Plain Stats Plus vs Lionel LionChief
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Plain Stats Plus
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This simple app allows to compute a number of statistical properties of a sample. It supports computing minimum, maximum, range, mean, median, harmonic mean, geometric mean, mean deviation, variance, standard deviation and coefficient of variation.
Lionel LionChief
Control your Lionel LionChief and LionChief Plus locomotives directly from your iOS device. This app offers comprehensive control over your trains, including sound customization and accessory management.
- Locomotive selection via icons
- Full remote control functionality
- Individual volume controls
- Bell and whistle pitch customization
- Remote smoke on/off
- Speed limit and momentum control
- Accessory control (announcement coach, B-units)
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The Lionel LionChief App lets you control Lionel LionChief and LionChief Plus locomotives from your iOS device. Select between multiple available locomotives via icons matching the appearance of each unique engine. Once selected, the app provides all the features of the Lionel LionChief hardware remote control and adds additional features including individual volume controls, pitch customization of bell and whistle, remote smoke on/off, speed limit, momentum and more. Also controls accessories such as an announcement coach and powered or un-powered B-units.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Lionel LionChief at Free against Plain Stats Plus's $0.99. Lionel LionChief also leads on iOS requirement (10.3 vs 12.0). Plain Stats Plus's advantage is device support (4 vs 2). On update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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
Lionel LionChief is free to download; Plain Stats Plus costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Plain Stats Plus ships an update every 3 months, Lionel LionChief every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Plain Stats Plus | Lionel LionChief |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 3.6 (286 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 32.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 286 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | — | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 | 10.3 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 67 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | a Rausa | Lionel, LLC |
Bugs and requests
Plain Stats Plus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Lionel LionChief
Reported bugs
11 issues- Random disconnections every few seconds to minutes
- App freezes upon connection
- Cannot disconnect from train in settings
- Voice command closes app unexpectedly
- Voice recording doesn't save after disconnect
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- App won't close properly
- Bluetooth connection fails on iOS 16+ and iOS 17
- Engine placeholder icon displays instead of actual engine
- Slow locomotive discovery process
- App crashes during voice streaming
- Inconsistent multi-train connectivity
Requested features
11 requests- iPad-native interface with proper scaling
- Voice recording persistence after disconnect
- Legacy app with expanded features
- HO scale train support
- Custom music/audio integration
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- Updated character voices and phrases
- Better connection stability
- Landscape/portrait mode toggle
- Saved user preferences
- Support for multiple simultaneous trains
- Improved documentation and tutorials
In-app purchases
Plain Stats Plus
No in-app purchases
Lionel LionChief
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Plain Stats Plus free?
Is Lionel LionChief free?
Do Plain Stats Plus or Lionel LionChief have ads?
Which is updated more often, Plain Stats Plus or Lionel LionChief?
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