Next Caltrain vs Cal
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Next Caltrain
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.
- Real-time arrival predictions
- Favorite station selection
- Train destination lookup
- Home screen widget
- Supports iPhone and iPad
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Always know when the next Caltrain is coming! • Add your favorite stations and see the next 3 predicted arrivals at that station • Force touch on a train to see where it's going • Use the widget to get a quick peek at the coming trains without opening the app Caltrain© is a California commuter rail line that operates between San Francisco and Santa Clara Valley This application is not affiliated with or sponsored by Caltrain© commuter rail
Cal
Provides real-time train tracking and estimated arrival times for specific transit corridors. Access live train status and journey information for multiple commuter rail lines.
- Live train tracking
- Real-time status updates
- Estimated arrival times (ETA)
- Supports CCJPA, SJJPA, ACE, NCTD corridors
- Station information
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Tracks live trains and display their status and ETA information for stations within the CCJPA, SJJPA, ACE and NCTD corridors. Terms of Use: https://xt-calpids-production-legal.azurewebsites.net/terms.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Cal at 5.0 against Next Caltrain's 3.0. Cal also leads on update cadence (every 10 days vs every 7 months). Next Caltrain's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On price, ratings volume and device support 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
Both are free to download. Cal sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. Next Caltrain asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 3.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 1 respectively.
Next Caltrain ships an update every 7 months, Cal every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on October 20, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Next Caltrain | Cal |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.1 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 45 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Fang | XenaTech Software Integration Services, LLC |
Customer experience
Next Caltrain
Cal
In-app purchases
Next Caltrain
No in-app purchases
Cal
- Cal-Ride Pro$4.991 Year
