HOS Manual vs Rail Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HOS Manual
This app clarifies Hours of Service (HOS) requirements for railroad employees. It consolidates Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidance for Freight, Passenger, Dispatching, and Signal user groups, simplifying compliance with complex regulations.
- Hours of Service (HOS) clarification
- Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidance
- Consolidated information
- Multiple railroad user groups
- Standardized application and compliance
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Hours of Service APP was developed to provide users with clarification on Hours of Service (HOS) requirements found at 49 CFR Part 228, Hours of Service Recordkeeping, and FRA hours of service interpretations and policies. This tool allows users to navigate through Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidance that exists addressing the complexity of hours of service requirements, along with the diversity of railroad operations, it assists to provide comprehensive guidance and consolidating this information into one manual to ensure standardized application and compliance. Users can select from multiple railroad user groups: Freight, Passenger, Dispatching or Signal employees. The information accessed in the mobile application is not intended to be the primary reference document for hours of service requirements; 49 CFR Part 228, FRA Operating Practices Technical Bulletins, and official FRA letters addressing hours of service issues will remain the primary reference documents when dealing with Federal hours of service requirements.
Rail Guide
Explore detailed maps of active, historic, and abandoned rail lines across the US, Canada, and Mexico. Includes milepost data for most routes and points of interest. Stay updated on map changes via the official Facebook page.
- North American rail line maps
- Current, historic, and abandoned lines
- Milepost data
- Points of interest
- Map update notifications
Read full descriptionHide full description
Maps of current, historic, and abandoned rail lines plus points of interest in the US, Canada, and Mexico with mileposts for most lines. Follow facebook.com/railguide for map updates.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Rail Guide at 100% against HOS Manual's 0%. Rail Guide also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.0) and ratings volume (27 vs 8). HOS Manual's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Rail Guide holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 8 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of HOS Manual's written reviews are positive against 100% of Rail Guide's.
| Parameter | HOS Manual | Rail Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.0 (8 ratings) | 4.8 (27 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 8 | 27 — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 9.2 — better | 13.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 21 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Federal Railroad Administration | Rail Guide LLC |
Customer experience
HOS Manual
Rail Guide
In-app purchases
HOS Manual
No in-app purchases
Rail Guide
No in-app purchases
