Virtual Railfan vs PlateTag
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Virtual Railfan
Stream live video feeds of real trains from numerous cameras across North America. Experience the thrill of watching trains in real-time, with a wide selection of locations available.
- Watch real trains live
- Live camera feeds
- Multiple North American locations
- Real-time train viewing
Read full descriptionHide full description
Watch real trains live. The most live cameras and locations in North America. Terms of Use (EULA) - https://live.virtualrailfan.com/terms-and-conditions/web
PlateTag
This app allows users to collect and track license plates they encounter. Browse thousands of designs, log discoveries without a camera, and build a personal collection mapped to your travels. Earn badges and track progress, with a web companion for larger screen access.
- Browse 10,000+ license plate designs
- Log plates without a camera
- Track discoveries on a map
- Build and filter personal collection
- Log discovery sessions
- Earn badges and track progress
- Dark mode support
Read full descriptionHide full description
How many license plates can you find? PlateTag is the license plate collecting app for road trippers, travelers, and anyone who loves a great collecting challenge. Browse over 10,300 plate designs from all 50 U.S. states, Canadian provinces, Mexican states, and international regions. Spot a plate, log it, and watch your personal collection grow. No camera required. No subscriptions. No ads, ever. TRACK WHERE YOU FIND THEM Every discovery can be pinned to a map, showing exactly where you spotted it. Your personal discovery map becomes a living record of everywhere you have traveled and every plate you have found. BUILD YOUR COLLECTION ◆ Browse 10,300+ license plate designs by region, series, and category ◆ Log plates the moment you spot them, no camera needed ◆ Filter and search your collection by region or name ◆ See your rarest finds at a glance ◆ Free accounts collect up to 50 plates. One-time upgrade for unlimited collecting, no tokens, no recurring charges. COLLECT WITH FRIENDS ◆ Create a Group and invite friends, family, or your road trip crew ◆ Every plate any member logs goes into your shared group collection ◆ Track who has found the most plates and the most states on a live group leaderboard ◆ Start a Road Rally to compete head-to-head in a timed challenge ◆ Road Rallies crown two winners: Most Plates found and Most States covered ◆ Set your own start and end dates, or run an open-ended group season SHARE YOUR FINDS Select plates from your collection and send a link to anyone. They can import your picks directly into their own PlateTag collection with one tap. Compare notes with fellow road trippers, family members, or collectors anywhere. LOG ROAD TRIPS Start a Road Trip before you head out and log every plate you find along the way. Share the trip with friends when you are done. Perfect for family travel, long-haul drives, and daily commutes. SEE THE BIGGER PICTURE Curious how many plates the PlateTag community has spotted? The Explore screen shows a live worldwide discovery count, updated in real time as collectors log new finds. EARN BADGES AND TRACK YOUR PROGRESS Hit milestones and unlock badges as your life list grows. Track your totals by region, category, and series. Watch your progress bars fill as you complete each set. BUILT FOR ANY CONDITIONS Multiple color themes, including Dark Mode and the new Summer theme, make PlateTag easy on the eyes in bright sunlight or at night. No ads means nothing interrupts your collecting. ALSO ON THE WEB PlateTag is available as a companion web app at platetag.app. Log in with your existing account to browse your collection on a larger screen, add discoveries, and correct pin locations. Everything syncs automatically between your phone and the web. New accounts are created through the app. Download free and start collecting today.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: PlateTag at 100% against Virtual Railfan's 48%. PlateTag also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5). Virtual Railfan's advantage is ratings volume (52 vs 13) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Virtual Railfan sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and PlateTag sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
PlateTag holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.5. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 52 and 13 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of Virtual Railfan's written reviews are positive against 100% of PlateTag's.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Virtual Railfan | PlateTag |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (52 ratings) | 4.8 (13 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 48.0% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 52 — better | 13 |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple TV — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 89 MB | 62 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Virtual Railfan | Lawrence Majercin |
Customer experience
Virtual Railfan
PlateTag
In-app purchases
Virtual Railfan
- First Class- Monthly Billing$8.991 Month
- First Class- Annual Billing$99.991 Year
PlateTag
- PlateTag Full Unlock$9.99
Questions
Is Virtual Railfan free?
Is PlateTag free?
Which has better reviews, Virtual Railfan or PlateTag?
Do Virtual Railfan or PlateTag have ads?
Which is updated more often, Virtual Railfan or PlateTag?
Other comparisons















