# Mini Metro vs Universal Paperclips™

The clearest difference is rating: Mini Metro at 4.9 against Universal Paperclips™'s 4.5. Mini Metro also leads on ratings volume (31K vs 303) and review sentiment (88% vs 66%). Universal Paperclips™'s advantage is price ($1.99 vs $3.99). On update cadence, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Mini Metro costs $3.99 and Universal Paperclips™ $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Mini Metro holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mini Metro has 31K ratings behind it against 303, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 88% of Mini Metro's written reviews are positive against 66% of Universal Paperclips™'s.

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, Universal Paperclips™ every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mini Metro | Universal Paperclips™ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **$1.99** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (31K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959/reviews)** | [4.5 (303 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **31K** | 303 |
| Positive reviews | **87.6% of reviews** | 65.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Paid | Paid |
| Best chart rank | **#26** | #47 |
| Size | 179 MB | 73 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dinosaur Polo Club](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119391227) | [Everybody House Games, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1112055587) |

## What reviewers say

### Mini Metro

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959)

**Currently charting:** #26 Top Paid · Simulation, #28 Top Paid · Strategy, #62 Top Paid · Games, #92 Top Paid (US App Store)

Design and manage a subway system for a growing city. Draw lines, start trains, and adapt your network as new stations open. Strategically use limited resources to keep the city moving and achieve the highest score.

**Highlights:** Design subway maps, Draw lines between stations, Manage train routes, Adapt to random city growth, Utilize limited resources, Over two dozen real-world cities, Variety of upgrades

**Features:** iMessage stickers, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple and relaxing gameplay
- 🎨 Beautiful minimalist design
- ⏱️ Addictive and time-killing
- 🌐 Wide variety of cities to play
- 💰 Good value for money

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Trains skipping stations
- 🤯 Overwhelming difficulty at times
- 🔍 Lack of clear instructions
- 🔀 Difficulty removing/rerouting lines
- 🕰️ No ability to save progress

**Reported bugs**

- Leaderboard issues with daily challenges
- Crashes and compatibility problems on certain devices
- Unexpected behavior when trains skip stations

**Requested features**

- Undo/redo functionality
- Ability to create branching lines
- More detailed statistics and analytics
- Additional game modes (e.g. career, scenarios)
- Integration with real-world transit data


### Universal Paperclips™

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/universal-paperclips/id1300634274)

**Currently charting:** #47 Top Paid · Strategy, #48 Top Paid · Simulation, #123 Top Paid · Games, #195 Top Paid (US App Store)

Become a super-powered AI focused on creating an unstoppable paperclip empire. This idle management strategy simulation game offers full gameplay without ads or in-app purchases.

**Highlights:** AI paperclip maximization, Idle management gameplay, Strategy simulation, Empire building, Full gameplay, No ads, No in-app purchases

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Simple but addictive gameplay
- 👍 Engaging and clever concept
- 💡 Interesting philosophical elements
- 🚀 Surprisingly deep and replayable

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches, especially in later stages
- 🔋 High battery consumption
- 😞 Lack of offline progress or background play
- 😞 Poorly optimized for iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Drones gifts getting stuck at NaN
- Inability to progress past certain stages due to bugs
- Inconsistent behavior when closing and reopening the app
- Resets or loss of progress after updates

**Requested features**

- Dark mode option
- Ability to save and resume progress across devices
- Offline/background progress
- Better iPad optimization with multi-column layout


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mini Metro free?

Mini Metro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Universal Paperclips™ free?

Universal Paperclips™ costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Mini Metro or Universal Paperclips™?

Mini Metro is rated higher. Mini Metro averages 4.9 out of 5 from 31K ratings, while Universal Paperclips™ averages 4.5 from 303 ratings.

### Do Mini Metro or Universal Paperclips™ have ads?

Neither Mini Metro nor Universal Paperclips™ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mini Metro or Universal Paperclips™?

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, and Universal Paperclips™ every 3 months. Most recently, Mini Metro was updated on September 29, 2026 and Universal Paperclips™ on September 26, 2026.

### Which is more popular, Mini Metro or Universal Paperclips™?

Mini Metro currently peaks at #26 in the App Store charts, and Universal Paperclips™ at #47. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

---

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