Comparison

CrossCountry vs Reading Buses

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

Head to head
About

CrossCountry

Easily book train tickets and check live train times across the National Rail network. Get the best prices directly, apply Railcards and NUS discounts, and enjoy convenient travel planning.

Highlights
  • Book train tickets
  • Live train times
  • Real-time running information
  • No booking or credit card fees
  • Use Railcard and NUS discounts
  • Extensive network coverage
Features
Read full description

Book your train tickets quickly and easily with CrossCountry’s app. You can look up live train times, check real-time running information and buy your train tickets for any train on the National Rail network. It’s free to download, and we won’t charge you a booking or credit card fee. Buy with us direct to get the best price on your CrossCountry tickets, use your Railcard, and exclusive NUS discount on CrossCountry Advance train tickets! About CrossCountry About CrossCountry
 CrossCountry is a train operating company, running long distance train services in England, Scotland and Wales. The CrossCountry network is the most extensive in Britain, from Aberdeen to Penzance, and South Wales to East Anglia. Key destinations served to include Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Leeds, Bristol, Cambridge, Reading and Stansted and Birmingham International airports. CrossCountry's fast and frequent train services feature at-seat catering, quiet zones, and First Class. Visit our social media channels to stay up to date: https://www.facebook.com/CrossCountrytrains/ https://twitter.com/CrossCountryUK https://www.instagram.com/crosscountrytrains/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/282803/

About

Reading Buses

Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and track live departures. This app provides real-time bus information, fare discovery, and contactless journey history. Save your favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.

Highlights
  • Mobile ticket purchase
  • Live departure tracking
  • Journey planning
  • Fare discovery
  • Timetable access
  • Contactless journey history
  • Service update notifications
Features
Read full description

Our new app has everything you need to travel with Reading Buses. NEW! Discover your fare: Find the fare for the journeys you are planning whether you want to buy a mobile ticket in advance or pay on the bus. Mobile Tickets: Purchase mobile tickets securely with a debit/credit card and scan when boarding - no more searching for cash! Live Departures: Browse and view bus stops on the map, explore upcoming departures, or check out the routes from a stop to see where you could travel next. Journey Planning: It’s now even easier to plan ahead with Reading Buses. Timetables: We’ve squeezed the whole timetable into the palm of your hand. Contactless Journeys: View the journeys you have made using your contactless cards and a breakdown of charges and savings. Favourites: You can quickly save your favourite Departure Boards, Timetables and Journeys, with quick access from one convenient menu. Service Updates: You’ll be able to keep up to date with disruption information from our Twitter feed inside the app. As always, we welcome your feedback. You can send it to us via the app.

Screenshots

CrossCountry4 screens
Reading Buses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Reading Buses at none against CrossCountry's shown. Reading Buses also leads on rating (4.8 vs 4.3) and review sentiment (61% vs 33%). On price, update cadence, in-app purchases and device support 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

Reading Buses holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading Buses has 83 ratings behind it against 15, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 33% of CrossCountry's written reviews are positive against 61% of Reading Buses's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrossCountry ships an update every 3 weeks, Reading Buses fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
CrossCountry versus Reading Buses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossCountryReading Buses
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.3 (15 ratings)4.8 (83 ratings) — better
Positive reviews32.8% of reviews61.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1583 — better
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.615.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB41 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCrossCountry TrainsReading Buses

Customer experience

CrossCountry

All ratings15 ratings
Positive86.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative13.3%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive32.8%
Neutral3.6%
Negative63.5%

Reading Buses

All ratings83 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral0.0%
Negative3.6%
Written reviews103 reviews
Positive61.2%
Neutral8.7%
Negative30.1%

In-app purchases

None

CrossCountry

No in-app purchases

None

Reading Buses

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CrossCountry free?
CrossCountry is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Reading Buses free?
Reading Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CrossCountry or Reading Buses?
Reading Buses is rated higher. CrossCountry averages 4.3 out of 5 from 15 ratings, while Reading Buses averages 4.8 from 83 ratings.
Do CrossCountry or Reading Buses have ads?
CrossCountry shows ads; Reading Buses does not.
Which is updated more often, CrossCountry or Reading Buses?
CrossCountry ships an update every 3 weeks, and Reading Buses fortnightly. Most recently, CrossCountry was updated on November 1, 2026 and Reading Buses on November 2, 2026.

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