DB Navigator
Shares rank 2 of 4 transit apps by recommenders
Recommended for buying tickets, delay alerts and finding alternatives when a connection is missed. Critics say it sometimes shows impossible journeys.
Recommended for buying tickets, delay alerts and finding alternatives when a connection is missed. Critics say it sometimes shows impossible journeys.
13 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 7
- criticize it
- 6
- approval share
- 54%
Recommended in 4 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 7 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.1 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 4 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Buying tickets and digital tickets
“The DB App is great. It lets you buy tickets, informs you of delays and possible alternatives especially if you miss your connection”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” “the official app is great w/ digital tickets + seat registration”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” Shows alternative connections when delayed
“The DB App is great. It lets you buy tickets, informs you of delays and possible alternatives especially if you miss your connection”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” “just letting your app (e.g. db, öffi, ...) show all connections to the target form the updated place”
Comment from 3 Nov 2025 in “Paris had a moving sidewalk in 1900, and a Thomas Edison film captured it (2020)” Great overall transport app
“The DB App is great. It lets you buy tickets, informs you of delays and possible alternatives especially if you miss your connection”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” “the official app is great w/ digital tickets + seat registration”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” “DB Navigator is one of the best transport apps”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Shows impossible or unavailable connections
“DB Navigator should not show you impossible journeys, it presents you with train switches where the second train already left once you arrive”
Comment from 29 Dec 2025 in “Kidnapped by Deutsche Bahn” “The DB Navigator app insists that everything is still running and it was impossible to get clear info”
Comment from 24 Jun 2026 in “German Rail Service Suspended Due to Radio Interference” “your connection is not available anymore, please look for an alternative”
Comment from 13 Dec 2025 in “Germany's train service is one of Europe's worst. How did it get so bad?” Tickets forgotten or purchase failures
“The app is infamous for just "forgetting" tickets and when you get caught you HAVE to pay a fine”
Comment from 4 Mar 2026 in “Bet on German Train Delays” “their entire authentication system was down when it came to actually purchasing”
Comment from 1 Jan 2026 in “All my Deutschlandtickets gone: Fraud at an industrial scale [video]”
Other transit apps people recommend
The three most recommended other transit apps, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transit app | 13 | 3 | 81% | 7 | — | Approved |
| DB NavigatorThis page | 7 | 6 | 54% | 4 | — | — |
| Citymapper | 7 | 1 | 88% | 6 | — | — |
| RailRaptor | 6 | 0 | 100% | 1 | — | — |
What people said
All 14 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The DB Navigator app insists that everything is still running and it was impossible to get clear info”
“you're better off using the mobile apps than trying to use the machines”
“There are already solutions for doing exactly that.”
“the app did not display a warning. Even when buying a ticket from the app, it still had the "25% off" option activated by default.”
“services for people NOT using the digital ID will be so degraded to be almost useless or seriously disadvantageous”
“almost everyone I know constantly travels by train and uses the app regularly”
“DB Navigator is one of the best transport apps”
“The app is infamous for just "forgetting" tickets and when you get caught you HAVE to pay a fine”
“The DB App is great. It lets you buy tickets, informs you of delays and possible alternatives especially if you miss your connection”
“the official app is great w/ digital tickets + seat registration”
“their entire authentication system was down when it came to actually purchasing”
“DB Navigator should not show you impossible journeys, it presents you with train switches where the second train already left once you arrive”
“your connection is not available anymore, please look for an alternative”
“just letting your app (e.g. db, öffi, ...) show all connections to the target form the updated place”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.