TransPennine Express vs Gatwick Express
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TransPennine Express
Plan your next UK train journey and purchase tickets without any booking or card fees. Save money with advance bookings and store your eTickets or digital railcards directly within the app for easy access.
- Book train tickets with no fees
- Save up to 50% with advance tickets
- Store eTickets and digital railcards
- View live departure and arrival times
- Save common journeys for quick search
- Manage bookings in 'My account'
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No booking or card fees – download the TransPennine Express app to plan your next journey and buy train tickets to any UK railway station. Key Features: - Book in advance and you could save over 50%* with Advance tickets - Store eTickets in our app or save them to your Apple wallet - Buy Digital Railcards, conveniently stored in our app for easy access - Enjoy discounts and promotions on TransPennine Express fares, subject to availability - View live departure and arrival times for all UK Rail services - Make searching quick and easy by saving common journeys - Easily manage your bookings on the go in My account Together, we’re going places. Download now and book your journey. Information to note: Got a question? See our FAQs: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/contact-us/faqs Need to get in touch? Find the best way to here: https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/help/contact-us Follow us on Social Media @TPExpressTrains on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook Learn more about us at https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/ * Full T&Cs for Advance tickets available at https://www.tpexpress.co.uk/special-offers/advance-bookings
Gatwick Express
Plan your journey to Gatwick Airport with direct train times and ticket booking. Enjoy transparent pricing, live service updates, and hassle-free travel. The app also offers features for claiming compensation and requesting passenger assistance.
- Check train times
- Book tickets
- Zero booking fees
- Direct airport travel
- Live service updates
- Auto Delay Repay claims
- On-the-go assistance
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Download the official Gatwick Express app to check train times and book tickets for direct routes to Gatwick Airport and beyond. Experience hassle-free travel with our transparent pricing and exceptional service. With the Gatwick Express app you can: ENJOY ZERO BOOKING FEES: Buy any GB tickets directly through our app and pay no additional booking fees. DIRECT AIRPORT TRAVEL: Enjoy direct and fast travel to and from Gatwick Airport, ensuring a stress-free start to your journey. LIVE SERVICE UPDATES: Receive real-time updates on your regular services. Stay informed with personalised alerts from network experts. MAKE A CLAIM: Set-up your Auto Delay Repay feature and easily claim compensation for delayed journeys. ON-THE-GO ASSISTANCE: Request Passenger Assistance anytime you need it. Travel with confidence knowing support is just a tap away.
Screenshots
Verdict
TransPennine Express and Gatwick Express both sit at 4.5 stars, but that hides the real split: 28% of TransPennine Express's written reviews are positive against 10% of Gatwick Express's. TransPennine Express also leads on ratings volume (205 vs 18). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for TransPennine Express against 4.5 for Gatwick Express. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: TransPennine Express has 205 ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 28% of TransPennine Express's written reviews are positive against 10% of Gatwick Express's.
TransPennine Express ships an update every 2 weeks, Gatwick Express every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TransPennine Express | Gatwick Express |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (205 ratings) | 4.5 (18 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 27.9% of reviews — better | 9.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 205 — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks — better | Every 3 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 83 MB | 82 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | TransPennine Express | The Go-Ahead Group plc |
Customer experience
TransPennine Express
Gatwick Express
Bugs and requests
TransPennine Express
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tickets disappearing from the app
- Issues with adding tickets to Apple Wallet
- App not working outside the UK
Requested features
5 requests- Add tickets to Apple Wallet
- Remember login details and payment info
- Improve user interface and flow
- Provide better information on tickets and journeys
- Allow booking of open return tickets
Gatwick Express
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TransPennine Express
No in-app purchases
Gatwick Express
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is TransPennine Express free?
Is Gatwick Express free?
Which has better reviews, TransPennine Express or Gatwick Express?
Do TransPennine Express or Gatwick Express have ads?
Which is updated more often, TransPennine Express or Gatwick Express?
Other comparisons
