Cal vs Railside
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cal
Provides real-time train tracking and estimated arrival times for specific transit corridors. Access live train status and journey information for multiple commuter rail lines.
- Live train tracking
- Real-time status updates
- Estimated arrival times (ETA)
- Supports CCJPA, SJJPA, ACE, NCTD corridors
- Station information
Read full descriptionHide full description
Tracks live trains and display their status and ETA information for stations within the CCJPA, SJJPA, ACE and NCTD corridors. Terms of Use: https://xt-calpids-production-legal.azurewebsites.net/terms.html
Railside
This app provides real-time Amtrak train status, including delays and current location. It offers a clear, at-a-glance overview of your train's progress before, during, and after your journey.
- Live Amtrak train data
- Delay information
- Current train location
- Pre-ride status
- During-ride updates
- Post-ride information
Read full descriptionHide full description
Railside turns live Amtrack U.S. rail data into one calm, glanceable answer: is your train running, how late is it, and where is it right now before, during, and after the ride.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Railside at none against Cal's 1. Railside also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (3 vs 1). Cal's advantage is iOS requirement (15.6 vs 26.0). On price, rating, 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. Cal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Railside asks for nothing beyond the download.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for Cal against 5.0 for Railside. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 3 respectively.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on June 1, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cal | Railside |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 3 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 10 days | Every 10 days |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 45 MB | 5 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | XenaTech | GovLense LLC |
Customer experience
Cal
Railside
In-app purchases
Cal
- Cal-Ride Pro$4.991 Year
Railside
No in-app purchases
