTrain 6 remote is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ThrottleCard or iTrain 6 remote have ads?
ThrottleCard shows ads; iTrain 6 remote does not.
Which is updated more often, ThrottleCard or iTrain 6 remote?
ThrottleCard ships an update weekly, and iTrain 6 remote every 4 months. Most recently, ThrottleCard was updated on October 21, 2026 and iTrain 6 remote on October 10, 2026.

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