Comparison

Heathrow Express vs Tube Planner

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Personalized travel information
  • Quick ticket booking
  • Live train times
  • Mobile ticket wallet integration
  • Account management
Features
Read full description

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.

About

Tube Planner

Navigate London's public transport with real-time line statuses and simplified maps. Plan your journeys across the Underground, DLR, TFL Rail, Overground, and Elizabeth line. Includes a map view and integration with Google Maps for location awareness.

Highlights
  • Real-time line statuses
  • Planned weekend statuses
  • Tube Map view
  • Simplified line maps
  • Google Maps integration
Features
Read full description

A stylish and simple London Underground planner for helping you get around Greater London. Tube Planner provides the current statuses and planned weekend statuses for all London Underground lines, DLR, TFL Rail and the Overground. Now also includes the Elizabeth line. Plan your trip by checking the Tube Map, or a simplified single tube line map. If you are still aren't sure where you are, you can simply use the Google Maps feature to see where you are. Coming soon: + Journey Planner, but we will keep you posted when this is ready.

Screenshots

Heathrow Express4 screens
Tube Planner4 screens

Verdict

The call

Heathrow Express and Tube Planner both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 58% of Tube Planner's written reviews are positive against 30% of Heathrow Express's. Heathrow Express's advantage is ratings volume (7.3K vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, rating, 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

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

Tube Planner holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Heathrow Express has 7.3K ratings behind it against 1, 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 58% of Tube Planner's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heathrow Express ships an update every 3 weeks, Tube Planner every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Heathrow Express versus Tube Planner: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeathrow ExpressTube Planner
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.3K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews30.3% of reviews58.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeks — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.5
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB5 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeathrow ExpressAlexander Kozlowski

Customer experience

Heathrow Express

All ratings6,837 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews413 reviews
Positive30.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative62.0%

Tube Planner

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive58.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative33.3%

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

Tube Planner

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Heathrow Express

No in-app purchases

None

Tube Planner

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Heathrow Express free?
Heathrow Express is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Tube Planner free?
Tube Planner is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Heathrow Express or Tube Planner?
Tube Planner is rated higher. Heathrow Express averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Tube Planner averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Heathrow Express or Tube Planner have ads?
Neither Heathrow Express nor Tube Planner shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Heathrow Express or Tube Planner?
Heathrow Express ships an update every 3 weeks, and Tube Planner every 3 months. Most recently, Heathrow Express was updated on November 1, 2026 and Tube Planner on September 8, 2026.

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