Trackplanner vs. SCARM
SCARM runs on Windows and the freeware stops at 150 elements. Trackplanner runs in the browser, free and without a cap.
| Feature | Trackplanner | SCARM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | €0 · Premium €29/year | US$59.90 (licence) |
| Runs in the browser, no installation | yes | no tick |
| On Mac, iPad and Android tablet | yes | no tick |
| Free planning without quantity caps | yes | no tick |
| New versions at no extra cost | yes | partly |
| 3D view | yes | yes |
| Heights, grades, levels | yes Premium | yes |
| Parts list | yes | yes |
| Parts list into the shop basket at the lowest price (sets included) | yes | no tick |
| Bend flex track | yes | yes |
| Stretch a run – rebuilds itself from catalogue parts | yes | partly |
| Slide a turnout along the track | yes | no tick |
| Create a parallel track | yes Premium | yes |
| Connect a parallel track to the main line in one click | yes Premium | no tick |
| Plan check with fix suggestions | yes Premium | no tick |
| Share a plan by link, view without an account | yes | no tick |
| Several people live on one plan | yes Premium | no tick |
| Time travel through earlier states | yes Premium | no tick |
| Import plans from other programs | yes | no tick |
✓ has it · faint ✓ partly · empty: doesn't have it or not listed by the vendor
Trackplanner saves you money while other tools cost money
about €120 saved when buying at 3 m²
compared with buying without a plan
That is more than a whole year of Premium costs. Spend it on good track and accessories instead.
Where it comes from
- Best price on track and accessories ~73 %
- Track sets instead of single pieces ~3 %
- No spare track bought just in case ~24 %
Typical value from 168 public plans in the Trackplanner gallery: about half saved more, the other half less. Prices as of October 13, 2026.
How we calculate
For each plan we priced the parts list the way the app's build plan does: with Trackplanner at the best price, in whole packs as the retailer sells them, and with the sets the app suggests. Without planning at the highest unit price of a retailer that stocks the part, plus one spare piece per track type. The shares below are for all plans together. No spares for turnouts, shipping not included. Parts without a price count on neither side; plans with less than 90 % of parts priced are left out.
Worked example
Example layout: Oval with passing loop and siding in Piko A (H0), 2.32 × 0.91 m, 3 turnouts with motors, 1.2 m² of meadow and 10 dm² of ballast area. Without planning: €332.16, With Trackplanner: €260.51, saved: €71.65.
Assumption "without planning": you buy from the priciest of the retailers that stock the item, and one piece too many per track type; one more pack of scatter only when the need almost uses up the packs. Nobody buys turnouts and motors as spares, so only the price counts there. "With Trackplanner": best price, exact amount and the sets the app suggests instead of single pieces. Single prices, shipping not included. Planning meadow and ballast as areas is part of Premium. Prices as of October 12, 2026.
| Item | Qty | Best price | Priciest retailer |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piko 55200 | 6 (+1) | €2.10 idee+spiel | €2.55 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55201 | 7 (+1) | €2.00 idee+spiel | €2.45 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55202 | 1 (+1) | €1.49 idee+spiel | €2.45 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55205 | 3 (+1) | €1.58 idee+spiel | €2.45 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55212 | 12 (+1) | €2.49 idee+spiel | €2.95 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55219 | 3 (+1) | €3.10 Modellbahn Union | €3.55 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55220 | 1 | €19.76 idee+spiel | €24.70 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55221 | 2 | €19.76 idee+spiel | €24.70 PIKO Webshop |
| Piko 55271 | 3 | €28.12 Modellbahn Union | €32.20 PIKO Webshop |
| Faller 170212 · 80 g, needed 180 g (120 dm² × 1.5 g/dm²) | 3 | €11.99 Faller | €11.99 Faller |
| Faller 170751 · 650 g, needed 120 g (10 dm² × 12 g/dm²) | 1 | €20.79 Faller | €20.79 Faller |
Sets the app suggests
- Piko A-Track Set A (Piko 55300), €26.92 idee+spiel instead of 12 × Piko 55212, 2 × Piko 55201: €6.96 cheaper than single pieces
- Piko A-Track Set B (Piko 55310), €26.92 idee+spiel instead of 1 × Piko 55221, 1 × Piko 55200, 5 × Piko 55201, plus a buffer stop: €4.94 cheaper than single pieces
Sources: what is behind every tick
Every cell of the other programs is based on the vendor's website or manual. If they say nothing about a feature, the cell stays empty. As of: .
- Price
- Licence key US$59.90 per PC [1]
- Runs in the browser, no installation · no tick
- Installation [2]
- On Mac, iPad and Android tablet · no tick
- Windows 7 to 11 [2]
- Free planning without quantity caps · no tick
- Freeware with a limit: 150 elements per project (75 tracks + 75 objects); advanced 3D view and automatic 1:1 printouts only with a licence [1]
- New versions at no extra cost · partly
- Upgrade from SCARM 1 to 2 free only for eligible licences, otherwise a new purchase at 50 % off [3]
- Heights, grades, levels · yes
- Multiple levels, heights, grades [2]
- Parts list · yes
- Parts list [2]
- Parts list into the shop basket at the lowest price (sets included) · no tick
- Not listed [2]
- Bend flex track · yes
- Shape flex track [2]
- Stretch a run – rebuilds itself from catalogue parts · partly
- Shape flex track. The feature overview does not say that a run rebuilds itself from catalogue parts [2]
- Slide a turnout along the track · no tick
- Not listed in the vendor's feature overview [2]
- Create a parallel track · yes
- Parallel route (feature "Parallel route" since version 2.0) and parallel line from flex track [4][5]
- Connect a parallel track to the main line in one click · no tick
- Not listed [2]
- Plan check with fix suggestions · no tick
- Not listed [2]
- Share a plan by link, view without an account · no tick
- Export and print [2]
- Several people live on one plan · no tick
- Not provided: the vendor's feature list names no online co-editing [2]
- Time travel through earlier states · no tick
- Not listed [2]
- Import plans from other programs · no tick
- Not listed [2]
Sources
- SCARM – License Key: https://www.scarm.info/index.php?page=extensions&ext=scarm_license_key, retrieved
- SCARM – Home: https://www.scarm.info/index.php, retrieved
- SCARM Blog – The New SCARM 2 is Here: https://www.scarm.info/blog/general/the-new-scarm-2-is-here/, retrieved
- SCARM – Version History: https://www.scarm.info/index.php?page=version-history, retrieved
- SCARM Blog – Creating Parallel Line with Flex Tracks: https://www.scarm.info/blog/advanced-techniques/creating-parallel-line-with-flex-tracks/, retrieved
SCARM is a product of Milen Peev. Trackplanner is not affiliated with Milen Peev. [2] Something no longer correct? Write to us