# TrainDesign vs minical

The clearest difference is review sentiment: minical at 100% against TrainDesign's 33%. minical also leads on price (Free vs $1.99) and rating (5.0 vs 2.3). TrainDesign's advantage is ratings volume (15 vs 1). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

minical is free to download; TrainDesign costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

minical holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TrainDesign has 15 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of TrainDesign's written reviews are positive against 100% of minical's.

TrainDesign ships an update every 4 months, minical every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | TrainDesign | minical |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $1.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | [2.3 (15 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traindesign/id820553356/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minical-minimal-calendar/id6766461609/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **15** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | **100.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 16 MB | 14 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 26.0 |
| Devices | iPad | **iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Kind of Blue](https://appshunter.io/developer/456377317) | [Lim Sangjin](https://appshunter.io/developer/1437057653) |

## What reviewers say

### TrainDesign

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/traindesign/id820553356)

Design and plan your model railroad tracks with ease. This app allows you to create custom layouts, modify track segments, and adjust curves to your specifications. Unleash your creativity and build intricate routes with intuitive touch controls.

**Highlights:** Plan model railroad tracks, Create custom track lines, Modify track segments (orient, stretch, shrink), Adjust curve width, angle, and radius, Determine track altitude, Intuitive touch controls

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💰 Great value for the price
- 👍 Intuitive and easy to use (initially)
- 💡 Customizable track designs
- ✅ Useful for planning layouts
- 🌍 Supports various gauges/scales and manufacturers

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent bugs and glitches
- ❌ Unstable and crashes often
- 🚫 Editor not working properly
- 🪲 Track pieces not connecting/aligning
- 🔧 Difficult to rotate/move track pieces

**Reported bugs**

- App locks up after selecting first track
- Saving changes to existing layouts results in original disappearing
- Cannot move selected track
- Rotate icon greys out after one rotation
- App crashes on load

**Requested features**

- Add more track libraries (e.g., Rokuhan Z, Hornby, Lionel Fastrack, Realtrax, Fleishmann profi ho)
- Improve track connection and alignment
- Fix rotation and movement issues for track pieces
- Add a 'save as' function for layouts
- Include inch/feet measurement options


### minical

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minical-minimal-calendar/id6766461609)

Consolidate all your events from linked calendars, iCloud, and system calendars into a single, color-coded view. See your entire month at a glance, get event countdowns, and utilize home screen widgets and lock screen wallpapers to stay organized without opening the app.

**Highlights:** Unified event display, Month, week, day views, Home and lock screen widgets, Auto-refreshing wallpaper, Natural-language quick add, Two-way calendar sync, Apple Watch app and complications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is TrainDesign free?

TrainDesign costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is minical free?

minical is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, TrainDesign or minical?

minical is rated higher. TrainDesign averages 2.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while minical averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do TrainDesign or minical have ads?

Neither TrainDesign nor minical shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, TrainDesign or minical?

TrainDesign ships an update every 4 months, and minical every 5 days. Most recently, TrainDesign was updated on October 21, 2026 and minical on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*