Trans4motor vs Engine Lab
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Trans4motor
Explore the mechanics of 4-stroke engines with this interactive simulator. Visualize the transformation of various engine types and understand their internal workings through detailed CG animation. Enhance your knowledge with adjustable settings and realistic engine sound options.
- Multi-cylinder engine transformation
- Realistic engine sound (in-app purchase)
- Accelerator control simulation
- Expandable engine library
- Custom engine registration and editing
- Interactive educational videos
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Trans4motor is a simulator where you can control the movements of single cylinder to 12 cylinder 4 stroke engines on the iPad/iPhone. Recommended to anyone interested in car and motorcycle engines. This is for those who have a relentless love for engines and want to enhance their knowledge. #3 Top Paid iPad App in Japan #5 Top Paid iPhone App in Japan https://www.youtube.com/user/Trans4motor https://www.facebook.com/Trans4motor Features 1) Seamlessly transforms into different type of engines Select from inline to V-type, or other multi-cylinder engines, and watch the running engines transform over continuous CG animation. Enjoy watching the inline engine camshaft separate into two parts as it transforms into the V-type engine and how phase angle modulation between cylinders makes the crankshaft rotate, separate, and combine into many engine formations. 2) Add Engine Sound (In-App Purchase) Developed in technical collaboration with "CAI MEDIA CO.,LTD.", the developer of the iPhone app featuring innovative synthetic engine sound, "RealEngineSim" this new feature will add a variety of realistic engine sounds ranging from different number of cylinders to explosions with unequal intervals and cylinder rest. Engine Sound Add-On is available via In-App Purchase. 3) Accelerator Control Accelerator control is available during engine sound replay. Tilt iPhone to different degrees as if pressing the accelerator pedal. Tilt forward horizontally (as if pressing the accelerator) to activate the accelerator, and erect vertically (as if releasing the accelerator) to deactivate it. Furthermore, you can race the engine by tapping the center of rev counter. 4) Addition/expansion of engines There are currently 22 types of engines registered. Through automatic network updates, continuous expansion is planned. In addition, there are functions installed that allow users to newly register and edit engines. Able to adjust setting for engine bore stroke, firing order, and ignition timing. Easily replicate on the iPad, engines with unequal combustion intervals for two-wheelers, Inline-four crossplane or V5. 5) Interactive Movie ·Four-stroke engines ·Firing Order ·V Angle Recorded 3 controllable presentation videos. The company and product names used within the application are generally registered trademarks or trademarks of the respective companies. The objective of this application is to upload engine specifications disclosed to the public and to learn about general information regarding engines. It does not accurately replicate actual machine measurements and designs. The CG animated engine rotates at one tenth of the actual speed to enable users to learn the structure and to enjoy the visual.
Engine Lab
Explore engine mechanics with a touch-first simulator. Build, tune, and test custom engines, observing animations and hearing synthesized exhaust sounds. Export your creations as WAV files.
- Touch-first engine simulation
- Build and save custom engines
- Tune engine parameters
- Simulated dyno pulls
- Crank and piston animation
- Native exhaust synthesis
- Export WAV audio
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Engine Lab is a touch-first engine simulator for exploring how throttle, RPM, torque, manifold pressure, AFR, crank angle, firing order, and drivetrain state move together. Drive five native engine-sim profiles: Inline-4 Prototype, CH270 Single, BMW S54 I6, Audi 2.2 I5, and Chevrolet LS 6.2 V8. Build and save custom engines, tune rev limit, idle, ignition advance, cam timing, detail, and audio mix, then run simulated dyno pulls and compare local history. Watch the crank and pistons animate, hear native exhaust synthesis, and export a WAV generated by the same on-device simulator. No account, network service, or microphone permission is required. Values are simulated/live estimates for interactive exploration, not certified engineering measurements.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Trans4motor at 56% against Engine Lab's 0%. Trans4motor also leads on rating (3.7 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (70 vs 1). Engine Lab's advantage is price (Free vs $2.99) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and 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
Engine Lab is free to download; Trans4motor costs $2.99 up front. Trans4motor sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and Engine Lab sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
Trans4motor holds the better App Store score, 3.7 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Trans4motor has 70 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Trans4motor's written reviews are positive against 0% of Engine Lab's.
Trans4motor ships an update every 2 months, Engine Lab every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Trans4motor | Engine Lab |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.7 (70 ratings) — better | 3.0 (1 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.1% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 70 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 9 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 24 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kitt Peak, Inc. | Jan Sokol |
Customer experience
Trans4motor
Engine Lab
In-app purchases
Trans4motor
- Add Engine Sound$1.99
Engine Lab
- Engine Lab Pro$4.99
Questions
Is Trans4motor free?
Is Engine Lab free?
Which has better reviews, Trans4motor or Engine Lab?
Do Trans4motor or Engine Lab have ads?
Which is updated more often, Trans4motor or Engine Lab?
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