RailsMaps vs TrainAtlas
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
RailsMaps
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See how the rail network is built. RailsMaps maps railway, metro and tram lines in 1,150+ regions (countries, states, provinces, cities): max speeds, lines under construction, proposed routes, disused and abandoned lines, stations, level crossings, bridges and tunnels, electrification and track gauge. It's an infrastructure map, not a journey planner. Pick a region and you get every line, from national main lines to city trams, downloadable for offline use. One-time purchase. No subscription, no ads. INFRASTRUCTURE MAP MODES • Max speed: lines colored by permitted speed • Electrification: electrified lines by system and voltage (AC and DC) • Track gauge: standard, broad, narrow and mixed • Usage: main lines, branch lines, industrial, heritage and military • High-speed: dedicated high-speed lines and upgraded fast corridors • Stations and halts • Level crossings, classified by safety level • Under construction: lines and extensions being built • Proposed: planned and approved future lines • Historical: disused and abandoned railways Available map modes depend on the region and rail type. EVERY RAIL TYPE • Mainline railways, metro (subway / underground), tram, light rail, narrow gauge, monorail, funicular and miniature railways TAP FOR DETAILS • Tap any line or station for speed, gauge, electrification, usage and Wikipedia info WORKS OFFLINE • Download a region once, then use it with no connection • Offline packs are updated weekly • Detail scales with region size: city packs zoom in further than country packs, and you see the zoom range before you download • Strict offline mode: the app uses only your downloaded packs and makes no network requests • Wi-Fi-only downloads and per-region storage control MAKE IT YOURS • Built-in presets: Default and FreakMaps (infrastructure-style colors) • Custom presets: set rail line colors, widths and opacity • Save up to 20 presets, with separate colors for light and dark maps • Light, dark or auto basemap, plus an OpenStreetMap-style Carto look • Adjustable rail opacity, map labels on or off • Country and city boundary overlays • Compare two regions side by side • App theme: light, dark or system SEE WHERE YOU ARE (OPTIONAL) • Show your position on the rail network, in passive or active location mode • In active mode the map follows you along the line, handy on heritage railways and old routes BONUS: 2 WEEKS OF WEB EXPORT Buying the app includes a free 2-week map export pass for railsmaps.com and freakmaps.com. Style a map, clip it to a region and download it as a watermark-free PNG, right in your browser. One-time claim. COVERAGE • 1,150+ regions: countries, states, provinces and major cities • 13 interface languages Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Detail and completeness vary by region. Same data as railsmaps.com, the free web map, now on your phone.
TrainAtlas
Map your rail journeys across the UK with accurate track geometry. Log trips on all operators, earn achievements, and visualize your personal rail atlas. Pro features include live delay notifications and all-time history.
- Accurate track geometry mapping
- Log journeys on all UK operators
- Personal rail atlas visualization
- Completionist achievements
- Live National Rail delays (Pro)
- Unlimited trip logging (Free)
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Every train you've ever ridden, mapped on real rail lines - not the straight-line guesses other apps draw. Log the Coast Starlight, your Interrail loop, the daily commute, and watch your personal atlas of the world fill in, route by route. Built for rail enthusiasts, Interrail and Eurail travellers, daily commuters, and anyone who wants a permanent record of where trains have taken them. REAL RAIL ROUTES, NOT STRAIGHT LINES Most apps draw a straight line from A to B. TrainAtlas plots every trip on the actual track geometry from OpenStreetMap rail data, so your map looks like a railway - not a spider web. A subtle "approx" badge flags any lower-fidelity segment - never fake precision. THE MAP MOMENT Save a trip and watch the route draw itself across your map. A small thing - and the reason people open the app every time they step off a train. LIVE DELAYS FROM 30+ OPERATORS (PRO) Real-time status straight from official feeds: Amtrak, VIA Rail, National Rail (UK), Deutsche Bahn, SNCF, ÖBB, SBB, NS, SNCB, Trenitalia, RENFE, SJ, DSB and many more. Get a push the moment your train is delayed. LOG ANYTHING - THE CORE STAYS FREE Unlimited trip logging at no cost, no paywall on the core experience. Mainline trains, heritage railways, metro and subway lines, scenic routes, even rail-replacement buses. Planned, in progress, or completed - it's all kept. 150+ ACHIEVEMENTS Ride every operator. Collect all 47 Japanese prefectures. Hit distance milestones across continents. Unlock the odd snark badge for the journeys nobody admits they enjoyed. Every card is shareable. YOUR PRIVATE ATLAS No ads. No third-party analytics or advertising SDKs. We never track you across apps and never sell your data - the little the app does use is anonymous and only there to run it. Your trips stay on your device and, if you turn on sync, in your own private iCloud that only you can read. FREE vs PRO Free, forever: unlimited logging of any trip from the last 12 months onward - kept on your map for good - plus rolling 12-month stats, manual entry, and share cards. Pro unlocks: - All-time history and stats - Live delay tracking with push alerts - All 150+ achievements - Map Replay - watch any journey play back - Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island - Import your history from CSV (TrainLog, Trainline, viaduct.world) - Multi-device iCloud sync - Watermark-free share cards - Deep country and operator stats Log your first trip free. No account. No email. Just open the app and start mapping. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://trainatlas.app/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: TrainAtlas at Free against RailsMaps's $4.99. RailsMaps's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and chart position (#150 vs unranked). On update cadence, ads, 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
TrainAtlas is free to download; RailsMaps costs $4.99 up front. TrainAtlas sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. RailsMaps asks for nothing beyond the download.
Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | RailsMaps | TrainAtlas |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $4.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | — | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 100.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | — | 1 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | — | Freemium |
| Best chart rank | #150 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 104 MB | 191 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bartomiej Banasik | Segara Consulting Ltd. |
In-app purchases
RailsMaps
No in-app purchases
TrainAtlas
- TrainAtlas Pro Monthly$4.991 Month
- TrainAtlas Pro Yearly7 Days trial$24.991 Year
- TrainAtlas Pro Lifetime$49.99









