SteamTrains vs Railstream
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SteamTrains
Watch 3D trains race on scenic landscapes and interact with them. Features simple driving games for younger children and collection challenges for older ones, offering a realistic train play experience.
- 3D train simulation
- Multiple camera angles
- Simple train driving game
- Wagon collection game
- Interactive railroad junctions
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SteamTrains Junior is a fun new app for kids aged from 3- 10. Small kids can watch the trains race around the railroad! Its all made in 3D so you can see everything from all angles. Its just like playing with the real thing ! The SteamTrains have properly functioning wheel mechanisms and race around the scenic landscape at high speed. It can all be viewed from different positions just by clicking the camera button. There are very simple games for small kids which involves driving a train around a railroad. The train can be driven as fast as you like and its course can be changed by clicking on the junction points matching buttons. For older kids there are more difficult games that involves trying to collect as many wagons as possible from around the traintrack. Loads of fun for kids !
Railstream
Experience live railcams from across the United States and Canada. Watch over two dozen cameras in real time, with a selection available for all viewers and premium content for members. Keep your devices entertained with continuous railway action.
- Live railcams
- United States and Canada coverage
- Real-time streaming
- Multiple camera views
- Membership-exclusive content
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Live from the United States and Canada, Railstream brings you over 2 dozen railcams to watch in real time! Nine cameras are available for all viewers, while others are membership only. Try this app and your TV and mobile devices will never be dark again! Railstream Pricing: • Subscription 1 Month - USD 12.99* • Subscription 1 Year - USD 149.99* * For non-US app stores, the equivalent currency charges will apply. Please note: App subscriptions do not include access to subscription-only content on our website. Additional Subscription Information: • Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. • Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. • Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. • Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. • No cancellation of the current subscription is allowed during active subscription period. Privacy Policy - https://bit.ly/2J5Ujfh Terms of Use - https://bit.ly/2J1YZqL • Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Railstream at 4.1 against SteamTrains's 3.5. Railstream also leads on review sentiment (58% vs 37%). SteamTrains's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 10) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume, update cadence 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
Both are free to download. Railstream sells 10 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month. SteamTrains asks for nothing beyond the download.
Railstream holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 76 and 128 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of SteamTrains's written reviews are positive against 58% of Railstream's.
SteamTrains ships an update every 3 months, Railstream every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and August 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SteamTrains | Railstream |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (76 ratings) | 4.1 (128 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.7% of reviews | 58.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 76 | 128 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Subscription |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple TV — better |
| Requires iOS | 8.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 287 MB | 85 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Kathrin Brock | Railstream, LLC |
Customer experience
SteamTrains
Railstream
Bugs and requests
SteamTrains
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Railstream
Reported bugs
24 issues- Boyce Cam stuck at night
- Sound bugs on Fostoria Ohio free cams
- App crashes or freezes
- App gets slow
- Login issues, doesn't recall membership
Show 19 moreShow fewer
- Annoying messages for members
- Stuck waiting message
- Reset and spinning wheel icon
- iPad app killed after update
- Static and connection problems
- App kicks out members
- Selma cam glitches, shows daytime at night
- Issues with Apple Play (sound but blank screen)
- Blank picture on Apple Play for some cameras
- Cameras off at 10pm PST
- Cameras jumping back and forth
- Internal service error on password reset
- App crashes in landscape mode
- Payment option not available (forcing PayPal)
- App says 'something went wrong' on sign in
- Shenedoah junction free cam does not work
- White line bug on video player
- Light brown screen with RETRY error
- Little black airplane icon
Requested features
21 requests- Add Thomasville NC railcam for free
- Lower membership price
- Add Metra camera
- Add multi-view cams back
- Add more multi-view cams
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- Add a railcam in WA (Sumner, Puyallup, Auburn, Tukwilla)
- Add another free camera for Atlanta, GA (other direction)
- Add cameras in St. Louis, MO, Jonesboro, AR, Memphis, TN, Little Rock, AR
- Add 1 or 2 new free cams
- Add more free cameras
- Add more cameras on the west coast
- Add cameras at Horseshoe Curve
- Add cameras on the BNSF railway line
- Add more spots on the free section
- Add BNSF and Union Pacific cameras
- Add playback mode
- Add a cam in Cleveland Ohio
- Add more cams and information overlay
- Add Spokane or Seattle cams
- Add a dark mode option
- Add advanced analytics dashboard
In-app purchases
SteamTrains
No in-app purchases
Railstream
- Monthly Subscription$12.991 Month
- Annual Subscription$149.991 Year
- Railstream Feed 95$12.99
- Railstream Feed 96$12.99
- Railstream Feed 93$12.99
Show 5 moreShow fewer
- Railstream Feed 94$12.99
- Railstream Feed 97$12.99
- Railstream Feed 98$12.99
- Railstream Feed 99$12.99
- Railstream Feed 100$12.99
Questions
Is SteamTrains free?
Is Railstream free?
Which has better reviews, SteamTrains or Railstream?
Do SteamTrains or Railstream have ads?
Which is updated more often, SteamTrains or Railstream?
Other comparisons
