Comparison

Realtime Trains vs Train Radar

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

Train Radar

Visualize thousands of trains moving across Europe in real-time on a live map. Get detailed route, stop, platform, and delay information for any train. Receive alerts for platform changes or cancellations for followed trains.

Highlights
  • Live train map across Europe
  • Real-time train routes and stops
  • Departure and arrival boards
  • Follow trains for alerts
  • Live delay information (Pro)
  • Journey replay (Pro)
Features
Read full description

Turn your iPhone into a live train radar. Train Radar shows thousands of trains moving across the map in real time — tap any one to see its route, stops, platforms and delay. A control-room view of the railway, in a calm, dark, animated design that flight-tracking fans will feel right at home in. LIVE TRAIN MAP • Thousands of passenger trains across Europe, moving live on one map • Trains glide continuously between updates — no jumping markers • Zoom from a whole network down to a single train with heading and speed • Map filters: country, operator and train type • Dark, animated "control room" design — no ads, no account needed ROUTES & STATIONS • Route line on the map: where a train has been and where it's going • Stop timeline with times and platforms for every train • Live departure and arrival boards for every station • Universal search: find any train by number or any station by name FOLLOW YOUR TRAIN • Follow a train and get an alert the moment its platform changes or it is cancelled — always free • Live Activity and Dynamic Island keep your followed train on your lock screen (Pro) TRAIN RADAR PRO • Live delay view: delay colours on the map, delay badges and live estimated times • Delay alerts and delay reasons for followed trains • Unlimited train follows (free plan follows 1 train) • Live Activity and Dynamic Island for your followed train • Journey replay: play back any train's journey • Punctuality statistics • Freight trains and rolling-stock detail (where available) Monthly and annual plans. Payment is charged to your Apple Account; subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Cancel anytime in Settings. HOW IT WORKS Train Radar combines official and open transit data feeds with the real geometry of the rail network. Our servers compute every train's position live and stream it to the map — snapping to real GPS positions where available. Coverage and data quality depend on the underlying feeds and can change at any time. DISCLAIMER Train Radar is provided for informational purposes only. Please do not rely on it as your sole source of information for travel decisions — always confirm times, platforms and connections with your railway operator. The developer accepts no responsibility for decisions made based on data presented in the app. Train Radar is an independent app, not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official app of any railway company or infrastructure operator. Privacy policy: https://trainradar.co/privacy Terms of Service: https://trainradar.co/terms Download Train Radar and watch the railway come alive.

Screenshots

Realtime Trains4 screens
Train Radar4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Realtime Trains at none against Train Radar's 2. Train Radar's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (every 3 days vs weekly). On price, review sentiment, device support and iOS requirement 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. Train Radar sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $3.99 per month. Realtime Trains asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Realtime Trains ships an update weekly, Train Radar every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Realtime Trains versus Train Radar: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRealtime TrainsTrain Radar
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 3 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationAd-supported — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS17.2 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB16 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperSwlines LtdAlihan Aktay

Customer experience

Realtime Trains

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews10 reviews
Positive60.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative40.0%

Train Radar

Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

In-app purchases

None

Realtime Trains

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Train Radar

Subscriptions2
  • Train Radar Pro · Monthly$3.991 Month
  • Train Radar Pro - Annual3 Days trial$22.991 Year

Questions

Is Realtime Trains free?
Realtime Trains is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Train Radar free?
Train Radar is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Realtime Trains or Train Radar have ads?
Realtime Trains shows ads; Train Radar does not.
Which is updated more often, Realtime Trains or Train Radar?
Realtime Trains ships an update weekly, and Train Radar every 3 days. Most recently, Realtime Trains was updated on October 30, 2026 and Train Radar on November 6, 2026.

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