Comparison

Raildar vs Train Beacon

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

Head to head
About

Raildar

This app provides real-time tracking of trains across the entire UK rail network. It allows users to see the live location of their train, search for specific services, and explore rail activity nationwide. An optional subscription offers an enhanced experience with extended tracking and no ads.

Highlights
  • Live train positions across the UK
  • Search and follow specific train services
  • View historical train routes
  • Explore nationwide rail activity
  • Extended live tracking (subscription)
  • Ad-free experience (subscription)
Features
Read full description

Raildar – Live UK Train Tracking See the UK rail network come alive in real time. Raildar accurately plots the live location of trains across the entire UK rail network, giving you a clear picture of where your train is right now - not just when it was scheduled. Whether you’re commuting, waiting for a connection, or just a rail enthusiast, Raildar lets you: - View live positions of trains across the UK - Search for a specific service and follow it on the map - Check where your train has been earlier today - Pan around the map to explore rail activity nationwide Simple, fast, and built for anyone who wants to know what’s really happening on the rails. Raildar Subscription (Optional) Keeping live train locations up to date for the entire UK network is data-intensive and keeps our servers busy. To keep the app free for everyone, Raildar uses a short live-update timeout in the standard version. With Raildar Subscription, you unlock a smoother, more powerful experience: - Extended live tracking without frequent timeouts - No adverts - Extra train details, including headcodes - A more seamless, uninterrupted map experience Subscriptions are available monthly, or for 6 months at a discounted monthly rate. You can try Raildar Subscription free for 7 days before committing. Subscription Details Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at the end of the free trial Subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the subscription ending You can manage or cancel your subscription at any time via your Account Settings (using the “Manage” button on the Upgrade page) Any unused portion of a free trial is forfeited once a subscription is purchased Subscription fees are non-refundable; no refunds are given for unused time if cancelled Full terms and conditions can be found at https://raildar.co.uk/appterms.html

About

Train Beacon

Visualize train locations and real-time schedules in augmented reality or on a map. Get instant updates on train times, platform information, and service status for Great Britain and London Underground. Pro features include widgets, incident reports, and advanced train tracking.

Highlights
  • Augmented reality train visualization
  • Map-based train tracking
  • Real-time train times
  • Platform information
  • Service incident reports
  • Home screen widgets
Features
Read full description

* NEW: Brand new train allocations and carriage count information is now available in Train Beacon Pro (subscription required) * Train Beacon shows estimated, interpolated GB* train positions in augmented reality and on a map. Point your phone in the approximate direction that the track is running and see the estimated, interpolated position and distance of trains from your nearest station as beacons overlaid on-screen in augmented reality. See Great Britain and London Underground real-time train times almost instantly from your nearest stations. Displays platform information where available. Automatically loads train times from your nearest station or loads train times from a station that you select from the stations screen. Filter train times by destination station. Features Widgets (Pro subscription required) Easily see train times, cancellations, London Underground service indicators, rail incidents and service status on your homescreen. Incidents (Pro subscription required) Easily see information about the service status and news about rail incidents and current / future maintenance. The incidents screen includes information such as the incident details, routes affected, date/s of incident and direct links to the relevent National Rail Enquiries page and map, where available. Includes London Underground service status and incidents. Augmented Reality mode (Pro subscription required) Picture real-time train information in an interactive real-world environment. See nearby trains*, railway stations and London Underground stations in an immersive augmented reality experience. The app will locate trains that are departing from your nearest station and display them. Tapping on a train reveals more information about its calling points and last reported location. AR mode is available with a Pro subscription. *National Rail trains only, and some trains are not displayed. Train Tracker (Pro subscription required) Using it’s advanced geo-location capabilities, combined with real-time train data and it’s UK rail network map, the app predicts the estimated, interpolated location of National Rail trains at any given time. The estimated train location is displayed on a map, with information about whether the service is currently running early, on-time or late. High precision information The app can report times from intermediary passing points such as junctions, providing you with a high level of precision and accuracy about the current status of a given train’s journey. Packed with detailed train information like number of carriages, train category, power type (eg EMU), timing load (eg Class 323), planned maximum speed (eg 90mph max), seating classes, reservations, catering, and operating characteristics (eg DOO). This information is only available if data has been supplied by the TOC. Some TOCs don't supply carriage data. The app can also show the calling point times and route map for London Undergound trains, if this data has been supplied by TfL. Safety Info Not for use in safety critical applications, level crossings, etc. Train position is estimated from latest available timing point data and may be incorrect. Care must be taken during use. Other trains may be present that are not indicated in the AR or train tracker mode of the app such as trains not stopping at the nearest station and also freight trains. Freight and non passenger trains are not displayed in the app. For your safety do not use your phone while you walk and take extreme care using the app near trains and railways. App powered by National Rail Enquiries & TfL Open Data, it contains public sector information from Network Rail licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Ltd. Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Raildar4 screens
Train Beacon4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Train Beacon at none against Raildar's shown. Train Beacon also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 17%). Raildar's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs monthly). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model 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. Raildar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month and Train Beacon sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Raildar ships an update every 2 days, Train Beacon monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Raildar versus Train Beacon: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRaildarTrain Beacon
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.5 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews16.9% of reviews50.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—2 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 days — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFreemiumFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.615.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size47 MB76 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperArc Internet LtdChristopher Riches

