TrainDesign vs Workshop Planner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TrainDesign
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.
- 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
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TrainDesign is born with the purpose to plan your model railroad track. In a few minutes you can create lines of any kind. Using a set of tracks you can choose the type of binary-to-use, orient, stretch or shrink it. The curves can be modified to width angle and radius of curvature. TrainDesign stands out for its ease of use and the versatility, giving space for creativity. You will learn that it is very easy to edit lines, determine the altitude, change every single piece in an intuitive and simple manner. With only the use of your fingers, you can create small or large tracks, focus on building a single part using the touch or see the route as a whole.
Workshop Planner
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Workshop Planner helps you lay out your workshop, garage or shop to scale — so you know what fits before you move a single machine. Scan your room with LiDAR or enter the dimensions by hand, then drop in tablesaws, benches, storage and more as accurately-sized footprints. Every tool carries a real working-clearance zone, so you can see whether you've left room to actually use it. PLAN IN 2D • Clean, top-down blueprint with grid and snap-to-grid • Drag to move, pinch to zoom, drag corners to resize, two-finger rotate • Working-clearance zones around every machine • Doors, windows and roller doors on any wall • Collision flagging when items or clearances overlap • Live readouts: floor area, total footprint, item count • Metric or imperial, accurate to the millimetre SEE IT IN 3D • Interactive 3D view of your whole plan • On LiDAR devices, your actual scanned room becomes the 3D shell • Wall-mounted items and upper cabinets, using captured wall height BUILT FOR THE JOB • A catalogue of common machines, benches and storage with sensible default sizes and clearances • Add custom items at any size • Note power type (240V/110V/3-phase), dust extraction and mobile bases • Pin reference photos anywhere on the plan • Export your plan to PDF or PNG to print or share • Multiple saved projects PRIVATE BY DESIGN Everything stays on your device. No account, no cloud, no tracking — and no subscriptions. Pay once, plan forever. LiDAR scanning requires a device with a LiDAR scanner (iPhone Pro models and iPad Pro). Any device can plan a room by entering dimensions manually.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TrainDesign at $1.99 against Workshop Planner's $4.99. Workshop Planner's advantage is iOS requirement (17.0 vs 26.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support 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
TrainDesign costs $1.99 and Workshop Planner $4.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
| Parameter | TrainDesign | Workshop Planner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $1.99 — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 2.4 (14 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 33.3% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 14 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPad | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 1 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kind of Blue | Level44 |
Bugs and requests
TrainDesign
Reported bugs
18 issues- 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
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- Editor does not work, cannot rotate pieces
- Cannot place track where desired
- Small graphics on black background make components hard to see
- Zooming is sketchy, losing track
- Cannot switch red dot to continue with different track
- Pinch gesture sends track work out of view, becomes unselectable
- Turntable not available as shown in demo
- App keeps freezing
- Switches are not calibrated correctly
- Layout limited to about 5’ X 5’ for movement
- Zooming in/out is problematic outside the 5x5 zone
- Flex track shaping is difficult
- Simple oval has misaligned track pieces
Requested features
11 requests- 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
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- Add a tutorial or help screens
- Allow using track from multiple manufacturers in one plan
- Add models of coaches to visualize train appearance on curves
- Improve zooming and panning functionality
- Add print function for plans and parts lists
- Support for Mac
Workshop Planner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TrainDesign
No in-app purchases
Workshop Planner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TrainDesign free?
Is Workshop Planner free?
Do TrainDesign or Workshop Planner have ads?
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