Comparison

Backtrack Magazine vs Train O'Clock

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

Head to head
About

Backtrack Magazine

Explore British railway history from its origins to recent decades. This app offers detailed articles on locomotives, lines, and the social impact of railways, enhanced with rich historical imagery. Purchase current and back issues, or subscribe for continuous access.

Highlights
  • British railway history coverage
  • Locomotive and rolling stock details
  • Social, political, and financial aspects
  • Pictorial content with color and B&W photos
  • Purchase current and back issues
  • Subscription options available
  • Cross-platform purchase protection
Features
Read full description

Backtrack was first published in 1987 with the aim of presenting British railway history. At first quarterly and then bi-monthly, Backtrack went monthly in 1995 and has gone from strength to strength, justifying its founder’s identification of a niche in the railway publishing market for a high quality historical journal. Backtrack’s remit is to cover all aspects of railway history throughout Britain and Ireland, from its earliest days in the era of horse-drawn tramroads up to around ten years back from the present. Locomotives (whether steam, diesel or electric) and rolling stock feature prominently, but Backtrack also looks at the history of particular lines as well as considering the social, political, financial, engineering and labour aspects of railway history. Topics such as stations, bridges, signalling, biographies, train services and staff recollections therefore regularly appear in the magazine. A strong pictorial content is an important feature of Backtrack and in addition to archive black and white photographs each issue contains quality historical colour coverage of the railway scene, all reproduced to the highest standards. ---------------------------------------------- This is a free app download. Within the app users can purchase the current issue and back issues. Subscriptions are also available within the application. A subscription will start from the latest regular issue at the time of purchase. -The subscription will renew automatically unless cancelled more than 24 hours before the end of the current period. You will be charged for renewal within 24 hours of the end of the current period, for the same duration and at the current subscription rate for the product. -You may turn off the auto-renewal of subscriptions through your Account Settings, however you are not able to cancel the current subscription during its active period. -Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase and any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased. -If a subscription offers a free trial, at the end of the trial period, you will be charged the full price of the subscription. You may cancel a subscription during its free trial period via the subscription settings on your iTunes account. This must be done 24 hours before the end of the subscription period to avoid being charged. Users can register for/ login to a pocketmags account in-app. This will protect their issues in the case of a lost device and allow browsing of purchases on multiple platforms. Existing pocketmags users can retrieve their purchases by logging into their account. We recommend loading the app for the first time in a wi-fi area so that all issue data is retrieved. If your app will not load past the splash page after a first install or an update, please delete and reinstall the app from the App Store Help and frequently asked questions can be accessed in-app and on pocketmags. If you have any problems at all please do not hesitate to contact us: help@pocketmags.com -------------------- You can find our privacy policy here: http://www.pocketmags.com/privacy.aspx You can find our terms and conditions here: http://www.pocketmags.com/terms.aspx

About

Train O'Clock

This travel companion provides instant train times with live departure and arrival information. Plan your journeys with access to daily and weekly schedules across major railway operators in Europe, the US, and Australia.

Highlights
  • Live departures and arrivals
  • Daily timetables
  • Weekly schedules
  • Covers major railway operators
  • Simple and fast interface
Read full description

Train O'Clock is your personal travel companion that finds your train times instantly. • Get live departures and arrivals from your favorite railway stations. • Get access to today's timetables and weekly schedules to plan your train trip Train O'Clock gets you connected to all major railway operators in Europe, the US and Australia: Austria: ÖBB Belgium: SNCB Denmark: DSB Finland: VR France: SNCF, Transilien Germany: Deutsche Bahn Ireland: Irish Rail Italy: Trenitalia, Trenord Luxembourg: CFL Netherlands: NS New Zealand: Auckland Transport Norway: VY Spain: Renfe Sweden: SJ Switzerland: SBB UK: National Rail United States: Caltrain, LIRR, MBTA, Metra, Metrolink, NJ Transit, Septa Fast, reliable, super simple to use.

Screenshots

Backtrack Magazine1 screens
Train O'Clock4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Train O'Clock at none against Backtrack Magazine's 14. Train O'Clock also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs every 12 months). Backtrack Magazine's advantage is iOS requirement (11.2 vs 16.0). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Backtrack Magazine sells 14 in-app purchases, starting at $29.99 per 6 months. Train O'Clock asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Backtrack Magazine ships an update every 12 months, Train O'Clock every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Backtrack Magazine versus Train O'Clock: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBacktrack MagazineTrain O'Clock
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 12 monthsEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS11.2 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size27 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWarners Group Publications PLCJEAN-BAPTISTE MARIE

Customer experience

Backtrack Magazine

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Train O'Clock

Written reviews4 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

14 purchases

Backtrack Magazine

Subscriptions2
  • Backtrack Magazine$29.996 Months
  • Backtrack Auto Renewable Subscription1 Month trial$59.991 Year
One-time12
  • October 2013 (id:796035)$5.99
  • May 2013 (id:795989)$5.99
  • April 2013 (id:796124)$5.99
Show 9 more
  • October 2014 (id:795885)$5.99
  • September 14 (id:795946)$5.99
  • August 14 (id:795679)$5.99
  • June 14 (id:796061)$5.99
  • November 2016 (id:791583)$5.99
  • January 2017 (id:791587)$5.99
  • May 2017 (id:790236)$5.99
  • March 2018 (id:790256)$5.99
  • February 2020 (id:785765)$5.99
None

Train O'Clock

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Backtrack Magazine free?
Backtrack Magazine is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Train O'Clock free?
Train O'Clock is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Backtrack Magazine or Train O'Clock have ads?
Neither Backtrack Magazine nor Train O'Clock shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Backtrack Magazine or Train O'Clock?
Backtrack Magazine ships an update every 12 months, and Train O'Clock every 5 days. Most recently, Backtrack Magazine was updated on October 9, 2026 and Train O'Clock on October 6, 2026.

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