Comparison

Surgeon Simulator vs SimplePlanes

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

Head to head
About

Surgeon Simulator

Take on the role of a surgeon with shaky hands and attempt to save a patient through a series of increasingly absurd surgical procedures. Experience hilarious failures and unexpected outcomes as you operate.

Highlights
  • Perform absurd surgeries
  • Alien autopsy transplants
  • Heart and kidney transplants
  • Teeth and eyes transplants
  • Operate in hospital corridors
  • New control system
  • Unlock achievements
  • Multiplayer mode
Features
Read full description

You are the surgeon. Bob is the victim. Do your worst! More difficult than real surgery! Can you rise to the challenge? Take urgent care of the world's unluckiest patient, Bob, with your very own shaky hands. As the would-be surgeon Nigel Burke, perform all kinds of crazy surgeries to try to save his life -- or fail hilariously in the process while poor Bob... Well, dies. Join the ranks of more than three million players who butchered Bob for the amusement of 250 million people who watched the failed surgeries on YouTube, now from the comfort of your awesome iPhone / iPad, anytime, anywhere. Hospitals don't get any better than this, really. - Over 3 Million units sold Worldwide! - No. 1 Paid App on App Store Charts - March 2017 - BAFTA 2014 Nominee: Strategy and Simulation - Mobile Entertainment Awards 2014: Best Design - Develop 2013 Awards Nominee: Best New IP "Some of the most fun you can have screwing up" - IGN "The world's hardest game" - redbull.com "Bob! Booooob! Don't die on me, Bob!" - PewDiePie "Where's the %$£%$@£ heart?!? It's gone! It's on the floor now, and I don't think the 5 seconds rule apply, dude!" - RoosterTeeth "Shhhhh. I Doctor Now." - Anonymous meme creator. Awesome work, mate! You should have signed it, though... In this spiffy version of the classic game, you'll find: - Six Alien Autopsy transplants, featuring organs you’ve never heard of (and will barely be able to pronounce); - The trusty Heart and Double-Kidney transplants; - Two new surgeries: Give Bob a smile with Teeth transplant, and a great look with Eyes transplant; - Feeling lucky? Abandon the Operation Theatre and try your hand on a moving trolley in the hospital corridors; - Brand-new control system: gone is Nigel's left arm, in are your nimble fingers; - More than 50 new achievements to unlock and prove you rule; - Tons more we won't tell you so we don't spoil the surprise; - Multiplayer. Show your friends who's the boss. It's a good day to save lives.

About

SimplePlanes

Design, build, and fly your own aircraft with realistic physics. Explore a vast community-created library of over 250,000 planes or test your creations in challenging scenarios.

Highlights
  • Build custom airplanes with modular parts
  • Realistic flight physics simulation
  • Download over 250,000 community-created aircraft
  • Engage in flight challenges
  • Sandbox mode for unrestricted building
  • Educational tutorials on airplane design
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Build airplanes by snapping parts together, designing wing sections, and attaching engines. At any time, you can strap yourself into the cockpit and see how it flies with realistic physics. If you're not in the mood for building, over 250,000 airplanes are available to download for free. BUILD AIRPLANES You have the tools you'll need to bring any airplane to life. Snap parts together to build your airplane's body. Place engines to add thrust. Design and attach wings and then strap yourself into the cockpit and see how it flies. DOWNLOAD AIRPLANES Over 250,000 airplanes are available to download for free from SimplePlanes.com. Find anything from old WW2 bombers to next-generation fighters to sci-fi spacecraft. You can upload your own airplanes and rise through the ranks from a bronze builder to a gold level builder. DYNAMIC FLIGHT MODEL Flight simulation at its finest. Every little change you make in the designer impacts how the airplane flies. Weight distribution, thrust, lift, and drag are all calculated continuously while flying. Parts can break off in spectacular fashion while flying due to over-stress or by hitting something. The fun won't stop there though. You can keep on flying even with a missing wing if you've got the skills. SANDBOX MODE Use all available parts to build airplanes with no restrictions. The sky is the limit. Literally. CHALLENGES Climb into the cockpit of one of your custom aircraft and see how it does in the challenges. Land on aircraft carriers, dodge surface-to-air missiles, race through courses, and so much more. EDUCATIONAL Tutorials will help players learn the basics of real airplane design and the considerations that need to be taken when airplanes are made.

