Comparison

TrainDesign vs ArcSite

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

Head to head
About

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.

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
Read full description

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.

About

ArcSite

This app allows contractors to create accurate floor plans and site layouts directly on-site. It streamlines the process of planning remodels, running takeoffs, generating professional proposals, and collecting payments, all from a mobile device.

Highlights
  • Sketch accurate floor plans on-site
  • Plan remodels and renovations
  • Run takeoff and generate material lists
  • Create professional proposals and estimates
  • Collect payment within the app
  • Scan rooms with LiDAR and AR (Pro devices)
Features
Read full description

ArcSite is the perfect CAD sketch and design tool for all levels, from beginners sketching out floor plans to experienced professionals taking on complex projects. No matter your experience, ArcSite puts intuitive CAD within everyone's reach. ArcSite goes beyond design: start with a drawing to capture data, calculate material quantities, and instantly create estimates and job reports in one place. Once you’re finished drawing with ArcSite’s floor plan creator, you can easily share and collaborate on projects, generate professional proposals, material lists, and estimates, and accept payments from anywhere. INTUITIVE CAD SKETCH & DRAWING TOOLS FOR ROOM & HOUSE DESIGN - *AI Trace: Sketch it, scan it, see your space. Turn a hand sketch, photo, or PDF into an editable, to-scale floor plan. *only available for iPad; iPhone features coming soon - Advanced 2D CAD-level precision without the CAD learning curve. - Create CAD floor plans from a map: Start a new drawing using a satellite image as your base. Enter an address to find a location, then zoom in or out to set boundaries; the scale will be set automatically. - Designed for everyone: Easy for first-time users, precise enough for professionals. - Export, Cloud sync, and collaborate: Your room design drawings export to PNG/PDF/DXF/DWG, save to the cloud, and (for professional users) flow directly into material takeoffs, estimates, and signed proposals. - Send proposals: Access Proposal Generation (based on your drawing). - Communicate visual context: Add location-based photos with markup to highlight project issues instantly for teams or customers. WORK FASTER & STAY ORGANIZED WITH FIELD-LEVEL PRECISION - Keep all of your project details in one place. - Customize products, forms, material types, quantity calculations, and pricing to match your data requirements. - Our mobile CAD app offers unmatched accuracy, whether with exact-to-scale drawings or quantities of materials and pricing. - Draw to scale with confidence: Our mobile CAD app makes it easy to get accurate measurements and pricing, every time. - Security - SOC 2 Type II compliant and ISO/IEC 27001 certified. SMART FEATURES FOR CAD FLOOR PLANS - *AR Room Scanner: Scan a room or space with your phone or iPad camera and get a scaled floor plan placed directly in the drawing canvas, no manual measuring. *only for Apple Pro devices - Smart Shapes and parametric objects: Walls, doors, windows, and shapes can snap into place, auto-count, and adjust as you draw or resize. - Quick-start template gallery: Pre-built templates save you time. WHO USES ARCSITE? - Sales Teams - Residential Contractors - Fencing Pros - Foundation Repair Experts - Designers, Architects - Creative Homeowners - Remodeling Pros - Inspectors - Auditors - General Contractors - And more WHAT ARE PEOPLE SAYING ABOUT ARCSITE? "I haven't found anything else that comes close to meeting my needs. With ArcSite I save hours on every estimate. Very easy to make accurate and professional-looking drawings, while on-site." - Colin, from JES Foundation Repair "In my opinion, there is no better program for our line of work, we will be much more productive in the long term." - Paul from Johnson Controls TERMS Free 14-day trial on all plans Terms of Service: https://www.arcsite.com/legal/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.iubenda.com/privacy-policy/184541 To continue using ArcSite after your trial, purchase a monthly or annual subscription plan (Draw Basic, Draw Pro, Takeoff, or Estimate). Each tier offers different features; details are in-app. AUTO-RENEWABLE SUBSCRIPTION INFO * Payment charged to Apple Account at confirmation of purchase * Subscription renews unless auto-renew is turned off 24 hours before the current period ends * Renewal charged within 24 hours before the end of the current period * Manage subscriptions or turn off auto-renewal in Account Settings after purchase * Unused portion of a free trial is forfeited upon subscription purchase

Screenshots

ArcSite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: ArcSite at Free against TrainDesign's $1.99. ArcSite also leads on rating (4.7 vs 2.3) and update cadence (weekly vs every 4 months). TrainDesign's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 11). On ads 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

ArcSite is free to download; TrainDesign costs $1.99 up front. ArcSite sells 11 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. TrainDesign asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

ArcSite holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ArcSite has 9.2K ratings behind it against 15, 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 45% of ArcSite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

TrainDesign ships an update every 4 months, ArcSite weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard10 real differences · 1 level
TrainDesign versus ArcSite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrainDesignArcSite
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating2.3 (15 ratings)4.7 (9.2K ratings) — better
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews45.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings159.2K — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank—#185 — better
DevicesiPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS26.015.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size16 MB242 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperKind of BlueArctuition LLC

Customer experience

TrainDesign

All ratings14 ratings
Positive28.6%
Neutral14.3%
Negative57.1%
Written reviews57 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral17.5%
Negative49.1%

ArcSite

All ratings9,198 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral1.8%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews609 reviews
Positive45.2%
Neutral12.5%
Negative42.4%

User reviews

TrainDesign

From 15 App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

ArcSite

From 9.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy and powerful tool
  • 👍 User-friendly and intuitive
  • 👍 Works great on all devices
  • 👍 Helps create accurate plans
  • 👍 Useful for various projects

Room to improve

  • 💰 Expensive subscription
  • 🔒 Difficult to cancel subscription
  • 🐛 Drawings disappearing
  • 🐛 Measurements issues
  • 🐛 Frequent crashes

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
Show 13 more
  • 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
Show 6 more
  • 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

ArcSite

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Drawings not opening
  • Walls not connecting properly
  • Dimensions constantly shifting
  • Unexpected auto-merging of objects

Requested features

5 requests
  • 3D support
  • More affordable pricing options
  • One-time purchase option
  • Improved export options
  • Better layering and floor management

In-app purchases

None

TrainDesign

No in-app purchases

11 purchases

ArcSite

Subscriptions11
  • Draw Basic$14.991 Month
  • Draw Basic14 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Draw Pro$34.991 Month
Show 8 more
  • Draw Pro14 Days trial$34.991 Month
  • Draw Basic (Yearly)$119.991 Year
  • Advanced$119.991 Month
  • Advanced14 Days trial$119.991 Month
  • Takeoff$119.991 Month
  • Takeoff14 Days trial$119.991 Month
  • Estimate14 Days trial$159.991 Month
  • Estimate$159.991 Month

Questions

Is TrainDesign free?
TrainDesign costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is ArcSite free?
ArcSite is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, TrainDesign or ArcSite?
ArcSite is rated higher. TrainDesign averages 2.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while ArcSite averages 4.7 from 9.2K ratings.
Do TrainDesign or ArcSite have ads?
Neither TrainDesign nor ArcSite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, TrainDesign or ArcSite?
TrainDesign ships an update every 4 months, and ArcSite weekly. Most recently, TrainDesign was updated on October 21, 2026 and ArcSite on October 26, 2026.

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