# Chicago CTA Bus Tracker vs EL Tracker

The clearest difference is rating: EL Tracker at 4.9 against Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's 4.2. EL Tracker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and review sentiment (90% vs 60%). Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

EL Tracker holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 184 and 83 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 60% of Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's written reviews are positive against 90% of EL Tracker's.

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker ships an update every 37 months, EL Tracker every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 4, 2026 and September 8, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Chicago CTA Bus Tracker | EL Tracker |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.2 (184 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-cta-bus-tracker/id1369778129/reviews) | **[4.9 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-tracker/id6499103522/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **184** | 83 |
| Positive reviews | 59.6% of reviews | **90.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 37 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 12 MB | 21 MB |
| Requires iOS | **12.0** | 15.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Naiara Albaina](https://appshunter.io/developer/1225698348) | [Davit Khachatryan](https://appshunter.io/developer/1742442257) |

## What reviewers say

### Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/chicago-cta-bus-tracker/id1369778129)

Track Chicago CTA buses in real-time. Select your route, direction, and stop to view upcoming bus arrivals. Save favorite stops for quick access to arrival times.

**Highlights:** Live bus tracking, Route and direction selection, Stop arrival predictions, Save favorite stops, Fast and easy to use

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Fast and efficient
- ✅ Accurate time estimations
- 👍 Helpful for planning trips
- 👍 User-friendly for seniors

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App doesn't update or refresh
- 🐛 Home page sometimes doesn't load
- 🐛 Inconsistent loading
- 🐛 No train tracking available
- 🐛 Ads are intrusive and annoying

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't update
- App doesn't refresh
- Home page doesn't load
- No information available when searching
- App freezes sometimes

**Requested features**

- Ability to rearrange favorites
- Add a refresh button
- Improve user-friendliness on the go
- Add train tracking
- Fix discrepancy between app and website


### EL Tracker

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/el-tracker/id6499103522)

This free Chicago transit app provides real-time departure information with customizable widgets and smart delay calculations. It offers tailored alerts, Siri integration, and accessibility features for low-vision users and multiple languages.

**Highlights:** Customizable departure widgets, SmartWalk delay calculation, Siri support, Low-vision accessibility, Multiple language support, Tailored push notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Watch app, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🔥 Reliable and intuitive app
- 🖼️ Gorgeous and customizable UI
- 🔍 Detailed CTA information and train arrival times
- 🔌 Convenient widget feature with nearby station and arrival updates
- 🗺️ Helpful map view

**What reviewers complain about**

- ⚠️ Widget sometimes doesn't update automatically
- 🔍 Widget doesn't open directly to the displayed station


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Chicago CTA Bus Tracker free?

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is EL Tracker free?

EL Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker or EL Tracker?

EL Tracker is rated higher. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker averages 4.2 out of 5 from 184 ratings, while EL Tracker averages 4.9 from 83 ratings.

### Do Chicago CTA Bus Tracker or EL Tracker have ads?

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker shows ads; EL Tracker does not.

### Which is updated more often, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker or EL Tracker?

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker ships an update every 37 months, and EL Tracker every 2 weeks. Most recently, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker was updated on September 4, 2026 and EL Tracker on September 8, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*