Comparison

Communauto vs VIA Rail Canada

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

Head to head
About

Communauto

Access a large fleet of vehicles available 24/7 for short or long-term rentals. Pay only for the time and distance used, with gas and maintenance included. Book, locate, and manage your rentals easily through the app.

Highlights
  • Rent cars by the minute, hour, or day
  • Unlock and lock vehicles with the app
  • Locate and book FLEX cars for spontaneous trips
  • Filter vehicle searches and view key information
  • Manage reservations (modify, extend, cancel)
  • Share trips with co-members
  • Estimate trip costs and report issues
Features
Read full description

Join now and access a fleet of thousands of Communauto vehicles available 24/7 in Canada (Halifax, Montreal, Québec, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivières, Gatineau, Boisbriand, Terrebonne, Rimouski, Vicoriaville, Laval, Sainte-Thérèse, MRC des Collines, Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, Hamilton, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Guelph, Cambridge, Edmonton, Calgary) and in France (Paris and surrounding areas). • Rent a carshare at low cost for a few minutes, an hour, a day or more and unlock it with the app! • Pay only according to use (time and distance). Gas and maintenance are included in our rates. How does it work? The Communauto app allows you to: • Search and book a vehicle up to 30 days in advance for planned trips • Locate and block a FLEX car for your spontaneous trips • Unlock and lock cars • Filter your vehicle searches and get key information: car number, model, location, etc. • View your upcoming, past or cancelled trips • Modify, extend or cancel your reservations • Share trips with your co-members • Be notified by notification before a booking starts, or when one of your purchase receipts is being processed • Estimate the cost of your trips and report any damage or uncleanliness • Activate the gas credit card or submit your gas receipts • View your account statement • Update your profile info Use Communauto: • To run some errands or to get to the restaurant • To explore your city or get to your activities • For your next family vacation • For a romantic getaway • For a work trip or meeting • For your next move • To get wherever you need to go! Communauto for businesses: • More freedom and less hassle: a fleet available day and night and 24/7 support • More simplicity, less management (maintenance included, simplified driver addition) and say goodbye to expense accounts (one detailed monthly bill) • Save money: only pay for the time and the distance travelled by employees. Price of gas included in the rates. Attractive flat rates for long-distance trips Don't wait any longer to test the Communauto carsharing service and take advantage of the many perks offered. Download the app now to discover the cars and stations near you! To find out more: www.communauto.com For any questions about the app, use our contact form.

About

VIA Rail Canada

Manage your train journeys seamlessly with real-time updates, mobile boarding passes, and easy itinerary management. Book, change, or cancel trips, and access essential travel information all in one place.

Highlights
  • Real-time train status
  • Mobile boarding pass
  • Book, change, or cancel trips
  • View train schedules
  • Add trip to calendar
  • Share itinerary
  • Station and onboard services info
Features
Read full description

Discover the convenience of travelling with VIA Rail. DAY OF TRAVEL Enjoy a stress-free travel day with all your essential info right on the home screen. ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES Get real-time status updates on your train and SMS notifications. MANAGE TRIPS Easily adjust your seat selection, add travel options, or modify your itinerary. UPCOMING TRIPS Access everything you need to know about your upcoming journeys in one place. BOOK Search and book your next adventure effortlessly. TRAIN TRACKER Follow your train’s progress along the route in real time. VIA PRÉFÉRENCE Quickly view your VIA Préférence account, tier progress and points balance at a glance. DARK MODE Enjoy a visually comfortable experience that reduces eye strain during nighttime use. Happy travels! TERMS, CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY By downloading the VIA Rail mobile app, you consent to the installation of the application and updates, which can be automatically installed depending on the default settings of your device or operating system, or the settings you selected. You may withdraw your consent at any time by uninstalling this application. By downloading and accessing the app, you confirm that you have read and agree to the terms and conditions of use of the VIA Rail application (https://www.viarail.ca/en/terms-and-conditions-mobile). When you use it, any personal information you provide to VIA Rail will be used and protected in accordance with the requirements of the Privacy Act and VIA Rail's Privacy Policy (https://www.viarail.ca/en/our-privacy-policy). Please contact us with any questions or suggestions you may have concerning our Policy policy: ATIP@viarail.ca Finally, by downloading and accessing the app, you are also accepting the use of cookies. These are designed to improve your user experience on our site and other media by providing you with targeted advertising based on your interests, collecting traffic statistics, information on your behaviour, and facilitating the sharing of information on social networks. See our Cookie Policy (https://www.viarail.ca/en/cookie-policy) to learn more.

Screenshots

Communauto4 screens
VIA Rail Canada4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VIA Rail Canada at 4.7 against Communauto's 1.8. VIA Rail Canada also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and ratings volume (7.8K vs 8). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VIA Rail Canada holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: VIA Rail Canada has 7.8K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 11% of Communauto's written reviews are positive against 32% of VIA Rail Canada's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Communauto ships an update every 3 months, VIA Rail Canada monthly. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
Communauto versus VIA Rail Canada: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCommunautoVIA Rail Canada
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (8 ratings)4.7 (7.8K ratings) — better
Positive reviews11.0% of reviews31.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings87.8K — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size74 MB85 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRéservauto Inc.VIA Rail Canada inc.

