# Mini Metro vs Shapez

The clearest difference is price: Shapez at Free against Mini Metro's $3.99. Mini Metro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (89% vs 54%). On update cadence, ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Shapez is free to download; Mini Metro costs $3.99 up front. Shapez sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Mini Metro asks for nothing beyond the download.

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 32K ratings behind it against 1.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 89% of Mini Metro's written reviews are positive against 54% of Shapez's.

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, Shapez every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 4, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mini Metro | Shapez |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (32K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959/reviews)** | [4.5 (1.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shapez-factory-game/id6450830779/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **32K** | 1.5K |
| Positive reviews | **88.8% of reviews** | 53.9% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | Paid | **Free with in-app purchases** |
| Best chart rank | **#22** | — |
| Size | 191 MB | 240 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dinosaur Polo Club](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119391227) | [Playdigious](https://appshunter.io/developer/1041387229) |

## What reviewers say

### Mini Metro

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

**Currently charting:** #22 Top Paid · Strategy, #26 Top Paid · Simulation, #57 Top Paid · Games, #101 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


### Shapez

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/shapez-factory-game/id6450830779)

Build automated factories to produce increasingly complex geometric shapes. Experiment with tools to design your factory, extract and mix colors, and scale production on an infinite map. Enjoy a relaxed, minimalist experience with a soothing soundtrack.

**Highlights:** Automated shape production, Complex shape creation, Color extraction and mixing, Infinite map exploration, Factory optimization, Minimalist art style

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Unlock Full Game | $6.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 👍 Great mobile adaptation
- 💡 Relaxing factory building
- 🚀 Satisfying automation

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy and glitchy
- 🔒 Requires internet connection to play
- 🔒 Can't use existing PC purchases
- 👎 Clunky controls and UI

**Reported bugs**

- Save data corruption and loss of progress
- Conveyor belt orientation issues
- Inconsistent performance and frame rate drops
- Placement and selection bugs

**Requested features**

- Ability to sync progress across devices
- More game modes and customization options
- Improved blueprint management
- Faster time acceleration


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Mini Metro free?

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

### Is Shapez free?

Shapez is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Mini Metro or Shapez?

Mini Metro is rated higher. Mini Metro averages 4.9 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Shapez averages 4.5 from 1.5K ratings.

### Do Mini Metro or Shapez have ads?

Neither Mini Metro nor Shapez shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Mini Metro or Shapez?

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, and Shapez every 5 weeks. Most recently, Mini Metro was updated on November 4, 2026 and Shapez on November 3, 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.*