Caltrans QuickMap vs CAT Scale Locator
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Caltrans QuickMap
Access real-time California traffic conditions, including speeds, camera snapshots, and lane closures. Receive alerts for road closures near your location. Customize your map view to display various highway information and points of interest.
- Real-time freeway speeds
- Traffic camera snapshots
- Lane closure alerts
- CHP incident reports
- Highway information display
- Geotargeted notifications
- Customizable map preferences
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Know Before You Go: QuickMap puts real-time California traffic data straight from Caltrans in the palm of your hand — so you can plan smarter, avoid delays, and drive with confidence. What's on the map: - Freeway speeds and congestion - Live traffic cameras and snapshots - Lane closures and CHP incidents - Chain controls and snow plows - Changeable message signs - Border wait times - Safety roadside rest areas, Park & Ride lots - Commercial vehicle information including: -- Weigh stations and Escape Ramps -- Terminal/Service Access Ramps -- Overweight Corridors and California Truck Networks Auto-refresh will refresh data every 3 minutes unless a different refresh interval is selected in the settings screen. Manual refresh is also available via the refresh button at the bottom right of the map. Enable Geotargeted Notifications to receive alerts about road closures near you — even when the app is closed. Note: If you choose to enable Geotargeted Notifications, this app will monitor your location in the background and alert you (via a Push Notification) to State Highway System road closures occurring near you. Continued use of background location may decrease battery life. Questions or something not looking right on the map? We want to hear from you — reach us at quickmap@dot.ca.gov.
CAT Scale Locator
Easily find the closest CAT Scale locations using your current GPS or by custom search. Save your favorite locations for quick access. This app helps truckers and drivers locate essential weighing stations on the go.
- Locate nearest CAT Scales
- GPS-based search
- Custom location search
- Save favorite locations
- Access from iOS devices
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Find your NEAREST CAT Scale! Now you can access CAT Scale locations from anywhere on your iOS device! Easily Locate and Save locations based on your current GPS location or custom search!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CAT Scale Locator at 4.1 against Caltrans QuickMap's 3.2. CAT Scale Locator also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.6). Caltrans QuickMap's advantage is review sentiment (30% vs 6%) and ratings volume (206 vs 12). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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.
CAT Scale Locator holds the better App Store score, 4.1 against 3.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caltrans QuickMap has 206 ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 30% of Caltrans QuickMap's written reviews are positive against 6% of CAT Scale Locator's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Caltrans QuickMap ships an update every 2 months, CAT Scale Locator every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Caltrans QuickMap | CAT Scale Locator |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.2 (206 ratings) | 4.1 (12 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 29.6% of reviews — better | 6.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 206 — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #178 — better | #210 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 28 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | California Department of Transportation | BoomerCo |
Customer experience
Caltrans QuickMap
CAT Scale Locator
Bugs and requests
Caltrans QuickMap
Reported bugs
11 issues- App crashes immediately upon opening
- App closes itself even when not driving
- Camera feeds display error (play button with slash)
- Search feature completely non-functional
- Location and refresh buttons stack on iPhone XR
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- App redirects to FAQ page during navigation
- Inconsistent camera functionality (works sometimes, not others)
- Tap on road closure symbols returns incorrect nearby locations
- Chain control symbols not displaying on iPhone app
- App crashes during major storms when most needed
- Codec incompatibility prevents video playback on iPhone
Requested features
15 requests- CarPlay compatibility
- Live video streaming for cameras instead of still images
- Terrain and satellite map view options
- Ability to zoom and pinch camera images
- Larger, more visible map icons
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- Customizable saved map regions with memory
- Weather radar layer integration
- Customer service request submission within app
- Hazard reporting interface in-app
- Direction indicators for road signs before opening
- Freeway speed data display instead of color bands
- Extended coverage to other US states
- Last update timestamp visibility
- Clickable explanations for all map symbols
- Fire perimeter information on fire layer
CAT Scale Locator
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Caltrans QuickMap
No in-app purchases
CAT Scale Locator
No in-app purchases
