Comparison

MapAble vs BusMate

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

Head to head
About

MapAble

Easily digitize and map bus routes, capturing stop locations, distances, and passing times. Export your route data in GPX format for use in other applications. Works offline for convenient mapping.

Highlights
  • Digitize bus routes and stops
  • Capture distance and passing times
  • Export GPX route data
  • Pause/resume route mapping
  • Automatic bus stop naming
  • Works offline
Features
Read full description

Route Mapper makes capturing bus routes easy! Use Route Mapper to: • Digitise your bus routes and bus stops • Validate bus routes on a map • Capture distance and passing times between bus stops • Export GPX route data to any supported application MAP BUS ROUTES • Turn your phone into a GPS tracker and map your bus routes • Route paths snap to roads where available • Optimised waypoint mapping that adapts to the vehicle speed • Pause / Resume route mapping • Capture regular services with 3 types of directions (Inbound, Outbound, Loop) • Capture school services with AM or PM service times • Select 3 different mapping resolution settings to collect more or less waypoints CAPTURE BUS STOP LOCATIONS • Capture bus stop locations in longitude/latitude • Capture passing times at each stop • Automatic bus stop naming using reverse geocoding • Add notes to bus stop locations EASY TO USE • Click Start, add stops, click finish. It's as easy as 1-2-3 • No messy user registration process. Just install and start mapping! DETAILED MAPS • Review mapped routes and stops with detailed maps • Detailed satellite imagery in most metropolitan areas and regional cities • 3D fly-over • Map zoom and pan SHARE & EXPORT • Share routes via email, airdrop plus more. • Routes files exported in GPS Exchange Format (GPX) • Import your GPX routes files to any supported tool such as Google earth, ArcGIS • Sync mapped routes across your apple devices via iCloud • Automatically uploads routes to a linked Busable™ web account for scheduling and publishing of customer bus service timetables WORKS OFFLINE • No internet access required (except for uploading to iCloud or to the Route Mapper web application) • View existing captured routes offline ==== DISCLAIMERS ==== • For safety reasons, do not use your phone whilst driving. Always obey all traffic laws. Refer to your local road authority for more information • Continued use of gps in the background may dramatically reduce your battery life

About

BusMate

Read full description

Never miss a student. Never leave a child behind. Every morning, school bus drivers across Australia pull out a folder at every stop, scribble down the time, tuck it away, and drive on. It works - until it doesn't. A missed entry. A smudged page. A folder left behind. BusMate replaces that folder. It's the attendance tracking app built exclusively for school bus drivers - a fast, purpose-built tool that keeps every child accounted for, from the first pick-up to the final safety check. Designed for Australian bus drivers. Works offline. Free forever. WHY BUS DRIVERS CHOOSE BUSMATE Paper rolls get lost. Handwriting fades. BusMate gives you a reliable, timestamped record of every student, every session, every day - so when it matters most, you have the answers. BUILT FOR YOUR DAILY ROUTINE No more pulling out a folder at every stop. At each pick-up or drop-off, BusMate is ready: - Start a Pick-Up or Drop-Off session in one tap - Mark each student Present or Absent with large, easy-to-tap buttons - even with gloves on - Timestamps are captured automatically - no writing required - Auto-advance to the next student with haptic feedback - Swipe back to correct any record on the spot - Complete a timestamped Final Safety Check before leaving the vehicle No complicated setup. No learning curve. Open the app, start your run. NEVER MISS A THING WITH PASSENGER NOTES Students with special instructions? Add a time-bounded Passenger Note - "collect from side gate this week" or "early finish Friday." Notes surface automatically during your session while active, then disappear when no longer needed. No sticky notes. No trying to remember. PROFESSIONAL REPORTS IN SECONDS At the end of the week, that folder becomes a one-tap Excel report. Every report includes: - AM and PM attendance records - Journey start times - Final safety check timestamps - Student emergency contact details - Active passenger notes Send it directly to your school administrator via email, AirDrop, or any app on your phone. No formatting. No rewriting. No extra work. COMPLETE STUDENT PROFILES Everything you need for every student, in one place: - Name and year/grade - Home address - Primary and secondary emergency contacts with relationship tags (Mother / Father / Other) When something happens on the road, you have the right contact details right there - no scrambling through a folder, no delays. YOUR DATA STAYS ON YOUR DEVICE. ALWAYS. BusMate is offline-first and privacy-first. - No internet required - ever - No cloud accounts or logins - No data sent to external servers - Driver credentials secured by iOS Keychain - Attendance records encrypted via iOS Core Data - No analytics, no tracking, no ads Your students' data belongs to you. It never leaves your iPhone or iPad. DESIGNED FOR REAL-WORLD CONDITIONS Built for the cab of a school bus, not a desk: - Large, high-contrast buttons - readable in direct sunlight - Accessible green and orange colour coding - Big, clear fonts for fast scanning at a glance - Haptic feedback so you know each tap registered - Fast enough to use at every stop without holding up the run PERFECT FOR - School bus drivers managing daily routes - Transport coordinators overseeing multiple runs - Operators needing compliance records for transport authorities - Any driver responsible for student welfare on the road FREE. NO CATCH. BusMate is completely free to download and use. No subscription. No in-app purchases. No premium tier. Just a tool that does its job, every single day. Put down the folder. Download BusMate and put every student's safety on record - starting today.

Screenshots

MapAble4 screens
BusMate4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BusMate at every 5 weeks against MapAble's every 3 months. MapAble's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.5 vs 16.6). On price, 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MapAble ships an update every 3 months, BusMate every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 30, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 5 level
MapAble versus BusMate: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMapAbleBusMate
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.5 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCORTEXUS PTY LIMITEDNoel Benson Swarna

In-app purchases

None

MapAble

No in-app purchases

None

BusMate

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MapAble free?
MapAble is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BusMate free?
BusMate is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MapAble or BusMate have ads?
Neither MapAble nor BusMate shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MapAble or BusMate?
MapAble ships an update every 3 months, and BusMate every 5 weeks. Most recently, MapAble was updated on September 30, 2026 and BusMate on October 3, 2026.

Other comparisons