Comparison

Survey Party vs Skycrane

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

Head to head
About

Survey Party

This app simplifies complex bookkeeping for 18XX board games. It tracks player holdings, company share prices, cash flow, and game progress, allowing players to focus on strategy. Share game progress via PDF snapshots and custom URLs.

Highlights
  • Tracks player holdings and share prices
  • Manages cash flow, game turns, and phases
  • Facilitates tile and token placement
  • Supports train purchases, earnings, and dividends
  • Analyzes company prospects and player net worth
  • Generates PDF snapshots of game progress
  • Supports PBEM tournaments
Features
Read full description

A fan of 18XX board games? Not so much of the constant need for bookkeeping with regard to Train routes, earnings, dividends, asset worth, etc.? This app does the heavy lifting and allows players to concentrate on playing. Track player holdings & Company share prices. Keep the cash flowing and game turns & Phases rolling. Lay Tiles and Tokens, purchase Trains, collect Earnings, and issue Dividends. Analyse company prospects. Dig into each player's current & future net worth - all through a clutter-free and easy-to-use touch interface. Pass a match among players for an easy PBEM tournament. Publish your match configuration using a custom URL scheme. Capture and share a PDF snapshot of each step along the way to becoming the wealthiest Director among your peers. -- Supported 18XX titles (note that only a subset of specific game features might be implemented for some of them): 1800 1817 1824 1825 (all Units) 1826 1829 (South & North) 1829 Mainline 1830 (incl. variations & scenarios) 1835 1837 1841 (both editions) 1843 1844 (original & Mayfair edition) 1846 1848 Australia 1849 1850 1853 (both editions) 1854 (original & Mayfair edition) 1856 1858 1860 1861 1862EA 1865 Sardinia 1867 1869 (Alan Moon) 1870 1880 1881 1886 1889 1899 18AL 18CZ (base game) 18Dixie 18EU 18FL 18GA 18GB 18MEX 18Neb 18NY 18PA 18Scan 18VA Poseidon Steam over Holland

About

Skycrane

This app assists players of GMT Games' Red Dust Rebellion by automating non-player actions and guiding player turns. It manages game mechanics like card play and scoring, significantly reducing playtime and making the game more accessible for solo or group play.

Highlights
  • Automates non-player actions
  • Assists player turns with valid options
  • Supports any player/non-player combination
  • Manages card play, turn sequences, and scoring
  • Reduces game playing time
Features
Read full description

A player helper app for GMT Games' Red Dust Rebellion. Features • Automates running of the non-player sides • A player turn assistant - by only showing valid play options, the player can plan their move more easily • Handles any combination of players and non-players. Whether you're soloing one faction, playing four-handed solo or needing to supplement your gaming group of three, Skycrane has you covered. • Manages card play, turn sequences and scoring. • Dramatically reduced playing time means the game will hit the table more often.

Screenshots

Survey Party4 screens
Skycrane4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Skycrane at Free against Survey Party's $0.99. Skycrane also leads on rating (5.0 vs 3.8) and review sentiment (100% vs 64%). Survey Party's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On ratings volume, 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

Skycrane is free to download; Survey Party costs $0.99 up front. Survey Party sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Skycrane asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Skycrane holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 6 and 11 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Survey Party's written reviews are positive against 100% of Skycrane's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Survey Party ships an update every 6 weeks, Skycrane weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Survey Party versus Skycrane: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSurvey PartySkycrane
Price$0.99Free — better
Rating3.8 (6 ratings)5.0 (11 ratings) — better
Positive reviews63.6% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings611 — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationPaidFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS12.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size6 MB40 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperAntti HautaniemiPrabha Pillay

Customer experience

Survey Party

All ratings6 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral16.7%
Negative16.7%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

Skycrane

All ratings10 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Survey Party

One-time1
  • Remove adverts$3.99
None

Skycrane

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Survey Party free?
Survey Party costs $0.99, and also offers in-app purchases.
Is Skycrane free?
Skycrane is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Survey Party or Skycrane?
Skycrane is rated higher. Survey Party averages 3.8 out of 5 from 6 ratings, while Skycrane averages 5.0 from 11 ratings.
Do Survey Party or Skycrane have ads?
Neither Survey Party nor Skycrane shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Survey Party or Skycrane?
Survey Party ships an update every 6 weeks, and Skycrane weekly. Most recently, Survey Party was updated on November 1, 2026 and Skycrane on October 30, 2026.

Other comparisons