Screenshots

Surgeon Simulator4 screens
SimplePlanes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: SimplePlanes at 4.6 against Surgeon Simulator's 3.8. SimplePlanes also leads on review sentiment (84% vs 56%). Surgeon Simulator's advantage is price ($4.99 vs $5.99) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 12.0). On ratings volume, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Surgeon Simulator costs $4.99 and SimplePlanes $5.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SimplePlanes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1.1K and 3K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Surgeon Simulator's written reviews are positive against 84% of SimplePlanes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 months. Both last shipped on October 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Surgeon Simulator versus SimplePlanes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurgeon SimulatorSimplePlanes
Price$4.99 — better$5.99
Rating3.8 (1.1K ratings)4.6 (3K ratings) — better
Positive reviews56.0% of reviews83.5% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1.1K3K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#116#74 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better12.0
Further details — not scored
Size491 MB335 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperInfogrames LLCJundroo, LLC

Customer experience

Surgeon Simulator

All ratings1,067 ratings
Positive69.8%
Neutral5.8%
Negative24.4%
Written reviews825 reviews
Positive56.0%
Neutral9.7%
Negative34.3%

SimplePlanes

All ratings3,024 ratings
Positive89.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative7.1%
Written reviews875 reviews
Positive83.5%
Neutral5.4%
Negative11.1%

User reviews

Surgeon Simulator

From 1.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🤌 Fun and entertaining
  • 👍 Good graphics
  • 🚀 Challenging gameplay

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • 🤯 Frustrating controls
  • 🤔 Limited number of levels

SimplePlanes

From 3K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Fun and creative sandbox
  • 🚀 Powerful building mechanics
  • 📥 Ability to download community-created planes
  • 🎨 Customizable vehicles
  • ⚙️ Realistic physics

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Bugs and glitches (crashes, invisible collisions, control issues)
  • 🚫 Lack of mod support on mobile
  • 🌍 Limited map/island selection on mobile
  • 🔍 Difficulty finding/downloading larger planes on mobile
  • 🎮 Awkward mobile controls

Bugs and requests

Surgeon Simulator

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Game crashes on certain levels
  • Controls are unresponsive at times
  • Achievements reset when exiting the game

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add more surgery types (brain, ambulance, TF2)
  • Improve controls and camera movement
  • Add difficulty settings
  • Fix achievement reset issue

SimplePlanes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Undo function causing plane glitches
  • Autopilot issues (retracting landing gear)
  • Invisible collision problems
  • Planes spawning in ground/air unexpectedly
  • Graphical/performance issues on older devices

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add multiplayer mode
  • Implement more advanced damage/failure models
  • Expand map selection (e.g. desert island, underwater view)
  • Improve AI behavior and add more combat-focused missions
  • Introduce new vehicle types (e.g. tanks, ships, trains)
Show 1 more
  • Add more advanced building tools (e.g. individual part movement, custom cockpits)

In-app purchases

None

Surgeon Simulator

No in-app purchases

None

SimplePlanes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Surgeon Simulator free?
Surgeon Simulator costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is SimplePlanes free?
SimplePlanes costs $5.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Surgeon Simulator or SimplePlanes?
SimplePlanes is rated higher. Surgeon Simulator averages 3.8 out of 5 from 1.1K ratings, while SimplePlanes averages 4.6 from 3K ratings.
Do Surgeon Simulator or SimplePlanes have ads?
Neither Surgeon Simulator nor SimplePlanes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Surgeon Simulator or SimplePlanes?
Surgeon Simulator ships an update every 3 months, and SimplePlanes every 3 months. Most recently, Surgeon Simulator was updated on October 1, 2026 and SimplePlanes on October 1, 2026.
Which is more popular, Surgeon Simulator or SimplePlanes?
Surgeon Simulator currently peaks at #116 in the App Store charts, and SimplePlanes at #74. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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