Comparison

xtBus 3 vs onTime

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

xtBus 3

Track real-time bus arrivals across numerous transit agencies in the USA and Canada. Simply open the app and allow location access to find available routes and services in your area.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Supports thousands of routes
  • Covers USA and Canada transit agencies
  • Location-based service availability
  • Ad-free option via subscription
Features
Read full description

xtBus 3 - a reborn of the popular real-time nextbus tracker for urban commuters. xtBus 3 now supports thousands of bus routes from various transit agencies across USA and Canada, including TTC, STL, SF Muni, EZRide and many more. Just open the app and grant it location permission to see if services are available in your area. The "VIP Monthly Service" is provided as an in-app purchase to customers who don't want to have advertisements displayed. The service is provided on a monthly basis. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. For details of terms of use - http://idemfactor.com/xtbus3/ And privacy policy - http://idemfactor.com/idemfactor-privacy-policy-english.html

About

onTime

Get real-time transit information for BART, Muni, and Caltrain. View schedules, countdowns to the next train, and receive important service alerts. Go paperless and stay informed about your commute.

Highlights
  • Real-time train and bus countdowns
  • Commuter notification service
  • Automatic schedule updates
  • Online and offline schedule access
  • Paperless trip planning
  • Integrated transit maps
Features
Read full description

onTime is fast and easy to use. It is designed with commuters in mind. With onTime you can look up schedules anytime anywhere without having to carry and dig through paper schedules. The act of simply opening the app will show you the schedules and count-down of the next trains. Sign up for commuter-notification to receive latest outages, delays and service changes. Be on time and be environmental friendly at the same time. FEATURES: - Countdown to the next train - Track info - Commuter-Notification Service - Automatic Schedule Update - Real-time​ updates and track info (where available) - Online and Offline Schedule - Paperless - Trip duration - Maps onTime Premium: – $4.99 USD (or equivalent) per year and may vary from country to country. – Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase – Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Term Of Service: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_tos.html Privacy Policy: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_privacy.html * Note: onTime App uses BART transit agency's schedule data but it is not affiliated with BART.

Screenshots

xtBus 33 screens
onTime4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: onTime at 53% against xtBus 3's 20%. onTime also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.1). xtBus 3's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. xtBus 3 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month and onTime sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

xtBus 3 ships an update fortnightly, onTime every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
xtBus 3 versus onTime: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterxtBus 3onTime
PriceFreeFree
Rating—3.9 (52 ratings) — better
Positive reviews20.0% of reviews52.9% of reviews — better
Number of ratings—52 — better
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS14.112.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size24 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperIdemfactor SolutionsMobileware Inc.

Customer experience

xtBus 3

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

onTime

All ratings51 ratings
Positive74.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative23.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative47.1%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

xtBus 3

Subscriptions1
  • VIP Service$0.991 Month
1 purchases

onTime

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$4.991 Year

Questions

Is xtBus 3 free?
xtBus 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is onTime free?
onTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do xtBus 3 or onTime have ads?
Both xtBus 3 and onTime show ads.
Which is updated more often, xtBus 3 or onTime?
xtBus 3 ships an update fortnightly, and onTime every 2 months. Most recently, xtBus 3 was updated on September 24, 2026 and onTime on October 22, 2026.

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