Translink Planner vs TransLink Destinations
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Translink Planner
Plan bus, coach, and rail journeys across Northern Ireland and border regions. Get real-time travel updates, view departure boards, and purchase tickets for specific rail services. Features include interactive planning, ticket storage, and personalized alerts.
- Interactive journey planning
- Purchase NI Railways tickets
- In-app ticket wallet
- Real-time departure boards
- Personalized travel updates
- Accessible planning options
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Plan Northern Ireland and cross border bus, coach and rail journeys with the Translink Journey Planner. Plan from any stop, station or address, see your next departures and get the latest travel updates from Metro, Glider, Ulsterbus, Goldline, NI Railways and Enterprise services. You can also buy single, day return and 3 day select tickets for NI Railways journeys. Features include: - Fully interactive journey planning - Buy single, day return and 3 day Select tickets for NI Railways services - Store purchased tickets within the app wallet - ‘Next Service’ departure board - Plan with Park and ride and bike journeys - Personalised travel updates - Accessible planning - Interactive map planning with real-time Metro and Glider location and a tracking feature - Quick planning using your current location, favourite stops and recent searches - CO2 journey saving calculation
TransLink Destinations
Receive timely alerts as you approach your commuter rail station. Get real-time information on your location, arrival time, and distance to your destination. Customize alerts and notification sounds for a personalized travel experience.
- Station arrival alerts
- Real-time location tracking
- Arrival time and distance
- Customizable notification sounds
- Map view of journey
- Speed tracking
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Never worry about missing your train station with TransLink Destinations. Receive timely alerts as you approach your station, allowing you to sit back and relax. Stay informed with all the information you need while traveling, whether you're a frequent commuter or just on a quick day trip – Destinations has something for everyone. — STATION ALERTS — Bid farewell to the days of worrying about missing your stop. Simply choose your station, and get notified when you're almost there. Enjoy a peaceful sleep after a long day, kick back and watch a movie, or receive an alert during your adventure to a new place! — BE IN THE KNOW — Trying to figure out where you are? Or how much time you have until your train station? Wonder no more! Destinations provides real-time information on your current location, arrival time, remaining travel time, distance to your destination, and even your speed! View your location on a map and track your journey. — CUSTOMIZABLE — Tailor your trip to your preferences. Decide how close to your station you want to be alerted and even choose the notification sound that plays when you're almost there. — SUPER SIMPLE — Destinations is designed to be both beautiful and incredibly user-friendly. Whether you want to follow your trip as you travel or quickly set a destination and take a nap, Destinations can do it all and more. New features and fixes are always on the way! If you have a feature you would like to see in the app or even a quirky bug that you found, feel free to reach out. We’re always excited to hear from our users! We read all emails and reviews, so please leave a review below or reach out to us at support@kleincodes.com Happy travels! TransLink Destinations is not affiliated with the any rail companies. From time to time, Destinations may briefly access your GPS in order to have higher confidence in your location. Battery life is very important to us and we do many things to ensure we use it sparingly. Please be aware that continued use of GPS services running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: TransLink Destinations at 5.0 against Translink Planner's 4.4. TransLink Destinations also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months). Translink Planner's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and ads (none vs shown). On price, monetization model 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. TransLink Destinations sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Translink Planner asks for nothing beyond the download.
TransLink Destinations holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Translink Planner has 215 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Translink Planner ships an update every 6 months, TransLink Destinations monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and July 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Translink Planner | TransLink Destinations |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (215 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 215 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Monthly — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 82 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ulsterbus Ltd | KleinCodes, LLC |
Customer experience
Translink Planner
TransLink Destinations
Bugs and requests
Translink Planner
Reported bugs
17 issues- App crashes on iPhone during ticket purchase
- Password reset emails not received
- Unable to renew or change passwords
- Journey planner adds unnecessary stops and complications
- Bus stops disappear when zooming in on map
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- Location loading blocks text input
- App doesn't refresh automatically without returning to start page
- Tickets purchased not visible in app
- Cannot book tickets for multiple passengers
- Concession tickets unavailable on mobile
- Inconsistent journey suggestions vs actual timetables
- Bus times don't match timetable posters at stops
- Cancelled buses don't show as cancelled, just disappear
- App shows buses arriving but they never show up
- Incorrect fare calculations and pricing display
- Unable to access certain routes (e.g., Kilkeel from bus centre)
- Timetable PDFs show 'page not found' error
Requested features
18 requests- Unified app for journey planning AND ticket purchasing
- Live bus tracking with real-time location updates
- Ability to view actual departure times instead of countdown minutes
- Show actual time alongside minutes remaining
- Complaint/feedback option for late or cancelled services
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- Simple timetable view without complex journey planning
- Live delay and cancellation notifications
- Apple Watch compatibility
- Exclude walking time option in journey results
- Direct access to timetables from home page
- Show platform/stop information for transfers
- One-click bus tracking from schedule view
- Ability to book tickets for groups over 10 people
- Support for concession tickets on mobile devices
- Better accessibility for tourists and non-locals
- Contactless card payment on vehicles
- Extended booking window beyond 3 weeks
- Proper ticket visibility after purchase
TransLink Destinations
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Translink Planner
No in-app purchases
TransLink Destinations
- TransLink Destinations Pro3 Days trial$0.991 Month
- TransLink Destinations Pro7 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Remove Ads$0.99
- TransLink Pro$19.99
Questions
Is Translink Planner free?
Is TransLink Destinations free?
Which has better reviews, Translink Planner or TransLink Destinations?
Do Translink Planner or TransLink Destinations have ads?
Which is updated more often, Translink Planner or TransLink Destinations?
Other comparisons
