Comparison

Alternative Fueling Stations vs RIN Locator

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

Head to head
About

Alternative Fueling Stations

Discover nearby fueling stations for alternative energy sources like electricity, natural gas, and biofuels. View station details, including payment options, access, and specific fuel types, all sourced from a comprehensive U.S. Department of Energy database.

Highlights
  • Locate alternative fueling stations
  • Use current or custom location
  • View stations on map or list
  • Filter by fuel type and radius
  • Access station contact and payment info
  • See details on chargers, blends, and access
Features
Read full description

The Alternative Fueling Station Locator app helps you find fueling stations that offer electricity, natural gas, biodiesel, E85, propane, or hydrogen. Use your current location or enter a custom location to find the 20 closest stations within a 30-mile radius. View the stations on a map or see a list of stations ordered by distance from your location. Select your alternative fuel of choice and adjust the custom filters to fit your needs. Select a station from the map or list to view contact info and other details: - address, phone number, and hours of operation - payment types accepted - public or private access - special services - compression (natural gas) - vehicle size access (natural gas) - number and types of chargers (electric) - blends available (biodiesel) - blender pumps (ethanol) The app draws information from the U.S. Department of Energy's Alternative Fuels Data Center, which houses the most comprehensive, up-to-date database of alternative fueling stations in the United States. The database contains location information for more than 15,000 alternative fueling stations throughout the country.

About

RIN Locator

Find approved cylinder requalifiers by city, state, or zip code. Get addresses, contact details, and authorized testing methods for each entity. This tool helps users locate qualified professionals for cylinder inspection and certification.

Highlights
  • Search by city, state, or zip code
  • View requalifier addresses
  • Access contact information
  • See authorized testing methods
  • Check cylinder specifications
Features
Read full description

The RIN Locator allows you to search for an approved cylinder requalifier. By entering a city/state or zip code, this tool will provide a list of approved cylinder requalifiers including address, contact information, and the authorized testing methods and cylinder specifications for the approved entity. The web-based version may be accessed at https://portal.phmsa.dot.gov/rinlocator A person must meet the requirements of 49 CFR Sections 107.805, 180.211, and 180.212 to be approved to inspect, test, certify, repair, or rebuild a cylinder in accordance with a DOT specification or a UN pressure receptacle under subpart C of part 178 or subpart C of part 180, or under the terms of a special permit issued under this part.

Screenshots

Alternative Fueling Stations4 screens
RIN Locator4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Alternative Fueling Stations at 4.7 against RIN Locator's 4.1. Alternative Fueling Stations also leads on ratings volume (6.4K vs 8). RIN Locator's advantage is device support (3 vs 1). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Alternative Fueling Stations holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Alternative Fueling Stations has 6.4K ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Alternative Fueling Stations ships an update every 25 months, RIN Locator every 18 months. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Alternative Fueling Stations versus RIN Locator: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterAlternative Fueling StationsRIN Locator
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (6.4K ratings) — better4.1 (8 ratings)
Positive reviews54.1% of reviews—
Number of ratings6.4K — better8
Update frequencyEvery 25 monthsEvery 18 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size5 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperNational Renewable Energy LaboratoryPipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration

Customer experience

Alternative Fueling Stations

All ratings6,416 ratings
Positive92.7%
Neutral3.4%
Negative3.9%
Written reviews98 reviews
Positive54.1%
Neutral16.3%
Negative29.6%

RIN Locator

All ratings8 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral12.5%
Negative12.5%

Bugs and requests

Alternative Fueling Stations

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Stations listed as public are actually private
  • App crashes when accessing certain station details
  • Search results do not update when panning the map

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow users to report closed or missing stations
  • Add ability to filter by EV connector type
  • Integrate with multiple map providers (e.g. Google Maps)
  • Display real-time fuel prices at stations

RIN Locator

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Alternative Fueling Stations

No in-app purchases

None

RIN Locator

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Alternative Fueling Stations free?
Alternative Fueling Stations is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is RIN Locator free?
RIN Locator is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Alternative Fueling Stations or RIN Locator?
Alternative Fueling Stations is rated higher. Alternative Fueling Stations averages 4.7 out of 5 from 6.4K ratings, while RIN Locator averages 4.1 from 8 ratings.
Do Alternative Fueling Stations or RIN Locator have ads?
Neither Alternative Fueling Stations nor RIN Locator shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Alternative Fueling Stations or RIN Locator?
Alternative Fueling Stations ships an update every 25 months, and RIN Locator every 18 months. Most recently, Alternative Fueling Stations was updated on October 19, 2026 and RIN Locator on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons