ThrottleCard vs Rail Roster
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Multi-throttle support
- Vintage-inspired controls
- Game controller integration
- Automatic command station discovery
- Turnout and route control
- Apple Watch support
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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
Rail Roster
Manage and catalog your model train collection with detailed records for trains, accessories, and consists. Track specifications, purchase history, and operational details, with powerful search and filtering tools. Visualize your collection's growth and value with insightful dashboards and charts.
- Catalog trains, accessories, and consists
- Detailed model and prototype specifications
- Track electronics, operation, and maintenance
- Purchase history and value tracking
- Photo support with galleries
- Consist building and analysis tools
- Collection insights and charts
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Rail Roster helps model railroad hobbyists catalog trains, accessories, and consists with rich details, photos, and collection insights. Keep your entire roster in one place. Track model specs, electronics, condition, pricing, prototype info, and notes, then quickly find items with powerful search, sorting, and filters. Key Features • Track trains, accessories, and consists in one collection • Rich train records: category, locomotive type, road name/number, model number, livery, scale, era, coupler type, and notes • Prototype reference fields: builder, operator, dates, wheel arrangement, gauge, speed, horsepower, tractive effort, and more • Electronics and operation tracking: DCC, decoder/address, sound, lights, smoke, dummy units, and maintenance flags • NMRA weight guidance with compliance targets and status • Purchase tracking: date, location, price paid, and MSRP • Photo support across trains, accessories, and consists with thumbnail strips plus full-screen, swipeable, zoomable galleries • Consist tools: member ordering/roles/direction, readiness score, coupler consistency, DCC/DC mix, NMRA compliance, and aggregate stats (length, weight, paid value, MSRP) • Collection Info dashboard: inventory totals and value summary, plus premium charts for category, scale, era, locomotive type, DCC vs DC, NMRA compliance, and collection growth • Fast search, sort, and filter chips (category, scale, era, manufacturer, purchase location, coupler type, locomotive type, DCC, dummy, NMRA, and photo status) • iCloud sync diagnostics with account status, last sync/check timestamps, and detailed sync error history • Preferences and personalization: default scale and alternate app icons Rail Roster is built for collectors who want a clean, visual, data-rich way to manage and grow their model railroad fleet. Premium unlocks unlimited inventory/photos, advanced charts, and all custom app icons. Privacy Policy: https://www.roboticsnailsoftware.com/work/railroster/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Rail Roster at 5.0 against ThrottleCard's 4.3. Rail Roster also leads on ads (none vs shown). ThrottleCard's advantage is ratings volume (14 vs 1) and iOS requirement (17.5 vs 26.0). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. ThrottleCard sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month and Rail Roster sells 5 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Rail Roster holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ThrottleCard has 14 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
ThrottleCard ships an update weekly, Rail Roster every 8 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ThrottleCard | Rail Roster |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (14 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 50.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 8 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Freemium |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Vision Pro — better | iPhone, iPad, Mac |
| Requires iOS | 17.5 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 117 MB | 205 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ryan Gant | Robotic Snail Software LLC |
Customer experience
ThrottleCard
Rail Roster
In-app purchases
ThrottleCard
- ThrottleCard Premium - Monthly7 Days trial$0.991 Month
- ThrottleCard Premium - Yearly7 Days trial$9.991 Year
Rail Roster
- Premium - Yearly1 Month trial$4.991 Year
- Small Tip$0.99
- Medium Tip$2.99
- Large Tip$4.99
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- Premium - Lifetime$19.99









