Heathrow Express vs Rail Runner
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Heathrow Express
Plan and book your journey quickly and easily with live train times and instant ticket access. Manage your account details, payment options, and preferences for a personalized travel experience.
- Personalized travel information
- Quick ticket booking
- Live train times
- Mobile ticket wallet integration
- Account management
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The new improved Heathrow Express app has some great features and benefits to help make planning and booking your trip quick and easy. Personalized experience – Create an account and login to activate all the features of the app. Including presenting your travel day information with your tickets along with live train times on your home screen. Quick booking – Need a ticket in a hurry? Book a ticket in seconds. Once you are logged in you will have the option to activate this new feature, allowing you to book at ticket on the day of travel in just a few clicks. Live train times – In addition to the scheduled times and service information, you will now be able to see live train times on the day you travel, making your trip planning even easier. Accessing tickets – Your tickets can easily be accessed and managed in one place on the app, allowing you to view upcoming tickets for travel and manage past tickets. Plus, you can still add your Heathrow Express tickets to your mobile wallet. Manage your account – With all your details in one place, including payment options, personal details, language and currency settings it’s easy to create and manage your experience how you want it.
Rail Runner
Purchase train tickets and check schedules for Central New Mexico's commuter rail service. Access your tickets electronically, view purchase history, and receive important rider alerts for a convenient travel experience.
- Purchase train tickets on the go
- Access electronic tickets
- View purchase history
- Check weekday, Saturday, and Sunday schedules
- Receive rider alerts
- Create trip plans
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The New Mexico Rail Runner Express provides train service seven days a week to key destinations throughout Central New Mexico including Santa Fe, Santo Domingo Pueblo, Bernalillo, Albuquerque, Isleta Pueblo, Los Lunas, and Belen. The Rail Runner App allows quick access to purchase tickets when you're on the go. See your tickets in your electronic wallet View your purchase history Check the Weekday, Saturday and Sunday schedules Receive rider alerts Create a trip plan Never misplace your ticket again Take the ticket with you when you upgrade your phone. Purchases tickets with a debit or credit card (except American Express). Tickets are available for immediate activation and use.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Heathrow Express at 4.8 against Rail Runner's 2.5. Heathrow Express also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 15 months) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Rail Runner's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.0). On price, review sentiment, 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.
Heathrow Express holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heathrow Express has 6.8K ratings behind it against 23, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of Heathrow Express's written reviews are positive against 29% of Rail Runner's.
Heathrow Express ships an update every 3 weeks, Rail Runner every 15 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Heathrow Express | Rail Runner |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (6.8K ratings) — better | 2.5 (23 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 30.5% of reviews — better | 28.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 6.8K — better | 23 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 15 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 63 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Heathrow Express | Rio Metro Regional Transit District |
Customer experience
Heathrow Express
Rail Runner
Bugs and requests
Heathrow Express
Reported bugs
5 issues- App crashing on ticket viewing
- Incorrect ticket dates/directions
- Payment processing failures
- Account creation issues
- Ticket information not syncing properly
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to add/manage tickets in app
- Improved ticket downloading/syncing
- More payment options
- Better account management features
- Live service updates and notifications
Rail Runner
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Heathrow Express
No in-app purchases
Rail Runner
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Heathrow Express free?
Is Rail Runner free?
Which has better reviews, Heathrow Express or Rail Runner?
Do Heathrow Express or Rail Runner have ads?
Which is updated more often, Heathrow Express or Rail Runner?
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