Comparison

Mall Builder vs Route Tycoon

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

Head to head
About

Mall Builder

Features
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Are you ready to build your dream shopping centre from scratch? Start with a small shop and turn it into a massive shopping paradise that grows floor by floor! Mall Builder is an addictive shopping centre simulation game that combines strategy and creativity. Choose the right shops, attract customers, and become the richest boss in town! Key Features: Unlimited Construction: Create a massive shopping centre, from a single-storey arcade to skyscrapers. Design each floor however you like. 50+ Different Shops: Open dozens of different businesses, from bookshops to cinemas, luxury restaurants to technology stores. Day & Night Cycle: Some shops operate during the day, others at night. Ensure your shopping centre is a 24-hour hub. Upgrades & Services: Add lifts, car parks, security, and cleaning services to boost customer satisfaction. Special Events: Organise fairs, signing days and festivals to attract crowds of visitors. Customers are waiting at the door! Download Mall Builder now and start building!

About

Route Tycoon

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ROUTE TYCOON โ€” Build Your Minibus Empire From a single dolmus in the streets of Istanbul to a global transit dynasty โ€” Route Tycoon is a hand-crafted idle tycoon experience where every tap matters and every decision shapes your empire. THE JOURNEY Start as a neighborhood operator running one humble route. Tap to dispatch your minibus, pick up passengers, and earn your first lira. Reinvest, upgrade your bus, hire drivers to keep things rolling while you're away. Then expand: unlock new routes, master your home city, and prepare for the world. FIVE EPIC CITIES ISTANBUL โ€” Where it all begins. Mosques, the Bosphorus, the magic of the old city. PARIS โ€” Eiffel views and elegant boulevards across the Seine. ROME โ€” Colosseum routes through ancient cobblestones. TOKYO โ€” Neon lights and bullet-train precision. NEW YORK โ€” The final frontier. Yellow taxis and skyscrapers. Each city brings its own architecture, weather, soundtrack, and economic challenges. DEEP GAMEPLAY - 8 routes per city, each with unique scenes - 8 bus tiers from rusty minibus to luxury coach - Dynamic weather system: sunny, rainy, snowy, foggy. Each affects income and VIP chance. - Hire drivers who keep your routes earning even when you're offline - VIP passenger events: tap fast to catch high-value riders - Premium paint themes for every bus - Prestige system: conquer a city to unlock the next DESIGNED FOR YOUR TIME Route Tycoon respects your schedule. Play actively for the thrill of the boost button. Or check in once a day and let your empire run itself, up to 8 hours of offline earnings every time you return. A LOVE LETTER TO THE DOLMUS Route Tycoon is a tribute to Turkey's iconic minibus culture, rebuilt in five cities around the world. Every silhouette, every horn, every license plate, hand-crafted by a single developer at Hest Studios. No bloat. No paywalls blocking progression. No ads in the middle of your game, just optional rewarded ads for bonuses. Just the pure, satisfying loop of building something from nothing. FEATURES - 5 cities, 40+ routes - 8 bus tiers with full upgrades - Dynamic weather mechanics - Driver hire system - Offline earnings up to 8 hours - Premium paint customization - VIP passenger events - Four languages: English, Turkce, Francais, Deutsch - Three currencies: USD, TRY, EUR - No internet required after first load Start your empire today. The road is long. The horizon is waiting. Hest Studios, an independent studio of one. Support: heststudios@gmail.com Privacy: https://heststudios.github.io/route-tycoon/privacy.html

Screenshots

Mall Builder4 screens
Route Tycoon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Mall Builder at none against Route Tycoon's 5. Route Tycoon's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

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

CostPrice ยท In-app purchases ยท Ads ยท Monetization

Both are free to download. Route Tycoon sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Mall Builder asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mall Builder ships an update fortnightly, Route Tycoon weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 12, 2026 and October 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences ยท 3 level
Mall Builder versus Route Tycoon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMall BuilderRoute Tycoon
PriceFreeFree
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly โ€” better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNo โ€” betterYes
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.0 โ€” better
Further details โ€” not scored
Size119 MB32 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperSamet Yusa ATALARTolga HACIZEKERIYAOGLU

In-app purchases

None

Mall Builder

No in-app purchases

5 purchases

Route Tycoon

One-time5
  • Small Gem Pack - 80$0.99
  • Welcome Pack - 200 Gems$1.99
  • Medium Gem Pack - 500$2.99
Show 2 more
  • Large Gem Pack - 1200$3.99
  • VIP Gem Pack - 3500$4.99

Questions

Is Mall Builder free?
Mall Builder is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Route Tycoon free?
Route Tycoon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mall Builder or Route Tycoon have ads?
Both Mall Builder and Route Tycoon show ads.
Which is updated more often, Mall Builder or Route Tycoon?
Mall Builder ships an update fortnightly, and Route Tycoon weekly. Most recently, Mall Builder was updated on October 12, 2026 and Route Tycoon on October 2, 2026.

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