# Congress vs Railmap for Open Railway Map

The clearest difference is price: Congress at Free against Railmap for Open Railway Map's $2.99. Congress also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (100% vs 67%). Railmap for Open Railway Map's advantage is ratings volume (728 vs 30) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.0). On rating and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Congress is free to download; Railmap for Open Railway Map costs $2.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Congress against 4.7 for Railmap for Open Railway Map. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Railmap for Open Railway Map has 728 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 100% of Congress's written reviews are positive against 67% of Railmap for Open Railway Map's.

Congress ships an update every 9 days, Railmap for Open Railway Map monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 12, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Congress | Railmap for Open Railway Map |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | **Free** | $2.99 |
| Rating | **[4.8 (30 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/congress-39c3/id941205524/reviews)** | [4.7 (728 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railmap-for-open-railway-map/id1374554550/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 30 | **728** |
| Positive reviews | **100.0% of reviews** | 67.4% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Monthly |
| Monetization | **Free** | Ad-supported |
| Size | 38 MB | 5 MB |
| Requires iOS | 26.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV, Vision Pro** | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Thomas Kollbach](https://appshunter.io/developer/316549989) | [Florian Chrometz](https://appshunter.io/developer/1004595008) |

## What reviewers say

### Congress

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/congress-39c3/id941205524)

Navigate the 39th Chaos Communication Congress with this app. It offers a detailed schedule, session filtering, offline access, and live streaming capabilities. Stay organized with reminders and collaborate on session lists.

**Highlights:** Session schedule overview, Filter by language, room, track, skill, Offline data access, Live stream and video playback, Downloadable videos, Session reminders and alerts, Collaborative session lists

**In-app purchases:** none


### Railmap for Open Railway Map

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railmap-for-open-railway-map/id1374554550)

Discover the world through the lens of train tracks. Explore global rail networks, understand speed limits on different lines, and view detailed information about railway signals. The app caches visited locations for faster loading.

**Highlights:** Explore global train tracks, View speed limits on tracks, Detailed signal information, Multiple map layers, Offline caching of locations

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🗺️ Comprehensive railway line coverage worldwide
- 👍 Shows both active and abandoned rail lines
- 🎯 Accurate and detailed track layouts
- 📍 Useful for train enthusiasts and rail professionals
- 🔄 Multiple overlay options (signals, power systems)

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Map fails to load after extended use
- 🐛 Zoom functionality causes tracks to disappear
- 📊 No legend or explanation of symbols/colors
- 🔍 Missing search functionality for locations
- 📱 Not optimized for iPad

**Reported bugs**

- Map stops loading after several minutes of use
- Tracks disappear when zooming in beyond certain level
- Signals overlay not displaying correctly
- App freezes during zoom operations
- Location services not updating properly

**Requested features**

- Search functionality for locations and stations
- Legend/key explaining map symbols and colors
- iPad optimization
- German language support
- Train tracking capability


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Congress free?

Congress is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Railmap for Open Railway Map free?

Railmap for Open Railway Map costs $2.99, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Congress or Railmap for Open Railway Map?

Congress is rated higher. Congress averages 4.8 out of 5 from 30 ratings, while Railmap for Open Railway Map averages 4.7 from 728 ratings.

### Do Congress or Railmap for Open Railway Map have ads?

Railmap for Open Railway Map shows ads; Congress does not.

### Which is updated more often, Congress or Railmap for Open Railway Map?

Congress ships an update every 9 days, and Railmap for Open Railway Map monthly. Most recently, Congress was updated on November 6, 2026 and Railmap for Open Railway Map on November 12, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*