Pantograph vs Philly Trolleys
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Pantograph
Visualize your entire transit network on a single map, seeing all active buses, trains, ferries, and streetcars. Get real-time departure estimates, vehicle statistics, and passenger load information for supported agencies. Track missed trips and customize your view to gain deep insights into system performance.
- Real-time transit vehicle map
- Departure estimates
- Vehicle statistics and load
- Route and stop schedules
- Missed trip reports
- Customizable vehicle icons
- Pro filtering system
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Pantograph gives you insights into your travels—and the whole transit system—like no app before it. Every active bus, train, ferry, and streetcar from over 130 supported agencies is visible on one map, empowering you with information only before seen by dispatchers. Plus, when you know your stop, see realtime departure estimates for every route arriving. Pantograph is named after the part of an electric train that connects it to the overhead electrical wire—just likes it connects you vital information about the transit network. Key features: • Identify at a glance areas where vehicles across all routes are getting delayed. • View statistics for all vehicles on the map, including how many are on-time, currently serving each route, and more. • View current vehicle passenger load and capacity (supported agencies only). • See route and stop schedules with realtime updates based on current conditions, and save favorite stops for later. • Customize what data is displayed on vehicle icons. • See an up-to-the-minute report on how many trips are being missed each day. • Add widgets showing the status of a selection of routes. • Learn exactly which bus, train, or ferry is serving each trip, as well as its model information—helping you get a more enjoyable ride. • View the full set of trips each vehicle will be serving today, as well as each trip's full stop schedule. • Browse the daily timetables for each route, plus use an advanced Block Timeline to see vehicle schedules. • Explore the assignment history for every route and vehicle, helping you learn what routes get certain kinds of buses, track down the bus you left your headphones on, follow new additions to the fleet, and more. With a Pantograph Pro subscription, you can also: • Explore the full database of assignment history and schedules. • See missed trips for the entire period available in Pantograph. • Get push notifications when select vehicles are assigned to a new block. Currently available for over 130 transit agencies: • Greater Puget Sound (King County Metro, Sound Transit, Community Transit, Pierce Transit, Intercity Transit, Everett Transit, Seattle Streetcar, Whatcom Transportation Authority, Skagit, Washington State Ferries, more) • Eastern Washington (Spokane, Pullman, more) • Vancouver, BC (TransLink) • Montréal, QC (STM, exo) • Portland, McMinnville, Eugene, and Corvallis, OR (TriMet, Yamhill County Transit, Cherriots, Lane Transit District, Corvallis Transit System, Benton Area Transit) • Los Angeles and Southern California (LA Metro, Foothill Transit, Orange County, San Diego MTS, Torrance, more) • The San Francisco Bay Area (SF Muni, AC Transit, SamTrans, VTA, Caltrain, Golden Gate Transit, Tri Delta Transit, Wheels, Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit, more) • Central CA (FAX, Merced, GET Bus, StanRTA, more) • Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD (WMATA, MTA Maryland, Arlington, Fairfax Connector, Virginia Railway Express, DASH, more) • Boston, MA (MBTA) • Providence, RI (RIPTA) • Philadelphia, PA (SEPTA) • Minneapolis, MN (Metro Transit, Met Council, Maple Grove, MVTA, more) • Denver and Boulder, CO (RTD, Via, Bustang) • Islands of O'ahu, Maui, and Kaua'i; Hawai'i • ...with more on the way! If you choose to purchase a Pantograph Pro subscription, payment will be charged to your Apple ID account at the confirmation of purchase. Subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. You can manage and cancel your subscriptions by going to your account settings on the App Store after purchase. Terms of Use: https://pantographapp.com/terms Privacy Policy: https://pantographapp.com/privacy
Philly Trolleys
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Philly Trolleys shows you where SEPTA's vintage PCC Trolleys are running on the G Line (Girard Avenue) right now, so you can plan a ride on a piece of Philadelphia transit history. The PCC cars share the route with buses and do not run every day. This app tracks the trolleys specifically, tells you which cars are out, where each one is heading, and how to reach the line from any SEPTA Metro or Regional Rail station. What you get: - Live trolley positions on the G Line, refreshed every minute - Directions to the nearest pickup point from any Metro or Regional Rail station, with live train and trolley times - Trolley alerts, your way: one notification a day when the first PCC car appears, or one for every car that starts running - Stop alerts: save your G Line stop and direction, and get a notification when a PCC car is a few stops away - Home screen and lock screen widgets showing how many PCC cars are out and which ones - Share the app with a friend straight from the footer - Service analytics: typical hours, busiest days, the car roster, and the record books - Works underground: the app remembers the last positions and analytics it saw and shows them, labeled with their time, until you are back online Pay once and keep it. No subscriptions, no ads, no accounts, no tracking. Philly Trolleys is an independent project made in Philadelphia. It is not affiliated with SEPTA. Vehicle positions and schedules come from SEPTA's public data feeds.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Pantograph at Free against Philly Trolleys's $4.99. Philly Trolleys's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 4) and chart position (#181 vs unranked). On ads, device support and iOS requirement 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
Pantograph is free to download; Philly Trolleys costs $4.99 up front. Pantograph sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Philly Trolleys asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | Pantograph | Philly Trolleys |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $4.99 |
| Rating | 4.4 (81 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 53.8% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 81 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Freemium | — |
| Best chart rank | — | #181 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 7 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Round Trip Productions, LLC | Cristofer Slotoroff |
In-app purchases
Pantograph
- Pantograph Pro (Monthly)7 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Pantograph Pro Monthly7 Days trial$3.991 Month
- Pantograph Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$14.991 Year
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- Pantograph Pro (Yearly)7 Days trial$29.991 Year
Philly Trolleys
No in-app purchases






