# Next Caltrain vs BART (Official)

The clearest difference is rating: BART (Official) at 4.6 against Next Caltrain's 3.0. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (28K vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 7 months). Next Caltrain's advantage is iOS requirement (11.1 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

BART (Official) holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 28K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Next Caltrain ships an update every 7 months, BART (Official) every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Next Caltrain | BART (Official) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [3.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-caltrain/id1129528484/reviews) | **[4.6 (28K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2 | **28K** |
| Positive reviews | — | 30.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 10 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.1** | 17.6 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Andrew Fang](https://appshunter.io/developer/1037394382) | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) |

## What reviewers say

### Next Caltrain

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/next-caltrain/id1129528484)

Get real-time Caltrain arrival predictions for your favorite stations. Quickly view upcoming trains with a widget and explore train destinations with a simple touch. This app provides essential commuter information for the San Francisco Bay Area.

**Highlights:** Real-time arrival predictions, Favorite station selection, Train destination lookup, Home screen widget, Supports iPhone and iPad

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### BART (Official)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871)

Plan your Bay Area transit journeys with real-time train departures and official service alerts. This app offers end-to-end trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and customized notifications for a hassle-free commute.

**Highlights:** Real-time train departures, End-to-end trip planner, Step-by-step navigation, Customized service alerts, Contactless parking payment, Service disruption information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient in-app parking payment
- 👍 Accurate real-time train information
- 🚀 Easy to use app
- 👍 Helpful for planning trips

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable real-time information
- 🔍 Confusing parking payment process
- 🔍 Lack of key features like checking Clipper card balance
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Not intuitive for first-time users

**Reported bugs**

- Real-time departure times not updating accurately
- Trip planning providing incorrect/nonsensical routes
- Login and password issues causing frequent logouts
- Parking payment not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to check Clipper card balance
- Automatic license plate recognition for parking
- Offline mode for schedules and trip planning
- Better notifications for service advisories and delays
- More customization options for favorite stations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Next Caltrain free?

Next Caltrain is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is BART (Official) free?

BART (Official) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Next Caltrain or BART (Official)?

BART (Official) is rated higher. Next Caltrain averages 3.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while BART (Official) averages 4.6 from 28K ratings.

### Do Next Caltrain or BART (Official) have ads?

Neither Next Caltrain nor BART (Official) shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Next Caltrain or BART (Official)?

Next Caltrain ships an update every 7 months, and BART (Official) every 2 months. Most recently, Next Caltrain was updated on October 29, 2026 and BART (Official) on November 3, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*