Tycoons and simulators look similar from the outside — you collect, you upgrade, numbers go up. In practice they attract different players.
Tycoons give you a business to build. Progress is spatial: you see the factory grow around you. They reward planning and a longer session.
Simulators are about volume. Pet Simulator 99 and Blox Fruit Adventures reward short bursts and repetition, with heavy emphasis on rarer drops.