ViaBus vs BKK Rail
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ViaBus
Navigate public transport in Thailand, Malaysia, and Laos with real-time tracking for buses, boats, and trains. Find stations, get directions, and view routes for various transit modes.
- Real-time transit tracking
- Station search
- Direction finding
- Route and line information
- Support for multiple transport modes
- Area-based transit systems
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Never get lost again! ViaBus is a real-time public transport tracking and navigation application in Thailand that will make you travel much easier! Overall Features: - Real-time Public Bus, Boat and Transit - Search for station - Finding Direction - Routes and Line - Traffic Lines - Various mode of transport supported such as BMTA, MRT, BTS, Ferry(Boat), Sean seap, ARL, Songtheaw, Airport Bus, Bus, Microbus, Van, BRT, RapidKL etc. - Support Area-based transit with Official System such as Chula Popbus Covering various regions in - Thailand such as Bangkok Metropolitan Area, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Saraburi, Udon Thani. - Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Kuantan, Johor Bahru - Laos such as Vientiane LIKE US: www.facebook.com/viabusapp FOLLOW US: www.twitter.com/viabusapp Terms of Service: https://www.viabus.co/terms Privacy Policy: https://www.viabus.co/terms#privacy
BKK Rail
This app provides comprehensive travel information for Bangkok's railway systems, including BTS, MRT, and ARL. It helps users find the best routes and access station details for seamless journeys within the city and its suburbs.
- Information for BTS, MRT, and ARL
- Best route finding
- Station information
- Bangkok and suburb travel
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Bkk Rail is an application giving services for people who travel by railway system in Bangkok and suburb. The application collects information from all 3 major railway systems which are BTS, MRT, and ARL. Also, it can find the best route and station information for the user.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ViaBus at 4.7 against BKK Rail's 2.8. ViaBus also leads on ratings volume (1.6K vs 11) and review sentiment (54% vs 33%). BKK Rail's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 6) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. ViaBus sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. BKK Rail asks for nothing beyond the download.
ViaBus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ViaBus has 1.6K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 54% of ViaBus's written reviews are positive against 33% of BKK Rail's.
ViaBus ships an update every 3 weeks, BKK Rail monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ViaBus | BKK Rail |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (1.6K ratings) — better | 2.8 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 54.1% of reviews — better | 33.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1.6K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Monthly |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 130 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Intouch Marsvongpragorn | Lalita Narupiyakul |
Customer experience
ViaBus
BKK Rail
Bugs and requests
ViaBus
Reported bugs
2 issues- App shows bus routes that don't actually stop
- App doesn't update bus schedules properly
Requested features
4 requests- Add blue EV buses operated by Thai Smile Bus
- Improve GPS and bus tracking accuracy
- Add ability to attach photos or screenshots
- Improve search and location selection
BKK Rail
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ViaBus
- ViaBus Fan I$2.991 Month
- ViaBus Fan II$6.491 Month
- ViaBus Fan III$9.491 Month
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- ViaBus Fan IV$15.991 Month
- ViaBus Fan - Yearly$24.991 Year
- ViaBus Fan V$32.991 Month
BKK Rail
No in-app purchases
