# SimCity BuildIt vs Bit City

The clearest difference is rating: Bit City at 4.6 against SimCity BuildIt's 4.1. Bit City also leads on review sentiment (79% vs 49%). SimCity BuildIt's advantage is update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (86K vs 8.5K). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. SimCity BuildIt sells 10 one-off in-app purchases and Bit City sells 5 one-off in-app purchases. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Bit City holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SimCity BuildIt has 86K ratings behind it against 8.5K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 49% of SimCity BuildIt's written reviews are positive against 79% of Bit City's.

SimCity BuildIt ships an update every 3 weeks, Bit City every 2 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | SimCity BuildIt | Bit City |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.1 (86K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simcity-buildit/id913292932/reviews) | **[4.6 (8.5K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bit-city-building-evolution/id914343148/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **86K** | 8.5K |
| Positive reviews | 49.2% of reviews | **78.8% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 3 weeks** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#59** | — |
| Size | 345 MB | 288 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 9+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Electronic Arts](https://appshunter.io/developer/284800461) | [NimbleBit LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/285808572) |

## What reviewers say

### SimCity BuildIt

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/simcity-buildit/id913292932)

**Currently charting:** #59 Top Grossing · Simulation, #69 Top Free · Strategy, #83 Top Grossing · Strategy, #150 Top Free · Simulation (US App Store)

Design and build a bustling city metropolis, managing resources, citizen happiness, and urban challenges like traffic and pollution. Trade with other players, compete in city wars, and unlock unique landmarks and regional styles to create your dream city.

**Highlights:** Design and build city metropolis, Manage citizen happiness and services, Solve urban challenges like traffic, Trade with other players, Compete in Club Wars and contests, Unlock landmarks and regional styles, Build and customize train networks

**In-app purchases (10)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Small Daily SimCash | $0.99 | one-time |
| Pocketful of SimCash 3 | $1.99 | one-time |
| Premium Vu Pass Level I | $2.99 | one-time |
| Pocketful of SimCash | $4.99 | one-time |
| Premium Vu Pass Level II | $5.99 | one-time |
| Premium Mayor's Pass + | $8.99 | one-time |
| Little Stack of SimCash | $9.99 | one-time |
| Nice Pile of SimCash | $19.99 | one-time |
| Briefcase of SimCash | $34.99 | one-time |
| Big Sack of SimCash | $49.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🌟 Great game
- 🌇 Beautiful graphics
- 🕹️ Enjoyable gameplay
- 🤝 Supportive club community
- 🕰️ Relaxing and not too demanding

**What reviewers complain about**

- 💰 Expensive in-app purchases
- 🕰️ Slow progression without paying
- 🔍 Difficult to find needed items
- 🤖 Aggressive monetization tactics
- 🤯 Frustrating club war mechanics

**Reported bugs**

- Cars phasing through trains
- Inconsistent traffic patterns
- Disappearing delivery trucks
- Frequent crashes and connection issues

**Requested features**

- Add city layout editor
- Allow raising/lowering train tracks
- Improve free-to-play experience
- Introduce search function for trade depot
- Add option to disable construction bubbles


### Bit City

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bit-city-building-evolution/id914343148)

Develop a small town into a bustling metropolis in this idle city-building simulation. Earn profits, invest in upgrades, and unlock new buildings and vehicles to expand your urban landscape. Customize your city with famous landmarks.

**Highlights:** City building simulation, Idle gameplay, Profit collection, Upgrade investments, Unlock new buildings, Vehicle collection, Landmark customization

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

**In-app purchases (5)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pension Pig | $2.99 | one-time |
| Stack of Bux | $4.99 | one-time |
| Infinite Double Time | $4.99 | one-time |
| Bag of Bux | $9.99 | one-time |
| Vault of Bux | $19.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and easy to play
- 🚀 Addictive gameplay
- 💎 Great for casual time-wasting
- 🎨 Charming pixel art style

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🕰️ Slow progression and repetitive gameplay
- 🔀 Inability to rotate buildings
- 🤑 Expensive special buildings
- 🤔 Prestige feature not as beneficial as expected

**Reported bugs**

- Prestige feature not working as intended
- Occasional crashes and progress loss
- Ads sometimes freeze the app

**Requested features**

- Ability to rotate buildings
- Option to choose building types
- Ability to visit and upgrade past cities
- More city themes and building variety
- Collect all vehicle earnings at once


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SimCity BuildIt free?

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

### Is Bit City free?

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

### Which has better reviews, SimCity BuildIt or Bit City?

Bit City is rated higher. SimCity BuildIt averages 4.1 out of 5 from 86K ratings, while Bit City averages 4.6 from 8.5K ratings.

### Do SimCity BuildIt or Bit City have ads?

Both SimCity BuildIt and Bit City show ads.

### Which is updated more often, SimCity BuildIt or Bit City?

SimCity BuildIt ships an update every 3 weeks, and Bit City every 2 months. Most recently, SimCity BuildIt was updated on September 24, 2026 and Bit City on September 24, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*