What is the difference between a mobile phone ticket and an online ticket?

Mobile phone tickets and online tickets differ in format and in how they are presented for inspection on board the train.

If the ticket is used and presented for inspection in the DB Navigator app, it is a mobile phone ticket.

Some products, such as the Deutschland-Ticket, can only be used as a mobile phone ticket. A printout of a mobile phone ticket, e.g. in the form of a screenshot, is not valid.

An online ticket is issued in PDF format and can be presented either digitally or printed out on paper.

Some tickets, such as for certain international routes, can only be used as online tickets.