Survey Party vs Skycrane
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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.
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.
Survey Party ships an update every 6 weeks, Skycrane weekly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Survey Party | Skycrane |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $0.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 3.8 (6 ratings) | 5.0 (11 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 63.6% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 11 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Paid | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 6 MB | 40 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Antti Hautaniemi | Prabha Pillay |
Customer experience
Survey Party
Skycrane
In-app purchases
Survey Party
- Remove adverts$3.99
Skycrane
No in-app purchases









