# BART (Official) vs Caltrain+

BART (Official) and Caltrain+ both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 84% of Caltrain+'s written reviews are positive against 30% of BART (Official)'s. Caltrain+ also leads on update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). BART (Official)'s advantage is ratings volume (26K vs 2K). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Caltrain+ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of BART (Official)'s written reviews are positive against 84% of Caltrain+'s.

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, Caltrain+ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BART (Official) | Caltrain+ |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews) | **[4.8 (2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caltrain-plus/id1570049004/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **26K** | 2K |
| Positive reviews | 29.7% of reviews | **84.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 3 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 81 MB | 16 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **16.0** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) | [Jonathan Sahoo](https://appshunter.io/developer/970144714) |

## What reviewers say

### BART (Official)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871)

Plan your Bay Area transit journeys with real-time train departures and official service alerts. This app offers end-to-end trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and customized notifications for a hassle-free commute.

**Highlights:** Real-time train departures, End-to-end trip planner, Step-by-step navigation, Customized service alerts, Contactless parking payment, Service disruption information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient in-app parking payment
- 👍 Accurate real-time train information
- 🚀 Easy to use app
- 👍 Helpful for planning trips

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable real-time information
- 🔍 Confusing parking payment process
- 🔍 Lack of key features like checking Clipper card balance
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Not intuitive for first-time users

**Reported bugs**

- Real-time departure times not updating accurately
- Trip planning providing incorrect/nonsensical routes
- Login and password issues causing frequent logouts
- Parking payment not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to check Clipper card balance
- Automatic license plate recognition for parking
- Offline mode for schedules and trip planning
- Better notifications for service advisories and delays
- More customization options for favorite stations


### Caltrain+

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/caltrain-plus/id1570049004)

Plan your Caltrain trips with ease. Get real-time schedules, find the fastest routes, and view service alerts. Perfect for commuters and occasional riders needing to navigate the Caltrain system efficiently.

**Highlights:** Trip planning by departure and arrival station, View full timetables, Access service alerts, System map integration, Filter by 'arrive by' time, View scheduled stops for each train

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easily accessible
- 👍 User friendly
- 👍 Great UI
- 👍 Helpful
- 👍 Useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Inaccurate train times
- 🐛 Inconvenient, unable to process payments

**Reported bugs**

- App doesn't open
- Unable to process payments

**Requested features**

- Expand service to Gilroy
- Post more info on the app like ticketing and upcoming changes
- Add dark mode


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BART (Official) free?

BART (Official) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Caltrain+ free?

Caltrain+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or Caltrain+?

Caltrain+ is rated higher. BART (Official) averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while Caltrain+ averages 4.8 from 2K ratings.

### Do BART (Official) or Caltrain+ have ads?

Neither BART (Official) nor Caltrain+ shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or Caltrain+?

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, and Caltrain+ every 3 weeks. Most recently, BART (Official) was updated on September 24, 2026 and Caltrain+ on September 22, 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.*