Translink Planner vs National Express Coach
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
National Express Coach
Easily manage your coach travel on the go. Search for journeys, book tickets, and track your coach in real-time. Your tickets are stored offline and can be added to your digital wallet.
- Search and book coach travel
- Offline ticket storage
- Real-time coach tracking
- Add tickets to Apple Wallet
- Share booking details
- Re-book recent journeys
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The brand new National Express Coach app makes managing travel on your mobile easy. Search for journeys, book and store tickets and track your coach in real time. - Tickets booked through the app are automatically added to My Bookings and available offline - Search and book coach travel to 100's of UK towns, cities and airports on the go - Use our Coach Tracker to view timetables and track your journey progress as you travel - Retrieve your ticket booked on desktop, tablet or mobile to use on your device, or add tickets directly into your Apple wallet - Share your booking details with Friends and family on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Twitter, or over SMS and email - Quickly search your recent journeys and re-book tickets
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: National Express Coach at every 2 months against Translink Planner's every 6 months. National Express Coach also leads on review sentiment (29% vs 19%). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.4 for Translink Planner against 4.2 for National Express Coach. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 268 and 237 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 19% of Translink Planner's written reviews are positive against 29% of National Express Coach's.
Translink Planner ships an update every 6 months, National Express Coach every 2 months. Both last shipped on November 1, 2026.
| Parameter | Translink Planner | National Express Coach |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (268 ratings) — better | 4.2 (237 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 18.5% of reviews | 29.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 268 — better | 237 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 2 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 111 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ulsterbus Ltd | National Express Coach |
Customer experience
Translink Planner
National Express Coach
User reviews
Translink Planner
From 268 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy journey planning functionality
- 🗺️ Helpful map integration for route visualization
- 📱 Modern app interface design
- 🚀 Quick access to timetable information
- 💾 Ability to save journeys to calendar
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate and unreliable bus/train times
- 😤 Frequent service cancellations not reflected in app
- 🔧 Clunky and unintuitive user interface
- ❌ Cannot purchase tickets within app
- 🗺️ Poor navigation and confusing layout
National Express Coach
From 237 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient booking
- 💯 Reliable service
- 🤩 Fantastic app
- 👌 Smooth experience
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes frequently
- 🤯 Buggy and unreliable
- 🤔 Confusing UI
- 💰 Unnecessary fees
- 🕰️ Inaccurate departure times
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
Show 12 moreShow fewer
- 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
Show 13 moreShow fewer
- 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
National Express Coach
Reported bugs
5 issues- Calendar displaying incorrect dates
- Login issues and session timeouts
- Booking process glitches
- Inconsistent app behavior
- Ticket information not syncing
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to save payment info
- Improved coach tracking
- Seamless ticket management
- Offline ticket access
- Better integration with wallet apps
In-app purchases
Translink Planner
No in-app purchases
National Express Coach
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Translink Planner free?
Is National Express Coach free?
Which has better reviews, Translink Planner or National Express Coach?
Do Translink Planner or National Express Coach have ads?
Which is updated more often, Translink Planner or National Express Coach?
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