Comparison

Mini Metro vs Hydro Loops

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

Head to head
About

Mini Metro

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
Read full description

Mini Metro, the sublime subway simulator, now on iPhone and iPad. • Included in the App Store Best of 2016 • Mac Game of the Year in over 30 countries • BAFTA-nominated • IGF award-winning • IGN Mobile Game of the Year nominee • Included in Gamespot's Best Mobile Games of 2016 Mini Metro is a game about designing a subway map for a growing city. Draw lines between stations and start your trains running. As new stations open, redraw your lines to keep them efficient. Decide where to use your limited resources. How long can you keep the city moving? • Random city growth means each game is unique. • Over two dozen of real-world cities to test your planning skills. • A variety of upgrades so you can tailor your network. • Normal mode for quick scored games, Endless to relax, or Extreme for the ultimate challenge. • Build your metro exactly how you want to with the Creative mode. • Compete against the world every day in the Daily Challenge. • Colorblind and night modes. • Responsive soundtrack created by your metro system, engineered by Disasterpeace. "If you love the city-planning aspect of Sim City but can't handle the pressure of playing god, then you may have just found your new favorite time-waster." - Ashley Feinberg, Gizmodo "Take my word for it that a game about mass-transit system design can be a tense, white-knuckle thriller." - Owen Faraday, Pocket Tactics "Mini Metro: fun game simulates planning and running public transit system." - Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing

About

Hydro Loops

Features
Read full description

The pocket water game you remember - now in your phone. Press the two buttons, send jets of water swirling through the tank, and land every ring on its peg. Easy to pick up, stubbornly hard to master - exactly like the handheld toy from childhood. Only this tank sits in a sunken steampunk city: hand-painted brass and coral, fish drifting past the glass, and a crab that squats on your pegs until you deal with him. WHAT YOU GET • Two buttons, endless practice - a left jet, a right jet, and a tank full of drifting rings • Compete - timed rounds, ring combos, and a score worth chasing • Free Play - no timer, no pressure, just you and the water • The crab - deploy a shrimp to distract him before he scrambles your pegs • Leaderboards - global, by country, and private groups you open with a code and share with friends • A fresh start every Monday - weekly boards reset at midnight, so the top spot is always back within reach PLAY YOUR WAY Pick your own name and flag, or keep your country hidden. Sign in with Apple to carry your scores to another device - or don't, and everything still works right here. No subscription, no energy timers. One optional purchase removes the ads for good. Music by mum, game by dad.

Screenshots

Mini Metro4 screens
Hydro Loops4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Hydro Loops at Free against Mini Metro's $3.99. Hydro Loops also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 2 months). Mini Metro's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, Hydro Loops every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Mini Metro versus Hydro Loops: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMini MetroHydro Loops
Price$3.99Free — better
Rating4.9 (32K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews88.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings32K — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid—
Best chart rank#21 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size191 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDinosaur Polo ClubOLDRICH KUCINA

Bugs and requests

Mini Metro

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

5 requests
  • 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

Hydro Loops

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Mini Metro

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Hydro Loops

One-time1
  • Remove Ads Forever$2.99

Questions

Is Mini Metro free?
Mini Metro costs $3.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hydro Loops free?
Hydro Loops is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Mini Metro or Hydro Loops have ads?
Hydro Loops shows ads; Mini Metro does not.
Which is updated more often, Mini Metro or Hydro Loops?
Mini Metro ships an update every 2 months, and Hydro Loops every 3 days. Most recently, Mini Metro was updated on November 6, 2026 and Hydro Loops on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons