Comparison

VRS Auskunft vs Ruhrbahn

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

Head to head
About

VRS Auskunft

Plan your journeys and purchase tickets for bus and rail in the Rhineland. This app offers route planning, timetable information, and digital ticket purchasing, including season tickets and supplementary services like bike sharing.

Highlights
  • Route navigator
  • Timetable information
  • Digital ticket purchases
  • Deutschlandticket access
  • Real-time notifications
  • Bike and scooter sharing integration
  • Interactive journey map
Features
Read full description

Your schedule for bus & rail in the Rhineland. With the VRS app you have everything in view: navigator, timetable info and digital tickets. Everything key to getting around. Buy your Deutschlandticket or other digital tickets in the app itself. Get season tickets for your regular routes and receive the latest notifications at once on the homepage. Book supplementary services for getting around such as bike sharing or scooters. And use the ‘Take me to’ feature to find the quickest way to your destination. What the VRS app offers you: Ticket purchases: simpler than ever and simply for less · Get to the Deutschlandticket (D-Ticket) in a few clicks · HandyTickets for the Rhineland and whole of NRW · Einzeltickets, 24hTickets and Monatstickets · Bicycle and first class tickets · Save your ticket favourites & buy tickets for anyone going with you · Pay conveniently with PayPal Your homepage: tailored to how you get about · Find all options for your journey on the interactive map: rental bikes, scooters, bike lockers etc. · Add functional tiles and arrange them to suit your needs. · Instant access to your favourites, i.e. routes, stops and stations. · Press the ‘Straight home’ button for the quickest way home. · Subscribe for the latest reports about your favourite lines. Timetable information: Your personal navigator · Entry of start and destination with addresses, interim stops and mode of transport selection. · Pin your favourite route to the homepage: all live times at a glance. · View your journey on a map, incl. walking segments. · Alternative options at connecting stops/stations in case of delays (e.g. due to traffic jams) · Save your most important routes and stops as favourites. The VRS app can do even more: · Dark mode for comfortable use in the dark. · Useful detailed information on every stop and station in the VRS area: timetables, announcements, location maps, escalators and lifts.

About

Ruhrbahn

Earn rewards for eco-friendly travel in Essen and Mülheim. The app automatically tracks walking, cycling, and public transport use, calculating CO₂ and NOx savings. Redeem your earned points for vouchers with Ruhrbahn and local partners.

Highlights
  • Earn points for sustainable travel
  • Automatic tracking of walking, cycling, public transport
  • Calculates CO₂ and NOx emission savings
  • Redeem points for vouchers
  • Local partner discounts
Features
Read full description

Bonus mobil belohnt umweltfreundliche Mobilität mit attraktiven Rabatten. Das Ziel: CO₂- und NOx-Emissionen (Kohlenstoffdioxid und Stickoxid) einsparen und die Städte Essen und Mülheim noch lebenswerter machen. Es ist ganz einfach: Du sammelst mit der bonus mobil-App automatisch Punkte, wenn du das Auto stehen lässt – dich also zu Fuß, mit dem Fahrrad oder den öffentlichen Verkehrsmitteln in Essen und Mülheim fortbewegst. Die bonus mobil-App erkennt automatisch deine umweltfreundlich zurückgelegten Wege und errechnet im Vergleich zu einer Autofahrt die entsprechende CO₂ und NOx-Einsparung. Die gesammelten Punkte (Klima-Moneten) kannst du in der bonus mobil-App gegen Gutscheine der Ruhrbahn und bei lokalen Kooperationspartnern eintauschen.

Screenshots

VRS Auskunft4 screens
Ruhrbahn3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: VRS Auskunft at 54% against Ruhrbahn's 30%. VRS Auskunft also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months) and device support (4 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

VRS Auskunft ships an update every 3 weeks, Ruhrbahn every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
VRS Auskunft versus Ruhrbahn: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVRS AuskunftRuhrbahn
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (5 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews54.0% of reviews — better30.0% of reviews
Number of ratings5 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size31 MB136 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperVerkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg GmbHhighQ Computerlösungen GmbH

Customer experience

VRS Auskunft

All ratings5 ratings
Positive80.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews63 reviews
Positive54.0%
Neutral27.0%
Negative19.0%

Ruhrbahn

Written reviews20 reviews
Positive30.0%
Neutral10.0%
Negative60.0%

In-app purchases

None

VRS Auskunft

No in-app purchases

None

Ruhrbahn

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is VRS Auskunft free?
VRS Auskunft is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ruhrbahn free?
Ruhrbahn is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do VRS Auskunft or Ruhrbahn have ads?
Neither VRS Auskunft nor Ruhrbahn shows ads.
Which is updated more often, VRS Auskunft or Ruhrbahn?
VRS Auskunft ships an update every 3 weeks, and Ruhrbahn every 2 months. Most recently, VRS Auskunft was updated on November 8, 2026 and Ruhrbahn on November 3, 2026.

Other comparisons