Comparison

U vs M

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

U

Navigate University of Michigan campus buses with real-time tracking and trip planning. Get live arrival times, route information, and rider alerts to make your commute easier.

Highlights
  • Live bus tracking
  • Real-time arrival information
  • Trip planning
  • Route finder
  • Rider alerts and detours
  • Favorite bus stop saving
Features
Read full description

U-M Magic Bus, your guide to campus bus travel at the University of Michigan. Plan a trip, find a bus route, track your bus, and get real-time bus arrival information on your mobile device. The application uses data provided by University of Michigan – Transportation Services and its bus tracking system over your device's WiFi or cellular network connection. Magic Bus riders have real-time bus information at their fingertips for the first time. Enter your starting location and destination to access fast trip planning. Save your favorite bus stop on the app for quick bus arrival information. Receive rider alerts and detours on your device, before you head out the door. Click on the University of Michigan system map, select a route, and see where your bus is in real time. Traveling by bus has never been this easy!

About

M

See the real-time location of University of Michigan buses and their estimated arrival times. Get directions to nearby stops, customize displayed routes, and save your favorite stops for quick access.

Highlights
  • Live bus tracking
  • Bus arrival times
  • Map view with bus stops
  • Directions to bus stops
  • Favorite bus stops
  • Route customization
Features
Read full description

Track University of Michigan buses live and view bus arrival times quickly and easily using the M-Bus app. - Live tracking of University of Michigan buses - View your location on the map in relation to buses and bus stops - Get directions to bus stops near you - Quickly view incoming buses at your bus stop - Save frequently used bus stops to the favorites section to quickly view stop times - Pick and choose which bus routes you would like for to be displayed - Built natively for mobile featuring responsive and smooth elements The M-Bus app was developed by a student at the University of Michigan (me!) and is not an official University of Michigan app.

Screenshots

U4 screens
M4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: M at 84% against U's 0%. M also leads on rating (4.6 vs 1.2) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). U's advantage is iOS requirement (10.0 vs 13.0). On price, ratings volume, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

M holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 280 and 246 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of U's written reviews are positive against 84% of M's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

U ships an update every 4 months, M every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
U versus M: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterUM
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.2 (280 ratings)4.6 (246 ratings) — better
Positive reviews0.0% of reviews84.2% of reviews — better
Number of ratings280 — better246
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS10.0 — better13.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB34 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperThe University of MichiganEfe Akinci

Customer experience

U

All ratings279 ratings
Positive3.6%
Neutral0.4%
Negative96.1%
Written reviews73 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

M

All ratings242 ratings
Positive90.9%
Neutral1.7%
Negative7.4%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive84.2%
Neutral2.6%
Negative13.2%

Bugs and requests

U

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

M

Reported bugs

6 issues
  • App not working, showing 'check internet connection'
  • Buses not appearing in the app when they are present
  • Inaccurate bus arrival times
  • Lack of direction arrows on routes
  • Incorrect time predictions
Show 1 more
  • Janky commuter south route

Requested features

1 request
  • Have “favourite” bus stops shown in a different colour on the main map

In-app purchases

None

U

No in-app purchases

None

M

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is U free?
U is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is M free?
M is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, U or M?
M is rated higher. U averages 1.2 out of 5 from 280 ratings, while M averages 4.6 from 246 ratings.
Do U or M have ads?
Neither U nor M shows ads.
Which is updated more often, U or M?
U ships an update every 4 months, and M every 6 weeks. Most recently, U was updated on October 21, 2026 and M on October 24, 2026.

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