Comparison

NextThere vs Sydney Rail Map Lite

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

Head to head
About

NextThere

Get real-time public transport departure information for trains, buses, ferries, and trams. Track your journey live, receive disruption alerts, and access live service load data. Offers optional premium features like walking directions and customizable notifications.

Highlights
  • Real-time departure information
  • Live trip tracking
  • Disruption and service change alerts
  • Live train and bus load data
  • Save favorite stations and routes
  • Walking directions and boarding notifications (Pro)
  • Home/Lock Screen widgets (Pro)
Features
Read full description

If you want to know when the next train, bus, ferry or tram to your destination will arrive, you need NextThere. It's simple, fast and real-time - like having a platform indicator in the palm of your hand. It knows where you are, and with a tap you can see just the services to your destination. • Save stations, stops and routes you use public transport from and you'll see the next services due to depart • Tap on a service to track your trip live • Live train and bus load data (where available) • Detailed alerts about disruptions, service changes and trackwork • All in a simple, gorgeous interface designed for iOS • VoiceOver support NextThere covers public transport in these cities on your iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch - for free! Australia: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra, Hobart, Darwin, Alice Springs, Gold Coast, regional towns New Zealand: Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch United States: California, Chicago, New York City, Boston, Portland, Seattle, Honolulu, Charlotte and Raleigh. If you want some extra awesome features, you can also subscribe to NextThere Pro: • Tap "Go" to receive walking directions and boarding/alighting notifications as your service approaches • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets for nearby upcoming services • Save as many stops as you like - non-subscribers are limited to 3 saved items • Receive push notifications about incidents and disruptions so you're always up to date • View run numbers and other internal info from train, tram, ferry and bus operators • Remove all ads • Access to themes • Access to additional settings to customise the appearance and function of the app The subscription is optional and available in periods of either 1 month or 1 year. Payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of use can be found at http://nextthere.com/support/terms.html. Check nextthere.com for details on the real-time data available in your area.

About

Sydney Rail Map Lite

Navigate Sydney's rail and subway system with a beautifully designed, clear route map. Features include a route planner, station index, and GPS support to find nearby stations. Optimized for all Apple devices, it offers day and night map views for easy legibility.

Highlights
  • Beautifully designed rail map
  • Instant route planner
  • Stations index and lookup
  • Day and night map views
  • GPS support for nearby stations
  • Rotate and zoom functionality
Features
Read full description

Rail & Subway Map is a clear and concise route map that features: THE MOST BEAUTIFUL RAIL MAP - representing the state of the art in information design. ROUTE PLANNER - instantly finds the fastest route and displays it on the map including transfer stations. STATIONS INDEX - quickly jump to any station. LINES OVERVIEW - shows the order of stations on each line with transit options. DAY and NIGHT MAPS - for easy legibility switching between a light and dark version of the map is possible. This can also be done automatically depending on the time of day. GPS SUPPORT - find the station closest to you. HIGH RESOLUTION GRAPHICS - looks stunning on retina displays. ROTATE and ZOOM - hold your device any way you want. UNIVERSAL APP - optimized for iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad. LARGE MAP - includes the most important stations STATION LOOKUP - search for a station by name APPLE MAPS INTEGRATION - lookup your route directly from Apple Maps The LITE-Version is fully functional but needs an internet connection. If you like the app but need offline access you can get the regular version for a big discount. (Only for limited time!) ========= Disclaimer: Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life.

Screenshots

NextThere4 screens
Sydney Rail Map Lite4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Sydney Rail Map Lite at none against NextThere's 3. Sydney Rail Map Lite also leads on iOS requirement (8.0 vs 15.6). NextThere's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 4 months) and review sentiment (69% vs 46%). On price, rating, ads 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. NextThere sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Sydney Rail Map Lite asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for NextThere against 4.6 for Sydney Rail Map Lite. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NextThere has 72 ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 69% of NextThere's written reviews are positive against 46% of Sydney Rail Map Lite's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NextThere ships an update every 2 weeks, Sydney Rail Map Lite every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
NextThere versus Sydney Rail Map Lite: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNextThereSydney Rail Map Lite
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (72 ratings)4.6 (7 ratings)
Positive reviews69.0% of reviews — better46.2% of reviews
Number of ratings72 — better7
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.68.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size136 MB14 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAppJourney Pty LtdUrban-Map

Customer experience

NextThere

All ratings72 ratings
Positive90.3%
Neutral4.2%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews255 reviews
Positive69.0%
Neutral11.0%
Negative20.0%

Sydney Rail Map Lite

All ratings7 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative14.3%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive46.2%
Neutral7.7%
Negative46.2%

Bugs and requests

NextThere

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Disappearing saved stops
  • Incorrect route information
  • Live tracking not updating in real-time

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode for timetable access
  • Journey planning across multiple modes
  • Integration with mobile wallets/cards
  • More detailed map and station information
  • Customizable alerts and notifications

Sydney Rail Map Lite

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

3 purchases

NextThere

Subscriptions3
  • NextThere Pro - Monthly7 Days trial$1.991 Month
  • NextThere Pro - Annual7 Days trial$12.991 Year
  • NextThere Pro - Family7 Days trial$19.991 Year
None

Sydney Rail Map Lite

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NextThere free?
NextThere is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Sydney Rail Map Lite free?
Sydney Rail Map Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NextThere or Sydney Rail Map Lite?
NextThere and Sydney Rail Map Lite are both rated 4.6 out of 5 on the App Store, from 72 and 7 ratings respectively.
Do NextThere or Sydney Rail Map Lite have ads?
Neither NextThere nor Sydney Rail Map Lite shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NextThere or Sydney Rail Map Lite?
NextThere ships an update every 2 weeks, and Sydney Rail Map Lite every 4 months. Most recently, NextThere was updated on October 20, 2026 and Sydney Rail Map Lite on October 16, 2026.

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