Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Thomas & Friends vs Budge World

Thomas & Friends 4.4★ · Free + IAP 75
Winner Thomas & Friends
Budge World 4.3★ · Free + IAP 40

Thomas & Friends is the better choice for a single-character app, offering more free content and better value for its one-time purchase, while Budge World struggles with a mandatory subscription model and widespread payment issues.

Full reviews: Thomas & Friends · Budge World

Thomas & Friends, despite its own IAP complaints, offers a more accessible experience with some free content and a one-time unlock option, making it a better value. Budge World, on the other hand, faces significant criticism for its mandatory and often glitchy subscription model, leaving many users unable to play even after paying.

Head to head

Features and Content edge: Thomas & FriendsR12R29R30R38
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends offers a variety of mini-games, a track builder, and train driving, which users find fun and imaginative R29. Some users appreciate the amount of content available, especially after purchasing the full version R38. However, some find the game repetitive R30 and wish for more exploration or additional features like boats R12.
Budge World Budge World is praised for having a wide variety of games from different franchises . Users enjoy the concept of having many Budge games in one app R65. However, the main complaint is that almost all content is locked behind a subscription, making it difficult to assess the actual value of the games R53R54R63.
Ease of Use and Performance edge: Thomas & FriendsR2R3R4R15
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is generally easy for young children to play R2R3. However, many users report issues with the app freezing R15 and crashing R4. Some also note that the game can be slow R3 or has minor bugs like control colors not updating . There are also complaints about volume issues and background music persisting even when muted .
Budge World Budge World users frequently report being unable to access the games, often getting stuck on the subscription page R77. Many users experience the app not working or kicking them off even after paying for a subscription R60R65. The app's design forces users into a subscription screen with no clear way to exit or try free content .
Price and Value edge: Thomas & FriendsR1R2R4R5
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is a free app with in-app purchases, costing around £18-£20 to unlock everything R1R4R6. While some parents find this expensive R1R6, others consider it good value for money, especially given their child's enjoyment R2R5. However, there are significant complaints about ads even after purchase and issues with purchases not unlocking content R4R31 or not restoring on new devices R13R35.
Budge World Budge World operates on a subscription model, with prices around £4.99-£9.99 per month R59. The overwhelming sentiment is that the app is too expensive, with almost no free content R54R59R63. Many users feel tricked by ads that don't mention the subscription and are frustrated by price increases .
Support and Reliability edge: Thomas & FriendsR4R13R31R35
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends users report issues with purchases not being restored R13R35 or not unlocking content R4R31, leading to frustration and difficulty getting refunds R31. One user, however, praised Budge's customer support for a quick and helpful response regarding an app issue .
Budge World Many Budge World users complain about payment issues where they subscribe but the app doesn't work or unlock content R60R65. Users express difficulty contacting support or resolving these payment problems R60. The app's inability to consistently recognize paid subscriptions is a major reliability concern R65.
Pick Thomas & Friends if

you want a game focused on the Thomas & Friends franchise for a one-time unlock fee, and are willing to tolerate occasional performance issues and potential in-app purchase glitches R2R5R29R38.

Pick Budge World if

you are a dedicated fan of multiple Budge Studios franchises and are willing to pay a recurring monthly subscription for access to a wide variety of games, provided the app functions correctly after payment .

