HM | DCC vs GOV.UK One Login
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
HM | DCC
Control your model railway system wirelessly with this app. Build your locomotive library, customize their settings, and design your dream layout with untethered control over points, signals, and turntables. Enjoy free sound profiles and upgrade existing systems.
- Wireless model railway control
- Locomotive customization
- On-the-fly setting adjustments
- Layout design tool
- Controllable points, signals, turntables
- Free locomotive sound profiles
- Bluetooth® device linking
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The official app for setting up and controlling your HM7000 range of products. HM | DCC is the new model railway control system that makes it simple to build your library of locomotives and have ultimate control over them in the palm of your hand. Customise your locomotives with images, tinker, tailor & test settings on the fly to perfect your locomotive’s running style. Design your dream layout and manoeuvre locomotives through controllable points, signals, and turntables with untethered control. Easily set up your system. Log in*, link up your Bluetooth® HM devices, power-cycle and away you go. Control your system free of wires. Complete wireless & untethered control of your layout. Upgrade previous systems without ripping out installed controllers and components. Personalise your locomotives. Fill your engine shed with your fleet of locomotives, choose the perfect photo, and programme their settings to see locomotive running styles change instantaneously. Enjoy completely FREE locomotive sound profiles. Connect your HM7000-TXS decoders to HM | DCC and relish a plethora of class locomotive sounds for download. Keep up to date with the latest releases and get more locomotive sound profiles to play with on the day of release. Design your dream layout. Use the in-built Track Builder to draw up and design the perfect layout. Then, export a list easily to know what you need to build it. Everyone’s included. Functions with OO, TT and N scale gauges. Upgrade your previous DCC products to work with HM | DCC. Upgrade “DCC ready” locomotives to HM | DCC app control with HM7000 decoders. Control locomotives fitted with non-Bluetooth® and HM7000 Bluetooth® decoders in parallel. Explore the different ways you can upgrade via the Hornby.com website. *Please note: A Hornby.com account is required for HM | DCC app use. This can be easily created from the Hornby.com website. Internet access is required for device reset, profile download, hardware updates, app updates and app login. Disclaimer: Please ensure that your device is fully compatible with both the HM | DCC app and the HM7000 range of products prior to any purchase. Devices older than 5 years may work but cannot be recommended for control. If unsure, please visit the Hornby.com website or contact Hornby Hobbies customer care.
GOV.UK One Login
Securely prove your identity for government services by matching your face to your photo ID. This app also allows you to store a digital version of your HM Armed Forces Veteran Card on your phone.
- Digital identity verification
- Face-to-face ID matching
- Store digital Veteran Card
- Secure data handling
- Future digital document storage
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You can use the GOV.UK One Login app to prove your identity to access some government services. It works by matching your face to your photo ID. You can also use this app to save a digital version of your HM Armed Forces Veteran Card to your phone. In future you'll be able to save other digital documents, such as your driving licence. This is not available yet. Before you start You need to get this app if you’re: • using a service on the GOV.UK website that asks you to prove your identity with GOV.UK One Login • saving your digital Veteran Card to your phone You’ll be guided to this app when it is time to use it. What you need You can use any of the following types of photo ID to prove your identity: • UK passport • non-UK passport with a biometric chip • UK photocard driving licence • UK biometric residence permit (BRP) • UK biometric residence card (BRC) • UK Frontier Worker permit (FWP) You can use an expired driving licence if it expired in the last 90 days and it was issued by DVLA. You can use an expired BRP, BRC or FWP up to 24 months after its expiry date. You need to have your original photo ID with you. You cannot use a photocopy or digital copy. You will also need: • a well-lit area where you can take a good quality photograph • an iPhone 8 or newer • iOS 16.7 or higher How it works You'll need to sign in to the app with your GOV.UK One Login details. This links the app to the GOV.UK website so you can continue proving your identity. If your photo ID is a passport, BRP, BRC or FWP you will: • take a photo of your photo ID • scan the biometric chip in your photo ID using your phone • scan your face using your phone If your photo ID is a driving licence you will: • take a photo of your driving licence • scan your face using your phone What happens next Once your information has been submitted in the app, you'll need to go back to the GOV.UK website, so you can finish proving your identity and access the service you were trying to use. Privacy and security The personal information you provide to prove your identity will not be saved either on the app or on your phone. We collect your data securely and delete it when it is no longer needed. Digital documents you add to the app will be saved on your phone so you can access them whenever you need.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: GOV.UK One Login at 4.5 against HM | DCC's 3.0. GOV.UK One Login also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). HM | DCC's advantage is review sentiment (56% vs 20%) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
GOV.UK One Login holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: GOV.UK One Login has 3.5K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 56% of HM | DCC's written reviews are positive against 20% of GOV.UK One Login's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
HM | DCC ships an update every 4 months, GOV.UK One Login fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and November 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | HM | DCC | GOV.UK One Login |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (6 ratings) | 4.5 (3.5K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 56.3% of reviews — better | 19.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6 | 3.5K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 16.7 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 46 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hornby Hobbies Ltd | Government Digital Service |
Customer experience
HM | DCC
GOV.UK One Login
Bugs and requests
HM | DCC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
GOV.UK One Login
Reported bugs
3 issues- App freezing or crashing
- Inability to scan documents
- Login issues and web browser redirects
Requested features
3 requests- Clearer instructions and guidance
- Simplified verification process
- Compatibility with older devices
In-app purchases
HM | DCC
No in-app purchases
GOV.UK One Login
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is HM | DCC free?
Is GOV.UK One Login free?
Which has better reviews, HM | DCC or GOV.UK One Login?
Do HM | DCC or GOV.UK One Login have ads?
Which is updated more often, HM | DCC or GOV.UK One Login?
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