Next Caltrain vs Caltrain Live
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
Caltrain Live
Access real-time Caltrain information, including train status, service disruptions, and timetables with offline access. Plan trips with live data and receive instant alerts for your commute.
- Real-time train status and alerts
- Offline timetable access
- Trip planner with live data
- Service disruption monitoring
- Pinned train status
- Station announcements
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Caltrain Live lets you quickly access all the latest information you need for your Caltrain commute. You can pin a train to quickly access its status and alerts, monitor construction and service disruptions along the corridor, and get the latest timetable with offline access all in one place. - Includes a fast, simple UI with no ads, popups or tracking. - Get a copy of the latest timetable with automatic updates and offline access. - The built-in trip planner includes live data, special event trains, and holiday timetable support. - Monitor trains in realtime and get easy access to trains you care about. - See single tracking events across the corridor and for each station. - Read station announcements. - Train data includes per-stop delays, calculated stop bypass times, and relevant alerts. - Realtime data is fast, uses minimal mobile data, refreshes every 30 seconds, includes departure times to-the-second, alerts from 511, and more.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Caltrain Live at 4.6 against Next Caltrain's 3.0. Caltrain Live also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 7 months) and ratings volume (17 vs 2). Next Caltrain's advantage is iOS requirement (11.1 vs 15.1). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Caltrain Live holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caltrain Live has 17 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Next Caltrain ships an update every 7 months, Caltrain Live every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Next Caltrain | Caltrain Live |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.0 (2 ratings) | 4.6 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | — | 62.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 17 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.1 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 10 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Andrew Fang | Jackson Loeffler |
Customer experience
Next Caltrain
Caltrain Live
In-app purchases
Next Caltrain
No in-app purchases
Caltrain Live
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Next Caltrain free?
Is Caltrain Live free?
Which has better reviews, Next Caltrain or Caltrain Live?
Do Next Caltrain or Caltrain Live have ads?
Which is updated more often, Next Caltrain or Caltrain Live?
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