METRO Splash Pass vs Caltrain+
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
METRO Splash Pass
Pay for bus rides directly from your phone using a credit or debit card. Avoid the need for exact change or visiting ticket machines to purchase passes.
- Credit/debit card payment
- Mobile pass purchase
- No exact change needed
- Convenient ticketless travel
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- No more need to carry cash in exact change to ride the Hwy 17 Express - just pay with a credit or debit card - No need to go to a TVM or order a 31-day pass by mail - just purchase directly on your phone
Caltrain+
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.
- 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
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Caltrain+ is a Caltrain schedule and trip planning app that lets you quickly and easily figure out which train to take to get you from Station A to Station B. Additionally you can view full timetables, service alerts, and a system map all from within the app. To use Caltrain+, simply select the station you want to depart from, the station you want to arrive at, and the timetable (Weekday or Weekend), and Caltrain+ will show you a complete list of every matching train you could take along with its number, service type (i.e. Local, Limited, Express, or South County Connector), departure and arrival time, and trip duration. Optionally specify an “arrive by” time to filter the list of trains to only include those which will get you to your destination station before the specified time. You can also view the full list of scheduled stops for a particular train just by tapping on it. Transit data provided by 511.org. Icon made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Caltrain+ at 84% against METRO Splash Pass's 40%. Caltrain+ also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 9 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
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 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caltrain+ has 2K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 40% of METRO Splash Pass's written reviews are positive against 84% of Caltrain+'s.
METRO Splash Pass ships an update every 9 months, Caltrain+ every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on August 16, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | METRO Splash Pass | Caltrain+ |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (18 ratings) | 4.8 (2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews | 84.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 2K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District | Jonathan Sahoo |
Customer experience
METRO Splash Pass
Caltrain+
Bugs and requests
METRO Splash Pass
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Caltrain+
Reported bugs
2 issues- App doesn't open
- Unable to process payments
Requested features
3 requests- Expand service to Gilroy
- Post more info on the app like ticketing and upcoming changes
- Add dark mode
In-app purchases
METRO Splash Pass
No in-app purchases
Caltrain+
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is METRO Splash Pass free?
Is Caltrain+ free?
Which has better reviews, METRO Splash Pass or Caltrain+?
Do METRO Splash Pass or Caltrain+ have ads?
Which is updated more often, METRO Splash Pass or Caltrain+?
Other comparisons
