# Mini Metro vs Hydro Loops

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.

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | Mini Metro | Hydro Loops |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | $3.99 | **Free** |
| Rating | **[4.9 (32K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mini-metro/id837860959/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **32K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 88.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 days** |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Best chart rank | **#20** | — |
| Size | 191 MB | 122 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Dinosaur Polo Club](https://appshunter.io/developer/1119391227) | [OLDRICH KUCINA](https://appshunter.io/developer/6796052177) |

## What reviewers say

### Mini Metro

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

**Currently charting:** #20 Top Paid · Strategy, #25 Top Paid · Simulation, #56 Top Paid · Games, #96 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


### Hydro Loops

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hydro-loops-water-ring-toss/id6803978459)

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

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Remove Ads Forever | $2.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked 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.

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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.*