Comparison

Busly vs NoTow SF

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

NoTow SF

Read full description

We would have warned you before that $600+ tow NoTow SF gives San Francisco drivers a 48–72 hour head start by monitoring Abandoned Vehicle reports from SF 311 data. The moment a neighbor files a report near your parked car, you get a notification days before a tow truck is ever authorized. The city's current system alerts you once they've called the tow truck, IF you signed up for the Text Before Tow program. NoTow watches the step that comes before. HOW IT WORKS • Park and tap "Protect This Spot" • Every morning, our system checks your saved location against SF's latest 311 data • If a complaint lands within 200 feet of your car, you get an alert WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT • 311 monitoring: earlier warnings, every time • No account required: no email, no password, just open and go • Official city data only: the same 311 reports SFMTA acts on SF-ONLY FOR NOW NoTow is built exclusively for San Francisco. Free for 30 days. Then $49.99/year or $4.99/month. Cancel anytime. For more information, please review our Privacy Policy at https://notow.app/privacy.html and our Terms of Use (EULA) at https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Busly4 screens
NoTow SF3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Busly at fortnightly against NoTow SF's every 3 months. Busly also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 26.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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 NoTow SF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busly ships an update fortnightly, NoTow SF every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Busly versus NoTow SF: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuslyNoTow SF
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (558 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews—
Number of ratings558 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 3 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better26.5
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB1 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex PerezJoshua Nwankwo

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

NoTow SF

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

NoTow SF

Subscriptions2
  • NoTow SF Monthly$4.991 Month
  • NoTow SF Yearly$49.991 Year

Questions

Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is NoTow SF free?
NoTow SF is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Busly or NoTow SF have ads?
Neither Busly nor NoTow SF shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Busly or NoTow SF?
Busly ships an update fortnightly, and NoTow SF every 3 months. Most recently, Busly was updated on October 26, 2026 and NoTow SF on October 1, 2026.

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