# BART (Official) vs Carmel Guide

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: BART (Official) at none against Carmel Guide's 1. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (26K vs 2). Carmel Guide's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On price, ads, monetization model and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Carmel Guide sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. BART (Official) asks for nothing beyond the download.

Carmel Guide holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, Carmel Guide weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BART (Official) | Carmel Guide |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews) | **[5.0 (2 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmel-guide/id6762157620/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **26K** | 2 |
| Positive reviews | 29.7% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 81 MB | 49 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.1** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) | [Splitsnap](https://appshunter.io/developer/1885260747) |

## 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


### Carmel Guide

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmel-guide/id6762157620)

Discover local businesses, dog-friendly spots, and outdoor dining in Carmel and Monterey County. Includes helpful tools like a parking meter timer, tip calculator, and menu translator for visitors.

**Highlights:** Curated local business listings, Dog-friendly venue finder, Outdoor dining recommendations, Parking meter timer with alerts, Tip calculator and currency converter, Menu translator, Real-time weather updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Lifetime Access | $4.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BART (Official) free?

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

### Is Carmel Guide free?

Carmel Guide is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or Carmel Guide?

Carmel Guide is rated higher. BART (Official) averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while Carmel Guide averages 5.0 from 2 ratings.

### Do BART (Official) or Carmel Guide have ads?

Neither BART (Official) nor Carmel Guide shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or Carmel Guide?

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, and Carmel Guide weekly. Most recently, BART (Official) was updated on September 29, 2026 and Carmel Guide on September 18, 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.*