Caltrain+ vs San Mateo County Parks
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
San Mateo County Parks
Explore local parks with self-guided tours, interactive content, and offline access. Discover nature and history at your own pace with GPS-triggered stops, quizzes, and games. Available in English and Spanish with accessibility support.
- Self-guided mobile tours
- GPS-triggered interactive content
- Offline tour access
- Discover nearby locations
- Bilingual content (English/Spanish)
- Accessibility support
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Welcome to the official San Mateo County Parks app, your guide to enhancing your next visit to one of your 24 local parks. Get on-the-go access to the essentials, easy-to-use navigation, and exclusive access to self-guided tours on your mobile device. Connect with history and discover nature at local parks across the County. - Mobile guided tours: Explore at your own pace with interactive self-guided experiences. GPS-triggered stops feature photos, videos, quizzes, and games. Explore on foot, by car, on a bicycle, or hike a trail. Go behind the scenes and learn about the untold stories of your favorite locations. - Discover new places in your own backyard: use the "near me" feature to get a list of locations listed from closest to furthest from your current position. - Accessibility: Enjoy in-app accessibility support for screen readers, and content in Spanish and English. - Available offline: Download the app in advance and use it when you're offline. Download guided tours and use them from anywhere, including locations with no cell service. By using GPS features, you can see your location on maps, get customized lists, and use GPS-triggered self-guided tours. Continued use of GPS in the background can significantly decrease battery life
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Caltrain+ at 86% against San Mateo County Parks's 0%. Caltrain+ also leads on rating (4.8 vs 3.0) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 6 months). San Mateo County Parks's advantage is 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.
Caltrain+ holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caltrain+ has 2.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 86% of Caltrain+'s written reviews are positive against 0% of San Mateo County Parks's.
Caltrain+ ships an update every 3 weeks, San Mateo County Parks every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Caltrain+ | San Mateo County Parks |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.4K ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews — better | 0.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2.4K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 136 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Sahoo | San Mateo County |
Customer experience
Caltrain+
San Mateo County Parks
Bugs and 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
San Mateo County Parks
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Caltrain+
No in-app purchases
San Mateo County Parks
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Caltrain+ free?
Is San Mateo County Parks free?
Which has better reviews, Caltrain+ or San Mateo County Parks?
Do Caltrain+ or San Mateo County Parks have ads?
Which is updated more often, Caltrain+ or San Mateo County Parks?
Other comparisons
