Comparison

Realtime Trains vs NearestWC

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Realtime Trains

Access live train times and real-time locations across Great Britain's mainline railway network. This app provides detailed information, including onboard amenities and non-passenger train movements, for professional travelers and enthusiasts alike. Get ahead of the rush with accurate, independently processed data.

Highlights
  • Live train times
  • Real-time train location
  • Onboard amenities information
  • Detailed mode for enthusiasts
  • Non-passenger train tracking
  • Favorite stations and routes
Features
Read full description

Shhh, it's the secret that no-one else wants you to know about. Get ahead of the rush when boarding your trains at some of the busiest stations. We're Realtime Trains, and we're Great Britain's largest independent service for train times - used by millions every year. And we're back - finally - with our new app. Get live train times from any mainline railway station, see where your train is and what's available onboard. Favourite your frequently used stations, routes and services. See train information in far more detail than any other app with our detailed mode! For the professional travellers and enthusiasts, you can even see non-passenger trains like freight and empty stock - so you can really tell if there's a steam train coming... or what's in the way. From Penzance to Thurso, and Arisaig to Lowestoft, we cover the entire mainline railway network with live, up to date, train information. Unlike many other apps, we process data from Network Rail and signalling systems ourselves rather than just showing everything the industry wants to tell you. We're not funded by the rail industry: we pride ourselves on being as accurate as we can be. We started Realtime Trains from a frustration of missing trains and incorrect information and are still at it nearly 15 years later. However, if you spot an issue as they do happen sometimes - let us know and we'll do our best to make sure it doesn't happen again!

About

NearestWC

Features
Read full description

When you need a toilet, you need it now. Not in ten minutes. Not after you've found a café and bought something. Now. NearestWC is the community-powered map of public loos, designed for the moments that matter. Whether you're travelling, exploring a new city, or living with a condition that means you can't always plan ahead, NearestWC helps you find a clean, accessible toilet in seconds. WHY NEARESTWC 360,000+ public toilets worldwide, drawn from OpenStreetMap and added to daily by the community. Real reviews from real people, so you know what you're walking into. Opening hours, accessibility info, baby change facilities, and access codes where they exist. Built by someone who actually needed it, not a faceless tech company. FEATURES Live map with custom WC pins, clustered for clarity at every zoom level. Detailed listings with reviews, ratings, photos, and community-verified info. Desperate Mode: instantly route to the nearest free toilet, no faff. Community moderation: spot something out of date? Flag it, edit it, help the next person. Earn points and badges for contributing. Climb from Desperate Dan to Cistern Legend. NEARESTWC PRO Upgrade to NearestWC Pro for £1.99/month and unlock: Desperate Mode: instant turn-by-turn directions to the nearest open toilet. Priority results filtered by accessibility, opening hours, and your saved preferences. An ad-free experience. Direct support for keeping NearestWC running and growing. BUILT FOR EVERYONE, ESPECIALLY THOSE WHO NEED IT MOST NearestWC is built with the IBD, IBS, Crohn's and colitis communities front of mind. We know that "I just need a toilet" can be the most stressful five words of your day. NearestWC is here to take that stress away. We'd love to hear from you. Found a toilet that's missing? Spotted incorrect info? Want to suggest a feature? Email us anytime. Visit nearestwc.app to learn more. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Realtime Trains4 screens
NearestWC4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Realtime Trains at none against NearestWC's 1. Realtime Trains also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 5 weeks). NearestWC's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.2). On price 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. NearestWC sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $1.99 per month. Realtime Trains asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Realtime Trains ships an update weekly, NearestWC every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 7, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Realtime Trains versus NearestWC: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealtime TrainsNearestWC
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.215.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB10 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwlines LtdThomas Davie

In-app purchases

None

Realtime Trains

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

NearestWC

Subscriptions1
  • NearestWC Pro$1.991 Month

Questions

Is Realtime Trains free?
Realtime Trains is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NearestWC free?
NearestWC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Realtime Trains or NearestWC have ads?
Realtime Trains shows ads; NearestWC does not.
Which is updated more often, Realtime Trains or NearestWC?
Realtime Trains ships an update weekly, and NearestWC every 5 weeks. Most recently, Realtime Trains was updated on October 7, 2026 and NearestWC on October 13, 2026.

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