Customer experience

Communauto

All ratings8 ratings
Positive12.5%
Neutral12.5%
Negative75.0%
Written reviews182 reviews
Positive11.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative82.4%

VIA Rail Canada

All ratings41 ratings
Positive17.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative78.0%
Written reviews166 reviews
Positive31.9%
Neutral7.8%
Negative60.2%

User reviews

Communauto

From 8 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚗 Convenient car-sharing alternative to ownership
  • 💰 Competitive pricing compared to traditional rentals
  • 📍 Proximity of vehicles to users in some areas
  • 🆕 New fleet of vehicles recently added
  • ⚡ Easy trip start/end when functioning properly

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and freezes frequently
  • 🗺️ GPS inaccuracy showing unavailable cars
  • 🔐 Persistent login/authentication issues
  • 💳 Unexpected and hidden fees
  • 🚙 Dirty and damaged vehicles

VIA Rail Canada

From 7.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • ✅ Improved stability - no crashes in recent versions
  • 📱 Convenient mobile app alternative to website
  • 🎫 Real-time trip status and boarding pass management
  • 👍 Simple and straightforward booking process when working
  • 🌐 Bilingual support (English/French)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Frequent crashes and 'something went wrong' errors
  • ❌ Payment processing failures and freezing
  • 🔐 Login and authentication issues
  • 📱 Poor optimization for iPad and larger screens
  • ♿ Accessibility problems with font scaling

Bugs and requests

Communauto

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App requires login every time it opens
  • Map shows cars that don't exist at location
  • Cannot start or end trips due to app errors
  • Geolocation not updating properly
  • App freezes when clicking on vehicles
Show 11 more
  • Blank white screen on app launch
  • Password manager incompatibility with login
  • Trip not recording despite car being locked
  • Vehicle unlock/lock failures
  • Sensor errors (false 'keys missing' or 'engine on' alerts)
  • App slow to refresh car availability
  • Reservation changes without user consent
  • Charged for trips that couldn't be completed
  • App crashes on iOS with certain versions
  • Loading signals that never complete
  • Billing system errors and fraud detection blocks

Requested features

13 requests
  • Car selection option at stations with multiple vehicles
  • Dark mode for app
  • Push notifications for service disruptions
  • Ability to communicate delays to customer service
  • Booking transfer to nearest alternative station
Show 8 more
  • More stations in suburban areas
  • Expanded EV fleet
  • Chat feature in app instead of phone support
  • Callback system instead of long hold times
  • Better station distribution based on user demand
  • Transparent upfront pricing disclosure
  • Improved vehicle sensor accuracy
  • French language support in app

VIA Rail Canada

Reported bugs

16 issues
  • App crashes on launch with 'something went wrong' message
  • Payment screen hangs after Verified by Visa popup
  • Calendar date selection glitches
  • Close button overlapped by notch on newer iPhones
  • Forms scroll off-screen when adding traveler information
Show 11 more
  • Email verification codes not working
  • Login credentials rejected despite working on website
  • Booking confirmation screen remains blank
  • Postal code not saved for credit card information
  • App logs out unexpectedly, especially day of travel
  • Search data resets when exiting search
  • Inability to select desired trip from list
  • QR codes on black background unreadable by scanners
  • Confirmation codes not working in app
  • Text scaling broken on larger devices
  • App not optimized for iPhone X and newer models

Requested features

14 requests
  • Add trip history to 'My Trips' section
  • Social login options (Google, Apple, Facebook)
  • Ability to add VIA Preference card to Apple Wallet
  • Notifications for trip updates and delays
  • Display multiple trips simultaneously for round-trip bookings
Show 9 more
  • Integration with GO Transit and UP Express
  • Softer page transitions and animations
  • Permanent navigation button at bottom of screen
  • Ability to add existing reservations to app
  • Travel time display (beginning to end of trip)
  • Better error messages with actionable solutions
  • iPad-optimized interface
  • Support for rail passes in app
  • Improved QR code contrast for scanner compatibility

In-app purchases

None

Communauto

No in-app purchases

None

VIA Rail Canada

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Communauto free?
Communauto is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VIA Rail Canada free?
VIA Rail Canada is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Communauto or VIA Rail Canada?
VIA Rail Canada is rated higher. Communauto averages 1.8 out of 5 from 8 ratings, while VIA Rail Canada averages 4.7 from 7.8K ratings.
Do Communauto or VIA Rail Canada have ads?
Neither Communauto nor VIA Rail Canada shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Communauto or VIA Rail Canada?
Communauto ships an update every 3 months, and VIA Rail Canada monthly. Most recently, Communauto was updated on November 1, 2026 and VIA Rail Canada on November 1, 2026.

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