Train Planner vs Depart UK
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Train Planner
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UK Train Planner is the fast, clean way to catch your train. Live National Rail departures and London Underground status in one app, with journey planning that starts from where you are. LIVE DEPARTURES • Real-time departures for any UK station, plus live Tube arrivals. • Delays, cancellations and platform numbers the moment they change. • Filter a board to just the trains heading to your destination. PLAN YOUR JOURNEY • Door-to-door journeys with changes and walking times. • Plan from your current location, so your leave time includes the walk to the station. • Clear warnings when a connection is tight. TRACK IT HANDS-FREE • Track a train or a whole journey as a Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island. • It advances leg by leg and tells you when to change, using low-power location, even with your phone in your pocket. • Alerts for delays, platform changes and cancellations. MADE FOR COMMUTERS • Save your regular journeys and stations for one-tap access. • A Next train widget for a saved journey, plus Lock Screen widgets. • Ask Siri for your nearest departures, or add a Home Screen quick action. • Nearby stations, at a tap. Data from National Rail (Darwin) and Transport for London. Times are indicative and not guaranteed. No account needed, no tracking.
Depart UK
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Depart UK shows the next National Rail departures for the journeys you actually make. Save your commute once and open the app to see departure times, platforms, delays and cancellations at a glance. No account, no sign-in, nothing to configure. SAVED ROUTES Add a route from one station to another and the app shows the next trains, with the live expected time, platform number and status for each one. Swap origin and destination with one tap for the journey home. LIVE TIMES AND PLATFORMS Departure data comes from National Rail Enquiries through the Rail Data Marketplace, so you see the same live information as the station boards, including the reason a train is running late or has been cancelled. DIRECT OR CALLING AT Choose to see only direct trains, or any train that calls at your destination. Trains that divide en route are handled correctly. SCHEDULE YOUR ROUTES Set a route to show only on certain days and between certain times, so the morning commute appears in the morning and the trip home appears in the evening. FULL STOPPING PATTERN Open any train to see every calling point with scheduled and live times, and whether the train will skip your stop today. EVERY STATION Over 2,600 UK stations are bundled with the app, so searching by name or CRS code works instantly, even offline. PRIVATE BY DESIGN Your routes are stored on your device and never uploaded. The app has no accounts and no analytics. It is free and supported by ads. DATA ATTRIBUTION Live departures: National Rail Enquiries via the Rail Data Marketplace. Station list: davwheat/uk-railway-stations, building on Trainline EU data, licensed under the ODbL.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Train Planner at none against Depart UK's shown. Depart UK's advantage is update cadence (daily vs every 2 days). On price, in-app purchases, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Train Planner ships an update every 2 days, Depart UK daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Train Planner | Depart UK |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Update frequency | Every 2 days | Daily — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 4 MB | 6 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Grey Fox Limited | Daniel Martins Albuquerque |
In-app purchases
Train Planner
No in-app purchases
Depart UK
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Train Planner free?
Is Depart UK free?
Do Train Planner or Depart UK have ads?
Which is updated more often, Train Planner or Depart UK?
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