Customer experience

Raildar

Written reviews59 reviews
Positive16.9%
Neutral6.8%
Negative76.3%

Train Beacon

All ratings2 ratings
Positive50.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative50.0%
Written reviews16 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral6.3%
Negative43.8%

Bugs and requests

Raildar

Reported bugs

40 issues
  • Map covered in black rectangles
  • Zoom takes you to random locations
  • Stopped working, no service
  • Map is entirely broken, says no internet
  • Map jumps when zooming
Show 35 more
  • Map jumps when zooming in
  • Map not showing any trains
  • Map does not work
  • Shows phantom trains, wrong platforms
  • White screen with openstreetmap logo
  • No connection reported
  • Map jumps around when moving or zooming
  • Crashing when zooming in
  • Map jumps to different places
  • Search from map shows nothing, just blank
  • Moving around map is like a mystery tour
  • Map keeps bugging and moving back to London
  • Says no internet connection
  • Pinch to zoom doesn't work, moves to random location
  • Map crashes on every zoom
  • App repeatedly crashes
  • Navigation within the app is poor
  • Zooming in on map using finger gestures is bad
  • Train tracking is sporadic with freezes
  • Map keeps relocating itself
  • Map drag causes app crash
  • Map doesn't zoom in
  • Map is unusable
  • Zooming into map ends up on south coast
  • Map relocating you away from area
  • Train markers are odd
  • App asks for permission to track all the time
  • Searching for trains says 'no train found'
  • Stuff pops out of top corner
  • Map doesn't focus or update
  • Map jumps to different locations all over the country when trying to zoom in
  • App crashes when trying to identify an individual service
  • Cannot enable 'Display Current Location on Map'
  • Map zooms off to the east coast of the UK
  • App crashes on iPhone 6

Requested features

10 requests
  • Track heritage type trains like steam trains
  • See where heritage trains are operating
  • Fix issue with 4G connection
  • Make freight trains and other trains easily accessible
  • Improve Avanti West Coast tracking
Show 5 more
  • Show all train types including Avanti West Coast
  • Make rail lines and stations more prominent
  • Add Lea Bridge station
  • Show full names for new stations
  • Display all services from a station, not just specific routes

Train Beacon

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Raildar

Subscriptions2
  • Raildar Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • Raildar 6 Month Subscription7 Days trial$7.996 Months
1 purchases

Train Beacon

Subscriptions1
  • Train Beacon Pro (Monthly)1 Month trial$4.991 Month

Questions

Is Raildar free?
Raildar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Train Beacon free?
Train Beacon is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Raildar or Train Beacon have ads?
Raildar shows ads; Train Beacon does not.
Which is updated more often, Raildar or Train Beacon?
Raildar ships an update every 2 days, and Train Beacon monthly. Most recently, Raildar was updated on September 21, 2026 and Train Beacon on September 8, 2026.

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