Translink Planner vs Translink On Demand
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 On Demand
Book convenient and personalized public transport rides within designated zones. Select your pickup and drop-off points, track your bus in real-time, and manage your bookings for an affordable travel experience.
- Book on-demand rides
- Select pickup and drop-off
- Track bus arrival in real-time
- Manage bookings
- Flexible routing
- Book now or in advance
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The Translink On Demand app enables you to book a service to and from locations within a roam zone area, providing you with an affordable, convenient and personalised travel experience. The app enables you to select your pickup location and drop-off destination, track the arrival of your bus and manage your bookings. A new way to travel The service picks up other customers going in the same direction via a flexible route. Translink On Demand's sophisticated technology coordinates your trip, picking you up from near your home and takes you to where you want to go within the roam zone area. Ride now or later You can book your service either prior to your pickup time or in advance. Live view of your bus You will always get an estimate of your pickup time and you can see your bus in real-time in the app. Try Translink On Demand, a new way to travel! Love our app? Please rate us!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Translink On Demand at 5.0 against Translink Planner's 4.4. Translink On Demand also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months) and review sentiment (33% vs 19%). Translink Planner's advantage is ratings volume (215 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Translink On Demand 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 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 19% of Translink Planner's written reviews are positive against 33% of Translink On Demand's.
Translink Planner ships an update every 6 months, Translink On Demand every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 21, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Translink Planner | Translink On Demand |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (215 ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | 33.3% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 215 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 134 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ulsterbus Ltd | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
Translink Planner
Translink On Demand
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 On Demand
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Translink Planner
No in-app purchases
Translink On Demand
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Translink Planner free?
Is Translink On Demand free?
Which has better reviews, Translink Planner or Translink On Demand?
Do Translink Planner or Translink On Demand have ads?
Which is updated more often, Translink Planner or Translink On Demand?
Other comparisons
