SurfCAST by otto vs CATS
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SurfCAST by otto
Easily pay for beach parking directly from your phone. Select your zone, set your duration, and pay securely. Receive timely notifications before your parking time expires, allowing you to fully enjoy your day.
- Select parking zone
- Enter parking duration
- Pay for parking
- Real-time parking time notifications
- Register multiple vehicles
- Secure payment processing
- Pay parking violations
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Headed to the beach? SurfCAST makes paid parking easy. Select the parking zone, enter your duration, and pay, all from the convenience of your phone! When your time is almost up, our app will notify you. All you have to do is enjoy your day at the beach! Features: - Find local community information - Real-time notifications and communication - Monitor how much time is remaining on active parking passes - Ability to register up to two vehicles per account - Secure payment method with the option to save for future use - Quick and easy violation payment - and much, much more!
CATS
This app provides a convenient mobile ticketing solution for public transit. Users can instantly purchase and use tickets directly from their smartphone, plan trips with step-by-step directions, and manage their transit passes. It offers multiple payment options and integration with other transit-related services.
- Instant mobile ticket purchase
- Trip planning with directions
- Debit/credit card and mobile payment options
- Save favorite routes and passes
- Connect to other CATS apps
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It’s the way to pay! CATS-Pass is the official mobile ticketing app for the Charlotte Area Transit System. CATS-Pass offers a convenient way for you to purchase and use tickets instantly on your smartphone – anywhere, anytime. CATS-Pass also gives you access to trip planning tools. Download the app, buy your transit pass and plan your trip, right from your phone. Features include: • Purchase passes instantly via debit/credit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay • Step-by-step travel directions • Cash Wallet feature • Personalize the app by saving your favorite routes and pass types • Connect to other CATS Apps including: ◦ CATS See/Say ◦ CATS Art In Transit ◦ TrackCATS
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: CATS at 55% against SurfCAST by otto's 6%. CATS also leads on rating (4.8 vs 1.4) and ratings volume (16K vs 98). SurfCAST by otto's advantage is update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and device support (3 vs 1). 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.
CATS holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CATS has 16K ratings behind it against 98, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 6% of SurfCAST by otto's written reviews are positive against 55% of CATS's.
SurfCAST by otto ships an update monthly, CATS every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on July 3, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SurfCAST by otto | CATS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.4 (98 ratings) | 4.8 (16K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 6.1% of reviews | 54.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 98 | 16K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 31 MB | 122 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Otto Connect, Inc. | City of Charlotte |
Customer experience
SurfCAST by otto
CATS
Bugs and requests
SurfCAST by otto
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
CATS
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to create new user accounts
- Keyboard issues during sign-up process
- Discrepancies between app and physical bus stop times
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to delete payment methods
- Improved bus and train schedule information
- Notifications for bus arrival times
- Discounted passes for seniors and disabled riders
In-app purchases
SurfCAST by otto
No in-app purchases
CATS
No in-app purchases
