Raildar vs NCP
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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)
Read full descriptionHide 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
NCP
Manage all your parking needs in one place. Purchase digital season tickets, pay-as-you-go for parking, and extend your sessions remotely. Features include favorite sites, AutoPay, and in-app customer support.
- Digital season tickets
- Ticketless pay-as-you-go parking
- Extend parking sessions remotely
- Favorite car park sites
- AutoPay with VRN
- In-app chat support
Read full descriptionHide full description
The NCP app brings all your parking needs together in one convenient and easy-to-use place, offering the ability to: • Purchase and access a digital Season Ticket, giving you the ability to manage your account with ease • Ticketless pay-as-you-go parking at 370+ car parks across the UK Make sure you download the NCP app before entering one of our car parks to guarantee the best experience. Downloading the NCP app means you can purchase digital monthly, quarterly, and annual season tickets, depending on your needs. Your season ticket will then be stored in the app, meaning you’ll never forget or lose a physical season ticket again! Features of the NCP app include: • The ability to pay as you go and access your season ticket, if you have one, in one place • Extend your parking session in-app to save you having to go back to your car, you’ll be notified by push notifications from the app, so please ensure you have enabled notifications in your device settings to stay up to date • One QR code for all your products • Ability to favourite sites that you regularly visit in your favourites list • AutoPay provides fully automatic recognition and payment at selected sites via your vehicle registration number (VRN) • Map and list view of car parks with additional features • Buy and pay for a season ticket within the app, allowing unlimited parking within your chosen site for the length of your ticket • In-app chat function, giving you a direct line to customer service • Pay with Apple Pay
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NCP at none against Raildar's 2. NCP also leads on ads (none vs shown). Raildar's advantage is update cadence (every 2 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Raildar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. NCP asks for nothing beyond the download.
Raildar ships an update every 2 days, NCP every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Raildar | NCP |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | — | 4.3 (95 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 16.9% of reviews — better | 11.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 95 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 14.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 47 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 12+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Arc Internet Ltd | National Car Parks Limited |
Customer experience
Raildar
NCP
User reviews
Raildar
From App Store reviewsWhat we love
- 👍 Great idea for tracking trains
- 👍 Useful for train enthusiasts
- 👍 Good for occasional hobby use
- 👍 App has been updated and works well
- 👍 Shows trains in real time
Room to improve
- 🐛 Map is buggy and unusable
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 Zooming issues
- 🐛 No internet connection reported
- 🐛 Map jumps to random locations
NCP
From 95 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Intuitive app
- 🚀 Helpful auto-popup to scan barcode
- 👍 Great app, easy to use
Room to improve
- 🐛 App doesn't work, redirects to web
- 🐛 App not recognizing username/password
- 🐛 App not storing login details
- 🐛 App not working, logging out constantly
- 🐛 QR code not working
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
NCP
Reported bugs
4 issues- App not recognizing account
- Inability to pay in app after getting ticket
- Duplicate parking sessions
- Inconsistent pricing between app and machines
Requested features
4 requests- Add biometric login options
- Allow saving multiple vehicles
- Improve session management and reminders
- Integrate with car park barriers
In-app purchases
Raildar
- Raildar Monthly Subscription7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Raildar 6 Month Subscription7 Days trial$7.996 Months
NCP
No in-app purchases









