Railcard vs Train Hugger
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Railcard
Access and display your train ticket discounts directly on your mobile device. Never forget your discount card again and save on most train fares. Supports a wide variety of railcards for different traveler needs.
- Store railcards on mobile
- Save 1/3 on train fares
- Instant digital access
- Supports multiple railcard types
- Ready for next train journey
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With a Railcard, you'll enjoy ⅓ off most fares when you go by train. Download the app now so you will never forget your Railcard again- have your Railcard on your mobile, ready for your next train journey. Suitable for storing newly-purchased 16-25 Railcard, Santander 16-25 Railcard, 26-30 Railcard, Devon & Cornwall Railcard, Family & Friends Railcard, Senior Railcard, Two Together Railcard, Veterans Railcard, Disabled Persons Railcard, Network Railcard, and 16-17 Saver. *Most Railcards are available instantly on your mobile. However, 16-25 Railcards for those applying as mature students, Veterans Railcards and Disabled Persons Railcards may take up to 5 working days for approval.
Train Hugger
Book UK train tickets with this app and help reforest the British countryside. For every ticket booked, a tree is planted in partnership with the Royal Forestry Society. Find the best fares, manage your tickets, and track your tree planting impact.
- Book UK train tickets
- Plant trees in the UK
- Find best fares
- Save e-tickets
- Manage bookings
- Track tree planting
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Welcome to Train Hugger, the UK’s leading green train ticketing app. Whenever you book with Train Hugger, we plant a tree in the UK in partnership with the Royal Forestry Society. We’re planting trees you recognise in places that you’ve been to, in our bid to restore the British countryside. The price is the same, the seat is the same, the journey is the same. You can easily find the best fares, use Apple Pay or PayPal, save e-tickets to your phone, make amends or ask for refunds, all within the app. You can even keep track of how many trees you planted. Our customer service is on hand 7 days a week if you do need to talk to someone.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Train Hugger at 90% against Railcard's 44%. Train Hugger also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). Railcard's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence, 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.
Train Hugger holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Railcard has 7.1K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 44% of Railcard's written reviews are positive against 90% of Train Hugger's.
Railcard ships an update monthly, Train Hugger every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Railcard | Train Hugger |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (7.1K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 43.6% of reviews | 90.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 7.1K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 5 weeks |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 43 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Rail | Migaloo Ltd |
Customer experience
Railcard
Train Hugger
Bugs and requests
Railcard
Reported bugs
3 issues- Railcard disappearing from app
- Download codes not working
- Incorrect/missing card details
Requested features
3 requests- Add to Apple Wallet
- Automatic renewal reminders
- Offline mode for digital cards
Train Hugger
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Railcard
No in-app purchases
Train Hugger
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Railcard free?
Is Train Hugger free?
Which has better reviews, Railcard or Train Hugger?
Do Railcard or Train Hugger have ads?
Which is updated more often, Railcard or Train Hugger?
Other comparisons
