Comparison

Busly vs Commuter Widgets

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

Commuter Widgets

Get real-time transit departure information at a glance for buses, trams, and metros. Organize your favorite stops into custom groups and access information via Home Screen widgets or Siri. Supports multiple transit agencies worldwide.

Highlights
  • Real-time departures for favorite stops
  • Customizable stop groups
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Siri and Shortcuts integration
  • Support for multiple transit agencies
  • Clean and fast interface
Features
Read full description

Commuter gives you real-time transit departures at a glance. Whether you're catching the bus, tram, or metro, Commuter shows you exactly when the next ride is leaving — no digging through complicated apps. SUPPORTED CITIES • San Francisco (MUNI) • Milan (ATM) • Rome (ATAC) • New York (MTA) • Stockholm (SL) • And more Commuter is an independent app and is not an official app of any public transport agency. KEY FEATURES • Real-time departures for your favorite stops • Organize stops into custom groups • Home Screen widgets — standard and Lock Screen • Siri and Shortcuts support for hands-free departure checks • Works across multiple transit agencies worldwide • Clean, fast, and distraction-free WIDGETS Add a widget to your Home Screen or Lock Screen to see departures without even opening the app. Customize which stops and routes appear so you always have the info you need. SIRI & SHORTCUTS Ask Siri for your next departures, or build Shortcuts for specific saved departures and groups. FAVORITES & GROUPS Save your most-used stops and organize them into groups like "Morning commute" or "Weekend". Switch between groups instantly. Built with love for daily commuters who just want to know: when's the next one? Terms of Use (EULA): https://commuter.kopiro.me/terms.html

Screenshots

Busly4 screens
Commuter Widgets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Busly at free against Commuter Widgets's freemium. Busly also leads on ratings volume (558 vs 3) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). Commuter Widgets's advantage is review sentiment (67% vs 43%). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 and Commuter Widgets sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $19.99 per year. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Busly holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busly has 558 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 43% of Busly's written reviews are positive against 67% of Commuter Widgets's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busly ships an update fortnightly, Commuter Widgets every 2 weeks. Both last shipped on October 26, 2026.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Busly versus Commuter Widgets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuslyCommuter Widgets
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (558 ratings) — better4.3 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings558 — better3
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB114 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex PerezFabrizio Demaria

Customer experience

Busly

All ratings553 ratings
Positive87.7%
Neutral3.3%
Negative9.0%
Written reviews35 reviews
Positive42.9%
Neutral2.9%
Negative54.3%

Commuter Widgets

All ratings3 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral33.3%
Negative0.0%

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

Commuter Widgets

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
2 purchases

Commuter Widgets

Subscriptions1
  • Commuter Pro - Yearly$19.991 Year
One-time1
  • Pro$9.99

Questions

Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Commuter Widgets free?
Commuter Widgets is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Busly or Commuter Widgets?
Busly is rated higher. Busly averages 4.5 out of 5 from 558 ratings, while Commuter Widgets averages 4.3 from 3 ratings.
Do Busly or Commuter Widgets have ads?
Neither Busly nor Commuter Widgets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Busly or Commuter Widgets?
Busly ships an update fortnightly, and Commuter Widgets every 2 weeks. Most recently, Busly was updated on October 26, 2026 and Commuter Widgets on October 26, 2026.

Other comparisons