Comparison

HSL vs VR Matkalla

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

Head to head
About

HSL

Plan your public transport journeys in the Helsinki region, buy tickets, and get real-time updates. Access buses, trains, metro, trams, and ferries all in one place.

Highlights
  • Public transport ticket purchase
  • Journey planner
  • Real-time timetables
  • Vehicle tracking
  • Service disruption alerts
  • Multiple payment options
Read full description

Buses, trains, the Metro, trams and ferry – all in one app. The HSL app allows you to buy public transport tickets for the Helsinki region, find the best routes using the Journey Planner, view all timetables, and receive personalized transport information. You can buy single, day and season tickets for both adults and children via the HSL app. Adult multi-journey tickets and discounted tickets for students and passengers aged 70 and over are also available via the app. You can pay using the most popular payment methods, including debit/credit cards, MobilePay, phone bill and commuter benefits. The HSL app's Journey Planner helps you find routes and informs you about the ticket needed for your journey. You can view real-time stop-specific departure and arrival times and track vehicles in real time. The app also displays any service changes and disruptions, and you can choose to receive notifications about these updates directly on your phone. More information about Helsinki region public transport: hsl.fi

About

VR Matkalla

This app is your comprehensive travel companion for train journeys. Purchase tickets, manage your bookings, and receive real-time updates about your trip. Enjoy features like seat reservations, meal ordering, and personalized benefits.

Highlights
  • Purchase single, multi, and season train tickets
  • Reserve seats and upgrade to premium classes
  • Modify ticket departure times and seats
  • Real-time journey updates and notifications
  • Order meals and coffee for your journey
  • Access exclusive traveler benefits
Features
Read full description

The VR Matkalla app is a travel companion that can help you at every stage of your journey. START TRAVELLING The VR Matkalla app is the best way to buy tickets for VR’s commuter and long-distance trains. The app offers single tickets, multi-tickets and season tickets for regular travellers, as well as corporate tickets for business travellers. Starting or continuing your journey in the capital region and in many other cities around Finland is easy! You can buy single tickets from HSL and other local transport operators for your journey to and from the train station. We will send your ticket to both the app and your email. You can pay for your journey using internet banking, a payment card and MobilePay, or with employee benefits like Epassi, Smartum and Edenred. If you have bought your tickets as a logged-in customer, you can always find the tickets you have bought in your own VR account, in the app and at vr.fi. This means that you can buy your ticket on your computer at home or in the app and travel with that same ticket on your phone. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SIT? When buy a ticket, you can conveniently reserve a seat using the coach map. You can also buy the seat next to you and enjoy the extra space. If you want to add a touch of luxury to your journey, you can travel in Ekstra Calm Class, where you can enjoy the peace and quiet, or in Ekstra Relaxed, which offers the best view. In Ekstra Classes, the ticket price includes hot drinks and spring water. When buying your ticket, you can also buy a ticket for your travel companion, bicycle or pet. PLANS CAN CHANGE Sometimes things don’t go as planned. In the VR Matkalla app, you can also make changes after buying the ticket. You can conveniently change your seat and the departure time of your journey as self-service, or upgrade your seat to Ekstra Class after the purchase. If needed, the change can be made to the tickets of the whole travel party. If you’ve bought cancellation insurance, you can also cancel your journey in the app for free if plans change. WHERE ARE WE AT? With the On-Track section of the VR Matkalla app, you will get real-time updates about your journey, so you will always know what is happening. When you allow push notifications related to your journey, you will be informed about things like your train’s departure, the movement of the train, changed timetables, transfers and your train’s arrival. You can also view your train’s services and accessibility information in the app. If we have to cancel your train journey, we will suggest new journeys in the app for you to choose from. ENJOY YOUR JOURNEY You can order delicious meals to your seat in the app during the journey. You can also pre-order a coffee and pick it up at the checkout of the restaurant car without queuing. YOU WILL ALWAYS KNOW YOUR BENEFITS For those who download the app, we offer tasty benefits that you can use in the train’s restaurant car. In addition, we will also tell you about changing benefits that will make your journey even more better. You can find our tips and benefits in the Messages section of the VR Matkalla app. You can check the carbon footprint of the journeys you’ve taken in the past 12 months in the app. Did you know that the carbon dioxide emissions of a train are 98% lower than those of a car? On the train, you always travel in an environmentally friendly manner. Join us on our journey and download the VR Matkalla app today!

Screenshots

HSL4 screens
VR Matkalla4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VR Matkalla at 4.8 against HSL's 3.9. VR Matkalla also leads on review sentiment (52% vs 14%) and ads (none vs shown). HSL's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.1). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VR Matkalla holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 481 and 560 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 14% of HSL's written reviews are positive against 52% of VR Matkalla's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

HSL ships an update monthly, VR Matkalla every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 22, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
HSL versus VR Matkalla: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHSLVR Matkalla
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (481 ratings)4.8 (560 ratings) — better
Positive reviews14.1% of reviews52.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings481560 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.4 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB111 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHelsingin seudun liikenneVR

Customer experience

HSL

All ratings481 ratings
Positive70.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative26.2%
Written reviews163 reviews
Positive14.1%
Neutral4.9%
Negative81.0%

VR Matkalla

All ratings560 ratings
Positive97.3%
Neutral1.4%
Negative1.3%
Written reviews25 reviews
Positive52.0%
Neutral4.0%
Negative44.0%

User reviews

HSL

From 481 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent app for travel in Helsinki
  • 👍 Convenient and worked very well
  • 🚀 Great experience, nice UI

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy and annoying
  • 🐛 Doesn't work with international numbers
  • 🐛 Kept coming with error triangle or claiming no internet connection
  • 🐛 App doesn't function, unable to purchase tickets

VR Matkalla

From 560 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy ticket purchasing and changing
  • 🚀 Prompt response and action via chat
  • 👍 App is easier than call centers
  • 👍 Cheaper than ticket machines
  • 👍 Best app to travel in Finland

Room to improve

  • 💸 High fare compared to other countries
  • 🐛 Can't login, link expired
  • 🐛 Session token not recognized
  • 🐛 Awful to type card number every time
  • 🐛 App doesn't remember card

Bugs and requests

HSL

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Version 4.2.0 does not work on iPhone6 (iOS 12.5.5)
  • Routes go blank, nothing to go back
  • Login problems, like a scam
  • Unable to create account, login, or purchase tickets

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow buying multiple tickets in a single purchase
  • Add maps showing all routes
  • Provide email verification option instead of just SMS

VR Matkalla

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • Login issues (expired link, session token)
  • Card not saved after entry
  • Registration link unresponsive
  • UI confusion for route selection
  • Station status not clear
Show 4 more
  • Website tickets not viewable in app
  • Login failure with correct credentials
  • Confirmation email not delivered
  • Password creation rules not accepted

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add Apple Pay support
  • App should remember card details
  • Option to input confirmation number for website tickets
  • Easier to find seat change section
  • Improve searchability of the app name

In-app purchases

None

HSL

No in-app purchases

None

VR Matkalla

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is HSL free?
HSL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VR Matkalla free?
VR Matkalla is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, HSL or VR Matkalla?
VR Matkalla is rated higher. HSL averages 3.9 out of 5 from 481 ratings, while VR Matkalla averages 4.8 from 560 ratings.
Do HSL or VR Matkalla have ads?
HSL shows ads; VR Matkalla does not.
Which is updated more often, HSL or VR Matkalla?
HSL ships an update monthly, and VR Matkalla every 3 weeks. Most recently, HSL was updated on September 22, 2026 and VR Matkalla on September 23, 2026.

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