Comparison

Busly vs MetroPal

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

MetroPal

Get live transit departure times directly on your phone's lock screen. Customize which stations and directions are displayed for a personalized commute experience. Departure times update in real-time, ensuring accuracy.

Highlights
  • Live lock screen departures
  • Multiple widget styles
  • Station and direction customization
  • Real-time departure updates
  • Unlimited station widgets (Pro)
  • Line filter customization (Pro)
Features
Read full description

MetroPal puts live BART departures right on your lock screen — no more unlocking your phone and opening an app just to see when your train is coming. LIVE ON YOUR LOCK SCREEN See real-time departure countdowns without ever unlocking your phone. Choose from three widget styles — a compact circular glance, an inline countdown, or a full list of upcoming trains — all built for the lock screen. BUILT FOR YOUR COMMUTE Pick your station, choose which directions you actually ride, and hide the lines you never take. MetroPal shows you exactly what matters for your trip — nothing else. LIVE DEPARTURE ESTIMATES See live departure estimates for your station right on your lock screen, so you can check what’s coming without opening the app. • Unlimited station widgets — save one for every station you use • Multiple favorites — pin all your go-to stations in the Trains tab • Line filter customization on every widget MetroPal is not affiliated with or endorsed by BART. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Busly4 screens
MetroPal4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MetroPal at 100% against Busly's 43%. MetroPal also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and update cadence (weekly vs fortnightly). Busly's advantage is monetization model (free vs freemium) and ratings volume (558 vs 2). 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 MetroPal sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MetroPal holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Busly has 558 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 43% of Busly's written reviews are positive against 100% of MetroPal's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Busly ships an update fortnightly, MetroPal weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Busly versus MetroPal: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBuslyMetroPal
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (558 ratings)5.0 (2 ratings) — better
Positive reviews42.9% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings558 — better2
Update frequencyFortnightlyWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.4
Further details — not scored
Size29 MB12 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAlex PerezANGELIQUE IMANI,SARA PHILLIPS

Customer experience

Busly

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

MetroPal

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
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

MetroPal

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

MetroPal

Subscriptions2
  • MetroPal Pro7 Days trial$0.991 Month
  • MetroPal Pro Yearly7 Days trial$7.991 Year

Questions

Is Busly free?
Busly is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MetroPal free?
MetroPal is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Busly or MetroPal?
MetroPal is rated higher. Busly averages 4.5 out of 5 from 558 ratings, while MetroPal averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.
Do Busly or MetroPal have ads?
Neither Busly nor MetroPal shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Busly or MetroPal?
Busly ships an update fortnightly, and MetroPal weekly. Most recently, Busly was updated on October 26, 2026 and MetroPal on October 24, 2026.

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