The National Rail app is perhaps one of the most controversial for the iPhone. The information provided is freely available on the web and worst still they’ve threatened legal proceedings against other applications that use this data. So the important question is: Is this app worth £5?
The answer is not so straight forward.
Good points include the GPS enabled find the nearest station feature and built in home station and departures lists. But the real benefit over using safari is the fact that you can use a native interface which is faster, feels nicer and is easier to use.
You really have to ask yourself, how often will I use this app? If your daily commute relies on it and you’ll use it all the time then I really think it’s worth it. If you’ll just use it occasionally then perhaps £5 is a little steep.
It’s a shame they don’t sell this for 2.99, in which case I’d be telling everyone to get it and nobody would complain. The fact is that they know they can skim the extra because they have a monopoly. Despite this, I still think it’s worth it if you use it often.
Price 1/10. App 8/10
