Comparison

Stanford Map + vs Busly

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

Head to head
About

Stanford Map +

Features
Read full description

Stanford Map gives you easy access to places and events information in the town of Palo Alto, CA and the campus of Stanford. Use the legend on the left to browse or search for locations and plot them on the map. Tap on the marker's callout to take you to the detail screen from which you can get directions to the plotted point, or view the POI's website (only available for some locations). Use the tab bar at the bottom of the legend view to view information for local events around the Stanford campus. Dragging down/up on the calendar view will expand/shrink it to show more/less days in the calendar.

About

Busly

This app provides real-time transit information for buses and trains in major U.S. cities. View live vehicle locations, arrival times, and detailed route information on an interactive map. Save favorite routes and stops for quick access.

Highlights
  • Live map with vehicle locations
  • Real-time arrival times
  • Detailed vehicle information
  • Favorite routes and stops
  • Nearby stops
  • Fare information
  • Light and dark themes
Read full description

Now with support for iOS 27 & iPhone Duo! Busly lets you view live locations & arrival times for buses & trains across major U.S. cities. LIVE MAP • Get real-time bus & train position updates on a live updating map (which can also show route lines & stops!) ARRIVAL TIMES • View up-to-date arrival times for both stops & vehicles DETAILED BUS/TRAIN INFO • Get detailed vehicle information including: heading, speed, occupancy, wheelchair accessibility, bikes allowed FAVORITES • Add route lines & stops to your Favorites for quick access NEARBY STOPS • View stops nearby to your current location SEARCH • Optimized for near-instant search results to help you quickly find what you're looking for FARE INFORMATION • View detailed fare/ticketing options for the agencies in your region LIGHT & DARK THEMES • Choose between fully supported light & dark themes or automatically switch using the system setting ACCESSIBILITY • First-class accessibility support, including VoiceOver & Dynamic Type SUPPORTED REGIONS • Atlanta (MARTA) • Austin (CapMetro) • Boston (MBTA) • Chicago (Metra) • Cincinnati (Go Metro) • Cleveland (GCRTA) • Denver (RTD) • Edmonton (ETS) • Hartford (CTTransit) • Las Vegas (RTC) • Los Angeles (LA Metro) • Minneapolis (Metro Transit) • Nashville (WeGo) • Phoenix (Valley Metro) • Raleigh (GoRaleigh) • Sacramento (SacRT) • San Francisco (SF Muni, BART, Caltrain) • Seattle (King County Metro) • Washington, D.C. (WMATA) ...And many more coming soon! NO ADS, NO TRACKERS • Busly is 100% free of ads & trackers and always will be — For questions/comments/support, email support@busly.app or navigate in-app to Settings > Support > Contact App Support.

Screenshots

Stanford Map +4 screens
Busly4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Stanford Map + at none against Busly's 2. Stanford Map + also leads on iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). Busly's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). On price, ads 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Busly sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Stanford Map + asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Stanford Map + ships an update every 5 weeks, Busly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 9, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Stanford Map + versus Busly: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterStanford Map +Busly
PriceFreeFree
Rating—4.5 (553 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—42.9% of reviews
Number of ratings—553 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 weeksFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size86 MB29 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAaron JubbalAlex Perez

Bugs and requests

Stanford Map +

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

Busly

Reported bugs

9 issues
  • App crashes
  • Routes do not show up
  • App cuts off
  • App is unstable
  • Long calibration times
Show 4 more
  • Buses appear ahead of reported location
  • Missing key spots on routes
  • Stops are out of order
  • Atlanta map missing stations

Requested features

9 requests
  • Show bus numbers
  • Show run numbers
  • Color-code different bus lines on map
  • Display bus number instead of line name when clicking a stop
  • Improve refresh rate (currently 5 minutes)
Show 4 more
  • Add tutorial or explanation of symbols
  • Allow selection of favorite stops
  • Add vehicle ID and Block ID
  • Revert to previous app's functionality for route lists and stop order

In-app purchases

None

Stanford Map +

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Busly

Subscriptions2
  • Busly Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Busly Pro Annual$9.991 Year

Questions

Is Stanford Map + free?
Stanford Map + is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Stanford Map + or Busly have ads?
Neither Stanford Map + nor Busly shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Stanford Map + or Busly?
Stanford Map + ships an update every 5 weeks, and Busly fortnightly. Most recently, Stanford Map + was updated on October 9, 2026 and Busly on October 18, 2026.

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