Comparison

Off the Rails® vs Night Zookeeper

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

Head to head
About

Off the Rails®

Design and build roller coasters in real-time by tilting your device. Create thrilling loops, corkscrews, and jumps while completing numerous objectives. Explore a learning section to understand the physics behind roller coaster design.

Highlights
  • Real-time roller coaster building
  • Tilt-based controls
  • 75+ game objectives
  • 14 vehicle options
  • Roller coaster physics learning section
  • Save and ride creations
  • 3D physics simulator
Features
Read full description

Imagine designing a roller coaster while you’re riding it! Off the Rails@ is a unique game that allows you to build roller coasters in real time by simply tilting your screen. Create loops, corkscrews, barrel rolls, jumps and more while earning 75+ different game objectives. Save your coaster creations and ride them again and again with your choice of 14 different vehicles. The game features stunning 3D graphics, colorful scenery and a powerful 3D physics simulator. Take a break from the game to visit the learning section where you can learn about centripetal force, G-forces and why roller coaster loops are teardrop shaped instead of circular. Enjoy hours of fun creating the roller coasters of your dreams! FEATURES: Create up to 5 player profiles Choose from 14 different vehicles Complete more than 75 game objectives Learn about roller coaster physics Save your favorite roller coasters Two different roller coaster types Intuitive game controls 3D physics simulator Realistic sound effects PRIVACY DISCLOSURE: Off the Rails@: - Does not contain 3rd party ads. - Does not contain in-app purchases. - Does not contain integration with social networks. - Does not use 3rd party analytics / data collection tools. - Does include links to apps by Dan Russell-Pinson in the iTunes App Store (via Performance Horizon). For more information on our privacy policy please visit: http://dan-russell-pinson.com/privacy/

About

Night Zookeeper

This app makes reading and writing fun for children aged 6-12. It offers mini-games, video lessons, and skill challenges covering a full English language arts curriculum. Children receive personalized feedback from tutors and earn rewards, while parents can track progress.

Highlights
  • Interactive mini-games
  • Video lessons
  • Skill challenges
  • Tutor feedback on writing
  • Parent progress tracking
  • Motivating rewards
  • Collaborative writing opportunities
Features
Read full description

The multi-award winning Night Zookeeper makes reading & writing fantastically fun and easy for 6-12 year olds. It’s trusted by thousands of parents around the world to improve their children’s spelling, grammar, reading & writing skills and really boost their confidence. The app has exciting mini games, video lessons, and skill challenges, created by educational experts and covering an entire english language arts curriculum. Children can play independently, and at their own pace, earning exciting and motivating rewards along the way. Tips from characters and inspiring prompts then help your child to write pieces of writing which our qualified tutors then read and give encouraging feedback on. This feedback can be viewed in your parent dashboard, where you can also track your child’s progress and achievements, and receive monthly printable resources. Alongside the thousands of learning activities and tutor feedback, a Night Zookeeper subscription provides your child with monthly awards, weekly writing competitions, and opportunities for collaborative writing in a safe, moderated environment. Night Zookeeper is: FUN: There are thousands of exciting and engaging activities for Grades 1 to 6. TRUSTED: An award winning program, used by thousands of families. Rated 4.7 on Trustpilot from 500+ reviews. COMPREHENSIVE: The program covers a full language arts curriculum of reading, writing, spelling, grammar & punctuation, that rewards children as they progress. SELF-PACED: Children can play independently and work through the program at their own pace. PERSONALIZED: Children get written feedback from our team of tutors on their pieces of writing- so you don't need to be the bad guy! SAFE: No in-app ads or purchases. TRACKABLE: A parent dashboard helps you to easily track your child's progress. OFFLINE & ONLINE: Free monthly printable resources are sent straight to your inbox. Users must log in with their account details to access Night Zookeeper. "There is nothing quite like Night Zookeeper, and I wish I had started them on it sooner!" Tim & Jennifer, parents "My kids were always frustrated with writing and reading, now they are excited each day and have started writing full stories." Justin, parent “My kids are loving this program and writing more than they ever have before. The game format and reward system holds their attention, and their creative juices keep flowing" Paul, parent Technical details: * Internet connection required Recommended: Latest iPad, Latest iPad Pro, Latest iPad Air, Latest iPad mini, Latest iOS Subscription options: The first 7 days of a subscription are free. Subscriptions renew automatically; your App Store account will be charged unless you cancel at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Cancel anytime in your App Store account settings. Privacy Policy: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/privacy-policy Terms & Conditions: https://www.nightzookeeper.com/terms-and-conditions Start a FREE trial of Night Zookeeper today!

Screenshots

Off the Rails®4 screens
Night Zookeeper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Night Zookeeper at Free against Off the Rails®'s $1.99. Night Zookeeper also leads on rating (4.6 vs 4.3) and ratings volume (592 vs 79). Off the Rails®'s advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 12) and iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.0). On review sentiment, update cadence, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Night Zookeeper is free to download; Off the Rails® costs $1.99 up front. Night Zookeeper sells 12 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Off the Rails® asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Night Zookeeper holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Night Zookeeper has 592 ratings behind it against 79, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 81% of Off the Rails®'s written reviews are positive against 83% of Night Zookeeper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Off the Rails® ships an update every 6 weeks, Night Zookeeper every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 20, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Off the Rails® versus Night Zookeeper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOff the Rails®Night Zookeeper
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.3 (79 ratings)4.6 (592 ratings) — better
Positive reviews80.6% of reviews82.8% of reviews — better
Number of ratings79592 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationPaid — betterSubscription
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size121 MB378 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFreecloud Design, Inc.Wonky Star

Customer experience

Off the Rails®

All ratings79 ratings
Positive84.8%
Neutral2.5%
Negative12.7%
Written reviews36 reviews
Positive80.6%
Neutral2.8%
Negative16.7%

Night Zookeeper

All ratings592 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral2.2%
Negative7.3%
Written reviews93 reviews
Positive82.8%
Neutral2.2%
Negative15.1%

Bugs and requests

Off the Rails®

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Night Zookeeper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Freezing and crashing issues
  • Upside-down screen when creating new characters
  • Audio not working consistently

Requested features

3 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Compatibility improvements for older devices
  • More content for older age groups

In-app purchases

None

Off the Rails®

No in-app purchases

12 purchases

Night Zookeeper

Subscriptions12
  • NZK 1 Month - 1 License7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • 1 Month - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
  • NZK 1 Month - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$17.991 Month
Show 9 more
  • 1 Month - 4 Licenses7 Days trial$21.991 Month
  • 3 Months - 1 License7 Days trial$36.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • 3 Months - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$49.993 Months
  • Yearly - 1 License7 Days trial$118.991 Year
  • Yearly - 2 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year
  • Yearly - 3 Licenses7 Days trial$154.991 Year
  • Yearly - 4 Licenses7 Days trial$189.991 Year
  • Yearly - 5 Licenses7 Days trial$239.991 Year

Questions

Is Off the Rails® free?
Off the Rails® costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Night Zookeeper free?
Night Zookeeper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Off the Rails® or Night Zookeeper?
Night Zookeeper is rated higher. Off the Rails® averages 4.3 out of 5 from 79 ratings, while Night Zookeeper averages 4.6 from 592 ratings.
Do Off the Rails® or Night Zookeeper have ads?
Neither Off the Rails® nor Night Zookeeper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Off the Rails® or Night Zookeeper?
Off the Rails® ships an update every 6 weeks, and Night Zookeeper every 2 months. Most recently, Off the Rails® was updated on October 20, 2026 and Night Zookeeper on October 20, 2026.

Other comparisons