# NCTX Buses vs Railcard

The clearest difference is ratings volume: Railcard at 7.2K against NCTX Buses's 64. NCTX Buses's advantage is review sentiment (58% vs 44%) and update cadence (fortnightly vs monthly). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for NCTX Buses against 4.8 for Railcard. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Railcard has 7.2K ratings behind it against 64, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of NCTX Buses's written reviews are positive against 44% of Railcard's.

NCTX Buses ships an update fortnightly, Railcard monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NCTX Buses | Railcard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.9 (64 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nctx-buses/id952687024/reviews)** | [4.8 (7.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railcard/id1246748048/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 64 | **7.2K** |
| Positive reviews | **58.0% of reviews** | 43.6% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 43 MB | 43 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Nottingham City Transport Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/463231931) | [National Rail](https://appshunter.io/developer/512167281) |

## What reviewers say

### NCTX Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/nctx-buses/id952687024)

Plan your journeys, view live bus departures, and purchase mobile tickets for NCT services. Access timetables, save favorite routes, and stay updated on service disruptions.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live departure times, Journey planning, Bus timetables, Save favorite routes, Service disruption alerts

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Real-time bus tracking
- 👍 Useful travel planning
- 👍 Convenient mobile tickets
- 👍 24-hour tickets save money
- 👍 Easy to use interface

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buses often late
- 🐛 App logs users out
- 🐛 Buses disappear from tracker
- 🐛 Mobile tickets fail to scan
- 🐛 App drains phone battery

**Reported bugs**

- App keeps logging users out
- App locks users out for extended periods
- Buses not arriving on time
- Buses disappearing from the app's tracker
- Mobile tickets failing to scan

**Requested features**

- Ability to rearrange favourites
- Setting to display time of day and minutes until next bus
- Integration with Apple Wallet/Google Pay for bus passes
- Option to display cancelled buses in real-time
- Separate timetables for different route variations (e.g., 79 and 79a)


### Railcard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/railcard/id1246748048)

Access and display your train ticket discounts directly on your mobile device. Never forget your discount card again and save on most train fares. Supports a wide variety of railcards for different traveler needs.

**Highlights:** Store railcards on mobile, Save 1/3 on train fares, Instant digital access, Supports multiple railcard types, Ready for next train journey

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 💰 Great value
- 📱 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Fast digital delivery
- 🙌 Helpful customer service

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app/website
- 🤯 Confusing renewal process
- 📵 Unusable without internet
- 🤖 Lack of accessibility features

**Reported bugs**

- Railcard disappearing from app
- Download codes not working
- Incorrect/missing card details

**Requested features**

- Add to Apple Wallet
- Automatic renewal reminders
- Offline mode for digital cards


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NCTX Buses free?

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

### Is Railcard free?

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

### Which has better reviews, NCTX Buses or Railcard?

NCTX Buses is rated higher. NCTX Buses averages 4.9 out of 5 from 64 ratings, while Railcard averages 4.8 from 7.2K ratings.

### Do NCTX Buses or Railcard have ads?

Neither NCTX Buses nor Railcard shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NCTX Buses or Railcard?

NCTX Buses ships an update fortnightly, and Railcard monthly. Most recently, NCTX Buses was updated on October 17, 2026 and Railcard on October 20, 2026.

---

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