Evidence note: Reviews for Budge World are heavily skewed towards negative experiences related to its subscription model and payment issues, making it difficult to assess the quality of the games themselves. Thomas & Friends reviews, while also containing price complaints, offer more insight into gameplay and features.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to unlock everything in Thomas & Friends?
It costs approximately £18 to £20 to unlock all content in Thomas & Friends R1R4R6.
Does Budge World have free games?
Budge World offers very little, if any, free content, with most users reporting that you must subscribe to play any games R54R63R69R77.
Do purchases in Thomas & Friends always work?
No, several users report issues with purchases not unlocking content R4R31 or not restoring on new devices R13R35.
What are the main complaints about Budge World?
The main complaints about Budge World are its mandatory and expensive monthly subscription R53R59, and frequent issues where the app doesn't work or unlock content even after payment R60R65.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 100 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R12] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Fun but boring: So this game is fun but boring make it more fun please thank you
  2. [R29] Thomas & Friends 5/5 · GB ABSOLUTELY COOL: MINI Games,Track Builder,Train Driver, It’s So Much Fun!
  3. [R30] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB A decent game: This game is decent but very repetitive and the prices are a little to high
  4. [R38] Thomas & Friends 4/5 · GB Great game: My son absolutely loves this game. It has so much content and the mini games are great. The only request would be that iCloud save is added so that he can carry on on another device, without losing progress. I’ve just got an iPad and all the things he’s collected on my phone aren’t there. That aside, would definitely recommend it
  5. [R2] Thomas & Friends 5/5 · GB Great game but please change it back to the old version!: My 2 year old son has been playing this game for about 4 months and we paid for the whole version because it was great value for money. He loves it but we are not keen on the updated version. It isn’t affecting his play of course but the old version was more in keeping with the Thomas and Friends series and this new version isn’t. It’s stil
  6. [R3] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB My opinion: This app has helped my baby brother with his learning quite a bit thank you . It is a bit slow but I don’t know if that is just me or not. Thank you
  7. [R4] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB £18 for a game that keeps crashing & doesn’t give you everything: After paying £18 nearly to unlock I found that it has glitches were the “gifts” don’t work you can run your train right though some and they stay don’t open and several times it’s crashed completely as in he can’t interact with the mini games… this is the most I’ve ever spent on a game most that have MORE and don’t glitch or crash a
  8. [R15] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB A little disappointed: My son loves this game but has only had it 24 hours and it has frozen 4 times. We’ve had to switch the device off and restart each time
  9. [R1] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB Parents be warned £18 to unlock fully: As a parent I get increasingly frustrated at games like this squeezing ridiculous amounts of money out to unlock stuff with no real clarity what you are getting and then realising it really is just junk. Yes I know we don’t have to buy it but when we do because your child has earned it or you just cannot bare the meltdown any longer you expect it to be good
  10. [R5] Thomas & Friends 4/5 · GB Ok but I don’t like the new look: Paid to get everything all at once. Worth it for me as it my son loves it and I’d rather get everything than have to pay more to get everything separately. I’m not keen on the updated look though, would prefer the option to keep the traditional look for the characters, particularly as that is the same as the toys we have and the episodes we watch.
  11. [R13] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB Rip off: If app get deleted it doesn’t restore your purchases as stated
  12. [R31] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB You pay £19.99 for everything but get nothing: My grandson loves playing this,i purchase all the toys for him at £19.99 but never got anything unlocked,took me weeks to get a refund,im keeping away from BUDGE made games,very dodgy,just read the reviews!!!!!!!
  13. [R35] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Unable to restore purchases: In-app purchases are not cheap and there are many bundles that the children will want. That’s bad enough, but when migrating to a new iPad, the “restore purchases” options have not worked after many hours of faffing.
  14. [R6] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Nice enough game but too expensive £18 for everything: Nice for a 2 to 3 year old they really enjoy it. However constant prompts to buy things and a total cost of £18 is too much. £4.50 for the haunted castle was 2 minutes of simple game. Not good enough and a shabby way to profit
  15. [R54] Budge World 1/5 · GB very bad: do not recommend literally all of the games u have to pay for
  16. [R63] Budge World 1/5 · GB No free content: The second screen you get is a subscription…
  17. [R69] Budge World 1/5 · GB If i could do 0 stars i would: You cant even play it without paying it's sooooo annoying do not get if you don't want to pay
  18. [R77] Budge World 1/5 · GB Can’t even use it without a subscription: It isn’t even cheap. You can’t use the app at all without a subscription, you can’t press off the sub screen.
  19. [R53] Budge World 3/5 · GB Good games but have to pay too much: The games I can access are good but I don’t want to subscribe and that gives me very few games.
  20. [R59] Budge World 3/5 · GB Nice but can i play free?: Its nice and when i got this when i was 5 i was like 'why is it £3.99 a month to play' so i deleted it and now i am gonna get it back but be the same sooo can some more stuff be free Im not complaining about it but we just need less purchases 😊so that would make a great upgrade for budge world in all so less people get mad at their kids
  21. [R60] Budge World 1/5 · GB Payment status unclear: Game still cant be played after repeated payment attempts. Target game still cant be played after completion of purchase.
  22. [R65] Budge World 3/5 · GB Budge world…: So I downloaded budge world because my iPad doesn’t have too much storage and this has lots of games on it. I payed and then started to play of course. It was really fun but it kept kicking me off the game and saying “Error”….after like 3 days of playing I clicked on the game and it told me to pay again even tho I did and my subscription wasn’t cancelled. It’s a fun game but I don’t

Synthesized from 100 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store