Comparison

onTime vs SF Muni Buses

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

Head to head
About

onTime

Get real-time transit information for BART, Muni, and Caltrain. View schedules, countdowns to the next train, and receive important service alerts. Go paperless and stay informed about your commute.

Highlights
  • Real-time train and bus countdowns
  • Commuter notification service
  • Automatic schedule updates
  • Online and offline schedule access
  • Paperless trip planning
  • Integrated transit maps
Features
Read full description

onTime is fast and easy to use. It is designed with commuters in mind. With onTime you can look up schedules anytime anywhere without having to carry and dig through paper schedules. The act of simply opening the app will show you the schedules and count-down of the next trains. Sign up for commuter-notification to receive latest outages, delays and service changes. Be on time and be environmental friendly at the same time. FEATURES: - Countdown to the next train - Track info - Commuter-Notification Service - Automatic Schedule Update - Real-time​ updates and track info (where available) - Online and Offline Schedule - Paperless - Trip duration - Maps onTime Premium: – $4.99 USD (or equivalent) per year and may vary from country to country. – Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase – Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Term Of Service: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_tos.html Privacy Policy: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_privacy.html * Note: onTime App uses BART transit agency's schedule data but it is not affiliated with BART.

About

SF Muni Buses

Track the real-time location and arrival predictions for buses. Get instant notifications for delays and closures, save favorite stops, and set reminders to never miss your ride. Optimized for various Apple devices.

Highlights
  • Live bus tracking on map
  • Real-time arrival predictions
  • Push notifications for delays
  • Favorite stops management
  • Nearby stops identification
  • Bus arrival reminders
  • Notification Center widgets
Features
Read full description

*** IMPORTANT: The SF Muni Buses app is being discontinued. Download the all-new Busly app to ensure continued updates & support: https://busly.app *** View up-to-date locations and time predictions for the SF Muni buses. LIVE MAP Get up-to-date bus positions showing exactly where each bus is along its route. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS Get real-time updates regarding delays, closures, and other important messages. FAVORITE STOPS Add stops you use often to your Favorites for quick, easy access. NEARBY STOPS See stops nearest to your current location, as well as how far they are. SET REMINDERS Easily set reminder notifications so you don't forget to catch your bus when it arrives. NOTIFICATION CENTER WIDGETS 2 Notification Center widgets for easy access to time predictions for nearby stops as well as your favorites. APPLE WATCH + IPAD Optimized for iOS 17, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. If you run into any issues or have any feedback, use the in-app Support button or email support@iminichrispy.com. You can also tweet me @iMinichrispy.

Screenshots

onTime4 screens
SF Muni Buses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: onTime at 53% against SF Muni Buses's 27%. onTime also leads on update cadence (every 2 months vs every 4 months). SF Muni Buses's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.9) and ratings volume (1K vs 52). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. onTime sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year and SF Muni Buses sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

SF Muni Buses holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SF Muni Buses has 1K ratings behind it against 52, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 53% of onTime's written reviews are positive against 27% of SF Muni Buses's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

onTime ships an update every 2 months, SF Muni Buses every 4 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
onTime versus SF Muni Buses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameteronTimeSF Muni Buses
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.9 (52 ratings)4.2 (1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews52.9% of reviews — better27.1% of reviews
Number of ratings521K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 4 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better
Requires iOS12.012.0
Further details — not scored
Size130 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobileware Inc.Alex Perez

Customer experience

onTime

All ratings51 ratings
Positive74.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative23.5%
Written reviews17 reviews
Positive52.9%
Neutral0.0%
Negative47.1%

SF Muni Buses

All ratings808 ratings
Positive77.0%
Neutral6.6%
Negative16.5%
Written reviews96 reviews
Positive27.1%
Neutral7.3%
Negative65.6%

Bugs and requests

onTime

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

SF Muni Buses

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Disappearing bus predictions
  • Outdated route information
  • Inability to purchase tickets

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add bus route numbers
  • Improve trip planning and pricing
  • Allow customization of favorite routes
  • Provide a map of Muni train routes and stations

In-app purchases

1 purchases

onTime

Subscriptions1
  • Premium$4.991 Year
1 purchases

SF Muni Buses

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$4.99

Questions

Is onTime free?
onTime is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SF Muni Buses free?
SF Muni Buses is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, onTime or SF Muni Buses?
SF Muni Buses is rated higher. onTime averages 3.9 out of 5 from 52 ratings, while SF Muni Buses averages 4.2 from 1K ratings.
Do onTime or SF Muni Buses have ads?
Both onTime and SF Muni Buses show ads.
Which is updated more often, onTime or SF Muni Buses?
onTime ships an update every 2 months, and SF Muni Buses every 4 months. Most recently, onTime was updated on November 6, 2026 and SF Muni Buses on November 6, 2026.

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