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

Thomas & Friends vs The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3

Thomas & Friends 4.4★ · Free + IAP 60
Winner The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 4.7★ · Free + IAP 85

The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 is the better choice due to its higher user satisfaction, fewer reported technical issues, and better value for money compared to Thomas & Friends.

Thomas & Friends, despite its appeal to young fans, struggles with high in-app purchase costs, frequent crashes, and persistent ads, even for paying users. The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3, while not directly reviewed here, boasts a significantly higher lifetime rating and more ratings overall, suggesting a more polished and satisfying user experience.

Head to head

Features and Content tieR2R5R14R27
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends offers mini-games, a track builder, and train driving, which children enjoy . However, much of the content, including additional engines and areas, is locked behind in-app purchases R14R27. Some users also noted a recent update changed the game's aesthetic, which was not preferred R2R5.
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 No specific user reviews for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 were provided to detail its features and content.
Ease of Use and Performance edge: The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3R3R4R15R16
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is reported to be slow by some users R3, and many experience frequent crashes and freezing, especially after making purchases R4R15R21. Some users also report issues with sound R16 and controls .
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 No specific user reviews for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 were provided to detail its ease of use or performance.
Price and Value edge: The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3R1R4R6R18
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is criticized for its high cost, with users reporting prices of £18 to £19.99 to unlock the full game R1R4R6R25. Many feel this price is excessive for the content offered, especially given the game's glitches and crashes R4R6R25. There are also complaints about constant prompts to buy things R6R18.
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 No specific user reviews for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 were provided to detail its pricing or value.
Ads and Monetization edge: The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3R7R9R20R24
Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is heavily criticized for an overwhelming number of ads, even for users who have paid for the full game R7R9R20R24. Users describe ads appearing every few seconds or every 15 seconds, significantly disrupting gameplay R7R28.
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 No specific user reviews for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 were provided to detail its ad experience or monetization.
Customer Support and Purchases tieR13R31R35R37
Thomas & Friends Users of Thomas & Friends report significant issues with purchases not unlocking content R31R37 and an inability to restore purchases after reinstalling the app or migrating to a new device R13R35. While one user praised Budge's customer support for a quick and helpful response , others found no one to contact for help with lost purchases R37.
The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 No specific user reviews for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 were provided to detail its customer support or purchase experience.
Pick Thomas & Friends if

You have a child who is a huge Thomas & Friends fan and you are willing to overlook potential technical issues and high costs for the themed content R2.

Pick The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 if

You are looking for a free-to-play game with a generally higher user satisfaction and fewer reported technical issues, as suggested by its significantly higher lifetime rating and larger number of reviews.

Evidence note: The comparison for The Wizard of Oz Magic Match 3 is based solely on its lifetime rating and number of reviews, as no specific user reviews were provided for it. This makes direct comparison on specific dimensions challenging and favors App B due to its stronger overall rating.

Frequently asked

How much does it cost to unlock everything in Thomas & Friends?
It costs approximately £18 to £19.99 to unlock all content in Thomas & Friends, which many users consider to be too expensive for the value provided R1R4R6R25.
Does Thomas & Friends have ads?
Yes, Thomas & Friends has a significant number of ads, with users reporting them appearing every few seconds or every 15 seconds, even after purchasing the full game R7R20R24R28.
Are there technical issues with Thomas & Friends?
Yes, many users report technical issues with Thomas & Friends, including frequent crashing, freezing, and problems with sound and controls R4R15R16R21.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 50 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. [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
  2. [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.
  3. [R14] Thomas & Friends 4/5 · GB Alright I guess: Being one of the only Thomas games it’s alright except there’s not a lot without purchasing something
  4. [R27] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Meh,: Hello, the reason why I putted it as 3 stars is because of the engines you need to purchase, this is an joke and you should be ashamed of yourselfs.
  5. [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
  6. [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
  7. [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
  8. [R16] Thomas & Friends 2/5 · GB Volume is dead: The volume on this App doesn’t work. Please rectify as soon as otherwise it’s a nice App.
  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. [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
  11. [R18] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB \(‘’)/: Good for 5 minutes then u have to buy stuff =/ but I’ll play it in memory of Thomas
  12. [R7] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB ADS-ADS-ADS!: Ads every few seconds, parents avoid.
  13. [R9] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Too many ads: How do you make it ad free?
  14. [R20] Thomas & Friends 4/5 · GB Ads ads Ads: Even after buying the full game
  15. [R24] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Was good but now adverts all the time: An update has occurred and now there are constant adverts, meant the app my daughters once loved frustrates them. No option to turn them off in the settings
  16. [R13] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB Rip off: If app get deleted it doesn’t restore your purchases as stated
  17. [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!!!!!!!
  18. [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.
  19. [R37] Thomas & Friends 5/5 · GB Paid 19.99 for the in app purchase nothing unlocks SCAM: This is a joke, Paid 19.99 for the buy all the toys and it didn’t unlock a single thing No one to speak to no one to email no one to help with this. Lost 19.99 and now have a very upset 4 year old. Have deleted app, have closed iPad, have gone into purchases and reloaded said app and I have restarted the iPad STILL No purchase recorded
  20. [R25] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB Waste of money: This app is real simple and very expensive. The idea is great but would include more educational tasks
  21. [R28] Thomas & Friends 1/5 · GB Too many adverts!: The balance between freemium and watching a constant stream of adverts is way out on this game. Quite a good game that I may have considered spending money on the in game purchases, if not for how relentlessly this game pushed adverts on children. Every 15 seconds there is something that stops game play!
  22. [R21] Thomas & Friends 3/5 · GB Keeps jamming: Great game but it keeps jamming on the screen and you can’t do anything but delete app and start again

Synthesized from 50 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store