AskRail vs Rail Guide
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
AskRail
This app provides hazardous materials safety information for first responders dealing with rail incidents. It allows authorized personnel to query railcar contents and offers critical data for emergency response. Access to advanced features requires verification and railroad sponsorship.
- Hazardous materials safety information
- Rail incident support
- Query railcar contents
- Emergency response data
- First responder tool
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The AskRail app is a hazardous materials safety tool for first responders who are first on scene or directly support the first on scene in the event of a rail incident. Access to certain features, including the ability to query railcar contents based on an equipment number, is restricted to authorized personnel. To obtain authorization to use the restricted features, you must assert that you are a first responder, provide information about your emergency response agency, and identify a supervisor who can attest to your first responder duties. You also must obtain sponsorship from a Class I railroad. This process may take up to several weeks. AskRail is a collaborative effort among all North American Class I railroads, the Association of American Railroads, Railinc Corp., and the Transportation Technology Center, Inc. For more information about AskRail please visit: www.askrail.us.
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
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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 rating: Rail Guide at 5.0 against AskRail's 4.1. Rail Guide also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 58%) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 16.0). AskRail's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, ratings volume, 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, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 37 and 21 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 58% of AskRail's written reviews are positive against 100% of Rail Guide's.
| Parameter | AskRail | Rail Guide |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.1 (37 ratings) | 5.0 (21 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 58.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 37 — better | 21 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 44 MB | 17 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 12+ |
| Developer | Association of American Railroads | Rail Guide LLC |
Customer experience
AskRail
Rail Guide
In-app purchases
AskRail
No in-app purchases
Rail Guide
No in-app purchases
