Poor Man's Throttle vs NetTether
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Poor Man's Throttle
Transform your smartphone into a wireless throttle for model trains. This app enables smooth, responsive control of locomotives using inexpensive electronics and your phone, ideal for DIY enthusiasts and hobbyists looking for an affordable wireless solution.
- Wireless smartphone throttle
- PWM motor control for smooth operation
- Control speed, direction, and stop
- DIY hardware integration
- Affordable components
- Ideal for DC and dead-rail layouts
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FREE DIY Wireless Model Train Control — Built for Hobbyists, **Poor Man’s Throttleturns your smartphone into a wireless throttle for model trains. Designed formodel railroad hobbyists, makers, and DIY builders**, the app allows you to control a locomotive using inexpensive electronics instead of costly commercial control systems. With simple ESP32-based hardware, your phone becomes asmooth, responsive wireless throttle**. --- Smooth Motor Control Many traditional DC transformers struggle with low-speed operation. Locomotives often: • hum at low speeds • start with weak torque • move in jerky steps Poor Man’s Throttle solves this by usingPWM motor control (Pulse Width Modulation)instead of simply lowering voltage. This allows locomotives to: • start smoothly • run at extremely slow speeds • maintain strong torque • eliminate most transformer hum --- Wireless Smartphone Control Control your locomotive directly from your phone. Features include: • Speed control • Forward direction • Reverse direction • Stop • Additional command support Because control is wireless, you canwalk around your layout while operating trains**, just like with professional wireless throttle systems. --- A Major Upgrade for Traditional DC Layouts Poor Man’s Throttle works especially well with classic DC transformers. Instead of using the transformer to regulate speed, the transformer is set tofull powerwhile Poor Man’s Throttle performs the motor control using PWM. This approach provides: • smoother slow-speed operation • higher starting torque • reduced transformer noise • modern wireless control for classic layouts --- Perfect for Dead-Rail Builders The system also works extremely well withdead-rail locomotivespowered by onboard batteries. Builders commonly use: • cordless tool batteries (DeWalt, Milwaukee, Ryobi, etc.) • lithium battery packs • LiPo or lithium-ion cells • NiMH packs • other hobby batteries This flexibility allows hobbyists to useinexpensive, widely available power sources**. --- A DIY System That Costs Around $20 A typical Poor Man’s Throttle hardware build costs about: • ESP32 development board • IBT-2 motor driver • 5V logic power module Total hardware cost is oftenaround $20 per locomotive**. Many builders already have some of these parts available. --- Built for the Model Railroad Community Poor Man’s Throttle was created to makewireless train control accessible to everyone**. Instead of expensive proprietary systems, this project focuses on: • simple hardware • open DIY building • affordable components • sharing knowledge with the hobby community The goal is simple: **Give model railroaders a powerful wireless throttle they can build themselves.** --- Who This App Is For This app is ideal for: • model railroad hobbyists • dead-rail builders • DC layout operators • electronics makers and tinkerers • DIY train control enthusiasts Bothbeginner buildersandadvanced hobbyistscan use the system. --- Learn More Hardware build guides, documentation, and project information are available through the Poor Man’s Throttle project resources. https://github.com/jamocle/PoorMansThrottle-DIY/blob/main/README.md Build your own throttle. Control your trains wirelessly. Keep the hobby affordable.
NetTether
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Your old PC is sitting there with terabytes of unused storage. NetTether puts it to work. Plug the NetTether dongle into your Windows PC, install the companion client, and this free app turns your phone into a remote control for all that storage — from anywhere in the world. Subscribe to NetTether PRO and enjoy uncapped high-speed forwarding plus 300 GB of high-speed data every month — perfect for 4K streaming, fast downloads, and seamless backups, all at one simple price. NetTether PRO subscriptions auto-renew at the end of each billing period until cancelled. You can manage or cancel your subscription anytime via your Apple Account Settings. Privacy Policy:https://looda.net/privacy Terms of Use:https://looda.net/terms
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Poor Man's Throttle at none against NetTether's 2. Poor Man's Throttle also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. NetTether sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $7.99 per month. Poor Man's Throttle asks for nothing beyond the download.
Poor Man's Throttle ships an update every 3 days, NetTether every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 10, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Poor Man's Throttle | NetTether |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 4 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 3 days — better | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 110 MB | 118 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | James Theimer | AVORA TECH COMPANY LIMITED |
In-app purchases
Poor Man's Throttle
No in-app purchases
NetTether
- NetTether Pro Monthly$7.991 Month
- NetTether Pro Annual$79.901 Year









