Caltrain+ vs Ferry SF
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.
Ferry SF
Track ferries live on a map and access full schedules offline. Get service alerts and ferry news. An optional subscription removes ads and unlocks unlimited map access.
- Live ferry tracking map
- Real-time schedules
- Offline schedule access
- Service alerts and news
- Fleet information
- Optional ad-free subscription
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Ferry SF is a free, fan-made companion for Golden Gate Ferry riders. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Golden Gate Ferry. For tickets and official fares, use Clipper or goldengate.org. This app is a schedule and tracking reference, not a ticket store. BUILT FOR A QUICK LOOK Open the app, skip the intro, and see today's sailings for the terminal you are near. Past times fade, and the list jumps to the next departure so you can decide whether to walk over or wait. No account required. SCHEDULES Weekday, weekend, and holiday departures for San Francisco, Larkspur, Sausalito, Tiburon, Angel Island, and Oracle Park on Giants game days. See gates, delays, and Live or Predicted vessel cues when we have them. A week of schedule data is cached on your device so times still show on the platform, in a tunnel, or anywhere signal is poor. LIVE MAP Watch the fleet using public AIS positions. Ship icons use real photos of the vessels. Swipe between boats for specs and status, follow a crossing while you ride, and use satellite layers when you want a clearer view of the bay. When live coverage is thin, predicted positions keep an estimate of where a boat should be. Free users get a short map preview each session. FerrySF Pro keeps the map unlocked. ALERTS AND NEWS Service alerts from Golden Gate Ferry rider notices, with a badge for what is new to you. Acknowledge alerts you have already seen so they stay out of the way. Plus a feed of recent district news. FLEET Browse vessels currently operating and the roster with specs, and see which boat is running a trip when that information is available. PRIVACY Location stays on your device for nearest terminal and map centering. We do not sell or farm user data. FERRYSF PRO (OPTIONAL AUTO-RENEWABLE SUBSCRIPTION) A small banner on the Schedule tab supports the free app. FerrySF Pro removes that ad and unlocks unlimited live map access. Monthly and yearly plans (see in-app pricing; for example $1.99/month or $9.99/year in the U.S.). Payment is charged to your Apple ID account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription automatically renews unless it is canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Your account is charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in Settings -> Apple ID -> Subscriptions. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://ferry-sf.fly.dev/privacy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Caltrain+ at none against Ferry SF's 2. Caltrain+ also leads on ads (none vs shown) and ratings volume (2.3K vs 2). Ferry SF's advantage is update cadence (every 6 days vs every 3 weeks) and rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Ferry SF sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Caltrain+ asks for nothing beyond the download.
Ferry SF holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Caltrain+ has 2.3K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.
Caltrain+ ships an update every 3 weeks, Ferry SF every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Caltrain+ | Ferry SF |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (2.3K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 85.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 2.3K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 16 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Jonathan Sahoo | JEFFREY CHARLES MILLER |
Customer experience
Caltrain+
Ferry SF
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
Ferry SF
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Caltrain+
No in-app purchases
Ferry SF
- FerrySF Pro$1.991 Month
- FerrySF Pro$9.991 Year









