LocoLink vs RailScanPro
Both run model trains. They are not the same kind of product, and which one you want depends on whether you are buying a throttle or an operating railroad. Here is the comparison with nothing hidden, including the parts where LocoLink is the better buy.
Who each one is for
LocoLink is a throttle and layout control app that feels native on Apple hardware. If what you want is to pick up an iPhone or an iPad, drive your trains, throw turnouts on a track plan you drew, and run a shuttle or a timetable, it does that well and it is the cheaper way to get there. Buy it, and enjoy it.
RailScanPro is the operating system for model railroading: one platform that drives the hardware, enforces the operating rules, runs the operating session with its paperwork and its crews, and keeps the collection. If your railroad is a club or a museum, if several people dispatch it at once, or if the roster and the insurance report matter as much as the throttle, that is the difference between these two products.
The two overlap on throttle and layout control, and diverge everywhere else. The table says where.
Side by side
The LocoLink column is what the vendor publishes about its own product, read on 12 September 2026. "Not published" means the vendor publishes nothing about that capability; it is not a claim that the capability is impossible. If we have something wrong, write to support@railscanpro.com and we will correct it.
| Feature | RailScanPro | LocoLink |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms | Web app in any modern browser, plus RailCommand Desktop for Windows, macOS on Apple Silicon, and Linux. | Native on iPhone, iPad and Mac, plus a separate Windows app. Android is described as next. |
| Throttle and train control | Drive-by-wire throttle through the local runtime, with emergency stop from any connected client. | Throttle functions F0 to F31, with game controller and Siri input. |
| Layout authoring | A layout graph from which RailCommand derives the topology, so routes, conflicts and signal aspects are computed rather than listed by hand. | A track plan editor with blocks, turnouts, signals and routes. |
| Automation | A rules engine drives every authorable behaviour, alongside operating sessions and dispatcher control. | Shuttle and timetable automation. |
| Command stations | 20 native drivers, each rated by evidence. Digitrax LocoNet over USB is field-tested on museum and owner layouts; the rest, including NCE, Z21 and DR5000, Lenz XpressNet, ESU ECoS, Märklin CS2 and CS3, DCC-EX and a JMRI bridge, are implemented and awaiting a layout. LCC and OpenLCB run trains only today. The tier on every row is at /hardware. | The vendor states more than 45 command stations. |
| Detection and feedback | LocoNet, BDL168, NCE AIU, S88 through HSI-88, BiDiB detector modules, RailCom reporting and MQTT sensor nodes, each on the driver's own evidence tier. | S88, LocoNet and RailCom feedback. |
| CV programming | CV programming over the command station, and over LCC, plus a SPROG driver for the programming track. | CV programming. |
| TrainController import | Reads a .yrrg or .yrl layout up to 50 MB on the web and stages the whole file for review: turnouts, toggles, signals, sensors, blocks, routes, connectors, controls, roster and trains. Whatever the decoder cannot settle becomes a needs-review row you answer or exclude, and nothing is written until you press Create layout. | Imports locomotive and switchboard data from iTrain, Rocrail and TrainController. The vendor states that no universal one-click TrainController conversion is promised. |
| Multi-user dispatch | Multiplayer operating sessions: several people hold crew roles on one railroad at the same time, with a remote dispatcher whose territory falls back to a hard stop if that dispatcher drops. | Not published |
| Operations and paperwork | Car forwarding, waybill generation, switchlists and the four cycle waybill system, with operating sessions and crew assignments. | Not published |
| Collection inventory | A full collection inventory with photo recognition, valuations and insurance reporting. | Not published |
| Marketplace and community | A marketplace for buying and selling, plus club, museum and community pages. | Not published |
| Sync across devices | Your layout and your collection sync through your RailScanPro organization, so any machine you sign in from sees the same railroad. | iCloud sync. |
| Price | From $19 a month with a 30 day free trial. Hobbyist $19, Family $29, Pro $49, Club $129, Museum $349, every feature unlocked on every plan. | From EUR 3.99 a month, with a lifetime option. |
Deciding between them
If the answer is "I want to drive trains from my iPad", LocoLink is the shorter road and the cheaper one. If the answer involves an operating session, a crew, a dispatcher, a roster or a museum, start the trial and bring your TrainController file with you.