Comparison

Busly vs SFBayBART

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

Head to head
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.

About

SFBayBART

Features
Read full description

SFBayBART uses the official BART API, which ensures accurate data, but is not endorsed or certified by BART. SFBayBART includes: (1) - A map of the BART system (2) - An interactive map showing the BART Stations (3) - A tabular list of all BART stations (4) - A list of all routes served by BART (5) - A trip planner Clicking on a BART station on either the interactive map or the tabular view, will show all departure times of the selected station, in either the northbound or southbound direction, in real-time. Clicking on a route, will show a list of all stations served by the selected route. The trip planner will provide a trip list, based on either the intended departure date/time or the intended arrival date/time. A wireless connection is required to use most features, as most data is updated in real-time. The BART station list, however once retrieved is available for offline use, this includes the interactive map and tabular station list. However, the ability to obtain departure times is not available as this data is obtained real-time from the BART server. Note: When BART is not in service at the selected station, you will receive a message indicating no departure time data is available.

Screenshots

Busly4 screens
SFBayBART4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: SFBayBART at none against Busly's 2. Busly's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 21 months). On price, ads, device support and iOS requirement 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. SFBayBART asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busly ships an update fortnightly, SFBayBART every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Busly versus SFBayBART: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuslySFBayBART
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (566 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings566 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 21 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.014.5 — better
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex PerezZandy Corp.

Bugs and 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

SFBayBART

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Busly

Subscriptions2
  • Busly Pro Monthly$2.991 Month
  • Busly Pro Annual$9.991 Year
None

SFBayBART

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SFBayBART free?
SFBayBART is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Busly or SFBayBART have ads?
Neither Busly nor SFBayBART shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Busly or SFBayBART?
Busly ships an update fortnightly, and SFBayBART every 21 months. Most recently, Busly was updated on November 6, 2026 and SFBayBART on November 3, 2026.

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