National Rail vs GroundScope
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
National Rail
Plan train journeys, check live times, and purchase tickets for the British rail network. Receive real-time updates on delays and disruptions to travel with confidence.
- Live train times
- Route planning
- Ticket purchasing
- Real-time updates
- Delay notifications
- Save favorite stations
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Your journey, simplified. Get live train times, plan routes, buy tickets, and receive real-time updates—all in one app. Travel smarter with National Rail. Travel with confidence across the British rail network. The National Rail app is your essential companion for stress-free train travel. Plan your journey with our intelligent route planner. Find the fastest connections, compare train times, and get live departure boards for any station. Buy tickets, access Railcard discounts and find the best value Season Tickets all in one place. Stay informed with real-time updates on delays, platform changes, and disruptions. Receive email, SMS, or WhatsApp notifications so you're always in the know during your commute. My Travel. Save our favourite stations and journeys in Live Trains and Journey Planner for quicker results and less clicking. Status and Disruptions. Find out about anything that might impact your journey.
GroundScope
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We are an independent company providing a business taxi service in 100 countries and 500+ business cities. We are committed to innovation, duty of care and high quality customer service, whilst being focussed on delivering the best value journeys with reliable vetted partners. We connect with a number of different local car providers giving access to book vehicle options of taxis, standard cars, executive cars and people carriers anywhere in the world.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: GroundScope at none against National Rail's 1. GroundScope also leads on ads (none vs shown). National Rail's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On price, 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. National Rail sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. GroundScope asks for nothing beyond the download.
National Rail ships an update every 2 months, GroundScope every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | National Rail | GroundScope |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (79 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 7.6% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 79 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 3 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | National Rail | Ground One Ltd |
Bugs and requests
National Rail
Reported bugs
4 issues- App frequently crashes or freezes
- Inaccurate train times and journey information
- Ticket booking functionality not working properly
- Compatibility issues with newer iPhone models
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to save favorite stations and journeys
- Option to view earlier/past train departures
- More granular search options (e.g. search by minute, not just 15-minute intervals)
- Improved live train tracking and disruption notifications
GroundScope
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
National Rail
- Ad-free version$4.99
GroundScope
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is National Rail free?
Is GroundScope free?
Do National Rail or GroundScope have ads?
Which is updated more often, National Rail or GroundScope?
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