Comparison

Train Home vs Train Beacon

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Train Home

This app displays National Rail and London Overground train departure information on a single screen. Commuters can favorite common journeys for instant access and receive notifications for upcoming departures. Pinned trains offer real-time location and arrival updates.

Highlights
  • Real-time UK train departure information
  • Favorite journeys for quick access
  • Departure notifications via GPS
  • Pinned train tracking with live updates
  • iCloud sync across devices
  • Direct data from National Rail Enquiries
Features
Read full description

This app is for the commuters. Display all the National Rail and London Overground train departure information you need on one simple screen. No more searching, no more taps. Once you've set it up, open the app and the info you need is always right there in front of you. The app allows you to add stations that you commonly travel between to your favourites, then the departure board for those journeys will appear right on the app's home screen as soon as you open the app. The list is ordered by distance from your current location so the trains you're interested in are always right there at the top of your screen. If your device has GPS (iPhones and some iPads), when you walk into one of your favourite stations you can choose to receive a notification with departure times of the next few trains to your chosen destination. You don't even have to open the app to see when your next train will be, it just appears! As easy as that. If you use both an iPhone and an iPad your favourite journeys will automatically sync using iCloud - no need to set everything up twice. If your commute is even more fixed, you can also pin individual trains. Once you’ve decided on a departure, tap on it to pin it. The departure will move to the top of the screen and give you more details about where the train is currently. Once it sets off it’ll stay there, even when the departure has dropped off the station’s departure board, keeping you updated with the last station you passed through, your estimated arrival time, platform and any delays. All the information comes direct from National Rail Enquiries so will be as up to date and real time as the station boards. We're all creatures of habit, if you find yourself often travelling between the same stations (for work or pleasure), this is the app for you! Note: This isn't a journey planner. Only direct train services between stations will show up, the app won't suggest connections. But once you've found out the connection points of your journey, add them into this app to keep up to date with the train times.

About

Train Beacon

Visualize train locations and real-time schedules in augmented reality or on a map. Get instant updates on train times, platform information, and service status for Great Britain and London Underground. Pro features include widgets, incident reports, and advanced train tracking.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality train visualization
  • Map-based train tracking
  • Real-time train times
  • Platform information
  • Service incident reports
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

* NEW: Brand new train allocations and carriage count information is now available in Train Beacon Pro (subscription required) * Train Beacon shows estimated, interpolated GB* train positions in augmented reality and on a map. Point your phone in the approximate direction that the track is running and see the estimated, interpolated position and distance of trains from your nearest station as beacons overlaid on-screen in augmented reality. See Great Britain and London Underground real-time train times almost instantly from your nearest stations. Displays platform information where available. Automatically loads train times from your nearest station or loads train times from a station that you select from the stations screen. Filter train times by destination station. Features Widgets (Pro subscription required) Easily see train times, cancellations, London Underground service indicators, rail incidents and service status on your homescreen. Incidents (Pro subscription required) Easily see information about the service status and news about rail incidents and current / future maintenance. The incidents screen includes information such as the incident details, routes affected, date/s of incident and direct links to the relevent National Rail Enquiries page and map, where available. Includes London Underground service status and incidents. Augmented Reality mode (Pro subscription required) Picture real-time train information in an interactive real-world environment. See nearby trains*, railway stations and London Underground stations in an immersive augmented reality experience. The app will locate trains that are departing from your nearest station and display them. Tapping on a train reveals more information about its calling points and last reported location. AR mode is available with a Pro subscription. *National Rail trains only, and some trains are not displayed. Train Tracker (Pro subscription required) Using it’s advanced geo-location capabilities, combined with real-time train data and it’s UK rail network map, the app predicts the estimated, interpolated location of National Rail trains at any given time. The estimated train location is displayed on a map, with information about whether the service is currently running early, on-time or late. High precision information The app can report times from intermediary passing points such as junctions, providing you with a high level of precision and accuracy about the current status of a given train’s journey. Packed with detailed train information like number of carriages, train category, power type (eg EMU), timing load (eg Class 323), planned maximum speed (eg 90mph max), seating classes, reservations, catering, and operating characteristics (eg DOO). This information is only available if data has been supplied by the TOC. Some TOCs don't supply carriage data. The app can also show the calling point times and route map for London Undergound trains, if this data has been supplied by TfL. Safety Info Not for use in safety critical applications, level crossings, etc. Train position is estimated from latest available timing point data and may be incorrect. Care must be taken during use. Other trains may be present that are not indicated in the AR or train tracker mode of the app such as trains not stopping at the nearest station and also freight trains. Freight and non passenger trains are not displayed in the app. For your safety do not use your phone while you walk and take extreme care using the app near trains and railways. App powered by National Rail Enquiries & TfL Open Data, it contains public sector information from Network Rail licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Train Home4 screens
Train Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Train Home at 87% against Train Beacon's 50%. Train Home also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, update cadence, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Train Beacon sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Train Home asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Train Home versus Train Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTrain HomeTrain Beacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews87.0% of reviews — better50.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB76 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThomas ThorpeChristopher Riches

Customer experience

Train Home

Written reviews23 reviews
Positive87.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative4.3%

Train Beacon

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative43.8%

In-app purchases

None

Train Home

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Train Beacon

Subscriptions1
  • Train Beacon Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Train Home free?
Train Home is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Train Beacon free?
Train Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Train Home or Train Beacon have ads?
Neither Train Home nor Train Beacon shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Train Home or Train Beacon?
Train Home ships an update monthly, and Train Beacon monthly. Most recently, Train Home was updated on October 3, 2026 and Train Beacon on September 24, 2026.

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