STIB vs RetroSpot
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
STIB
Plan your journeys and purchase tickets for public transport in Brussels. Get real-time updates on metro, bus, tram, and train services, and manage your MOBIB card.
- Purchase tickets and passes
- Real-time transport information
- Journey planning
- Interactive route map
- MOBIB card management
- Accessibility information
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The STIB-MIVB app is all you need to get around Brussels by metro, bus, tram or train. New: you can now purchase your tickets in the app. Click and go with the STIB-MIVB app Buy tickets and be on your way immediately - Your ticket is immediately available in the app. Quick and easy! - You can buy your tickets whenever and wherever you want. This way, you always have a ticket in your pocket. - You can purchase Brupass (XL) 1 or 10 journeys via the app. If you take public transport every now and then, buying a 10 journey ticket is a tad cheaper. How nice is that? Stay tuned - Keep up to date with the app: you'll find real-time info not only on the STIB-MIVB network, but also on SNCB-NMBS trains and TEC and De Lijn buses. So you always know when to leave! - Save your favourite lines and stops and find your way around the app and Brussels even more easily. Find the route that suits you best - Plan your journey from A to Z and choose your own departure date and time. - The interactive map also indicates De Lijn, SNCB-NMBS and TEC stops with real-time departure times. Never miss a connection again. - The shortest route, with the fewest connections or the least amount of walking? You're in control of your preferences. Reload and consult your MOBIB card - Connect your MOBIB card to the app and see how many journeys you have left or how long your season ticket is still valid. - Whether you have a season ticket or a ticket, you can simply reload your MOBIB card via the app. Please note that it will take at least 24 hours before your ticket or season ticket is available on your MOBIB card. Travel smoothly - Would you like to know in advance whether the escalator or lift is working? Via the "Info" tab, you can see in real time how accessible the station is. - For buses and tram lines 7 and 9, the app tells you the degree to which a stop is accessible. Download the STIB-MIVB app now and enjoy worry-free travel in and around Brussels!
RetroSpot
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Have I been here before — and when? RetroSpot answers that question with your own photo library. Pick a spot — your current location, an address, or a long-press on the map — and RetroSpot instantly shows every photo you took around it, grouped by year. One glance and you know: you were here in 2019, 2021, and that rainy day in 2023. HOW IT WORKS • Choose a search point: "My location", an address or place search, or tap the map directly. • Set the radius from 100 m to 20 km — it widens automatically for a whole city. • Browse your visits year by year, with thumbnails, dates and distances. • Open any photo full screen: zoom, swipe between shots, see the place name, the distance from your search point, and full technical (EXIF) details. SMART WITH MISSING LOCATIONS • Photos without GPS can inherit an estimated position from the closest photo in time — shown with an ≈ badge, never written to your library unless you ask. • The "Photos without location" screen lets you fix forgotten spots: drag on a mini-map, use the current search point, or copy from another photo. Saved as non-destructive metadata you can revert in Photos. YOUR WHOLE LIBRARY — AND BEYOND • Indexes your full library, including shared albums. • Filter by person, album or year; select photos for a trip report. • Explorer lets you browse sources side by side and copy or move photos between them. • Connect self-hosted or remote libraries too: folders, SFTP, WebDAV, Piwigo, PiGallery2, LibrePhotos, Photoview, Ente. AND MORE • "On this day" widget: memories from past years, right on your Home Screen. • Apple Watch companion. • iPhone and iPad, portrait and landscape, light and dark. • Available in English, French, Japanese, Italian, Spanish and Arabic. PRIVACY FIRST RetroSpot has no account and no server. Your photos and locations are indexed on your device and never leave it. No analytics, no ads, no third-party SDKs. Zero collection, zero tracking.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is device support: RetroSpot at 4 against STIB's 1. 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.
STIB ships an update every 4 weeks, RetroSpot fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | STIB | RetroSpot |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.3 (361 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 17.1% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 361 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 weeks | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 17.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 101 MB | 14 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | STIB-MIVB | Kinevia |
In-app purchases
STIB
No in-app purchases
RetroSpot
No in-app purchases









