# RailRoster vs Open Railroad Guide

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: RailRoster at none against Open Railroad Guide's 7. Open Railroad Guide's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and ratings volume (49 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Open Railroad Guide sells 7 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. RailRoster asks for nothing beyond the download.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 5.0 for RailRoster against 4.9 for Open Railroad Guide. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Open Railroad Guide has 49 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

RailRoster ships an update monthly, Open Railroad Guide every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | RailRoster | Open Railroad Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railroster/id6752677577/reviews)** | [4.9 (49 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-railroad-guide/id6760736329/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 1 | **49** |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 48 MB | 242 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **18** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Josh Fenton](https://appshunter.io/developer/1827814018) | [IKworks](https://appshunter.io/developer/1866045872) |

## What reviewers say

### RailRoster

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railroster/id6752677577)

Explore the world of diesel locomotives with this comprehensive catalog. Featuring detailed information, high-quality images, and historical context, it's an essential resource for rail enthusiasts.

**Highlights:** Detailed locomotive information, High-quality images, Horsepower stats, Wheel arrangements, Years built, Railroad rosters

**In-app purchases:** none


### Open Railroad Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/open-railroad-guide/id6760736329)

Explore detailed railroad maps, historical imagery, and live train data. Features include AR track viewing, frequency finding, and community collaboration for rail enthusiasts and historians.

**Highlights:** Live train map, AR 3D Track View, Frequency Finder, Channel Log, Transit Map, Rail Community, Train Watch, FRA Records

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (7)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Insider Club | $2.99 | per month |
| ORG+ Monthly | $12.00 | per month |
| ORG+ Yearly | $84.00 | per year |
| AI Tools for ORG | $6.99 | one-time |
| Open Railroad Guide Premium | $14.99 | one-time |
| Unlock All | $20.00 | one-time |
| ORG+ Lifetime | $129.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is RailRoster free?

RailRoster is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Open Railroad Guide free?

Open Railroad Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, RailRoster or Open Railroad Guide?

RailRoster is rated higher. RailRoster averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while Open Railroad Guide averages 4.9 from 49 ratings.

### Do RailRoster or Open Railroad Guide have ads?

Neither RailRoster nor Open Railroad Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, RailRoster or Open Railroad Guide?

RailRoster ships an update monthly, and Open Railroad Guide every 5 days. Most recently, RailRoster was updated on October 25, 2026 and Open Railroad Guide on October 28, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*