DB Navigator vs VR Matkalla
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
DB Navigator
Plan and manage your journeys across Germany with this comprehensive travel app. Book tickets, find the best prices, and receive real-time travel updates for all public transport, including trains, subways, trams, and buses. It offers convenient features like seat reservations and coach information to ensure a smooth travel experience.
- Ticket booking
- Deutschland-Ticket integration
- Best price search
- Travel notifications
- Journey information
- Komfort Check-in
- Demand indicator
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DB Navigator – your smart travel companion for Germany and beyond. With DB Navigator, you can plan your route, find the right connections and book tickets for local and long-distance travel directly in the app. Whether you're using the Deutschland-Ticket, commuting by bus and train, or travelling on ICE, IC and regional services, real-time travel information, up-to-date timetables and bookable e-scooters and bikes help you stay flexible wherever you go. YOUR BENEFITS AT A GLANCE • Subscribe to and manage your Deutschland-Ticket • Book tickets for local and long-distance travel • Real-time timetables, journey planning and route planning • Journey Companion with automatic travel updates • Real-time travel information, platform details and coach sequence information • Komfort Check-in for more relaxed long-distance journeys • Demand indicator for many trains • Rent e-scooters and bikes directly in the app • Send travel information to your smartwatch DEUTSCHLAND-TICKET & PUBLIC TRANSPORT Travel conveniently across Germany with the Deutschland-Ticket on local public transport. Subscribe to your Deutschland-Ticket directly in DB Navigator and find connections for buses, trains, S-Bahn, U-Bahn and regional services. Our filters help you quickly identify which connections are valid with the Deutschland-Ticket. BOOK TICKETS AT THE BEST PRICE Book your tickets and use mobile tickets for local and long-distance travel in just a few steps. Whether you're travelling by regional train, ICE or IC, the Best Price Finder helps you discover great-value fares and compare suitable connections with ease. Travel across Germany from as little as €6.99. REAL-TIME TIMETABLES, TRAVEL UPDATES & ROUTE PLANNING Use DB Navigator as your timetable and route planner for Germany and beyond. Access up-to-date timetable information, find the right connection and stay informed with real-time departure, arrival and interchange information. We'll keep you updated every step of the way. TRAVEL COMPANION FOR STRESS-FREE TRAVEL Keep track of your journey at all times with your digital travel companion. Save connections and automatically receive important updates about your route. If there are any changes, you'll be notified immediately so you can stay up to date throughout your journey. MAKE LONG-DISTANCE TRAIN TRAVEL EVEN MORE COMFORTABLE Take advantage of special features designed for long-distance rail travel. With Komfort Check-in, you can check yourself in conveniently. Journey details also include the latest coach sequence information, allowing you to see exactly where your coach will stop on the platform. The demand indicator helps you find a more comfortable seat. BUS, TRAIN, E-SCOOTER & BIKE Combine different modes of transport in a single journey. Alongside bus and train services, you can book a suitable e-scooter or bike seamlessly in the app and cover the first or last mile with ease. The integrated map also helps you find your way around and displays walking routes to nearby stops and stations. TRAVEL INFORMATION ON YOUR SMARTWATCH Keep an eye on your connection wherever you are. Send important travel information directly to your smartwatch and access real-time updates about your journey right from your wrist. DB NAVIGATOR – YOUR SMART TRAVEL COMPANION No matter where you're travelling to, DB Navigator keeps timetables, tickets, travel information, buses, trains, e-scooters and bikes right at your fingertips. For stress-free travel by rail and public transport throughout Germany and beyond. Download now for free from the App Store! For more information about DB Navigator features, visit bahn.de/en Enjoying the app? We'd love to hear your feedback in the App Store.
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: VR Matkalla at 52% against DB Navigator's 31%. VR Matkalla also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.6). DB Navigator's advantage is ratings volume (16K vs 568) and chart position (#208 vs unranked). On price, update cadence, 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.
VR Matkalla holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: DB Navigator has 16K ratings behind it against 568, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 31% of DB Navigator's written reviews are positive against 52% of VR Matkalla's.
DB Navigator ships an update fortnightly, VR Matkalla every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 27, 2026 and October 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | DB Navigator | VR Matkalla |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (16K ratings) | 4.8 (568 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.6% of reviews | 52.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 16K — better | 568 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #208 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 284 MB | 112 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Deutsche Bahn | VR |
Customer experience
DB Navigator
VR Matkalla
Bugs and requests
DB Navigator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
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 moreShow fewer
- 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
DB Navigator
No in-app purchases
VR Matkalla
No in-app purchases









