Comparison

Discover Madison vs SAM Transit

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

Head to head
About

Discover Madison

Explore local businesses and attractions with this app. Businesses can manage their listings, update information, and send push notifications to users. Ideal for residents and visitors seeking local information.

Highlights
  • Explore local offerings
  • Manage business listings
  • Update business information
  • List photos and menus
  • Submit push notifications
Features
Read full description

The Discover Madison app is designed to be used by local residents and visitors to explore our many offerings. Local businesses will have the opportunity to edit their business listing, update hours, list photo, menus, types of services, link to your website and may submit push notifications to app users.

About

SAM Transit

Plan and navigate your trips within the Sioux Falls Area using public transit and on-demand rideshare. Get real-time arrival information and track your vehicle for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Trip planning with transit options
  • On-demand rideshare booking
  • Live bus arrival times
  • Real-time vehicle tracking
  • Wheelchair accessible vehicle option
Features
Read full description

SAM Transit is your go-to app for getting around the Sioux Falls Area. Simply tell the app where you want to go and we’ll share the best trip options to get there. You can navigate your city with bus, on demand rideshare or a combination of travel options. HOW IT WORKS: - Easily plan travel with Sioux Area Metro services. - Enter your pickup and dropoff locations and we’ll tell you the best journey available at that time. - Book SAM On Demand rides directly in the app for you and any additional passengers. - Never miss your ride with live arrival times for your bus and vehicle tracking for your SAM On Demand journey. - If you’re riding on demand, there may be others on board, or you may make a few additional stops along the way! RELIABLE: Track your ride as the driver is on their way to you, and while you’re on the vehicle too. OUR VEHICLES: SAM Transit is wheelchair accessible! If you require a wheelchair, simply toggle on “Wheelchair accessibility” in the “Account” tab of your app! When you request a ride, you’ll be matched with a wheelchair accessible vehicle. Questions? Reach out at +1(605) 367-7151. Loving your experience so far? Give us a 5-star rating.

Screenshots

Discover Madison2 screens
SAM Transit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is monetization model: Discover Madison at free against SAM Transit's free with in-app purchases. Discover Madison also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.8). SAM Transit's advantage is ratings volume (260 vs 1) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Discover Madison holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SAM Transit has 260 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Discover Madison ships an update every 2 months, SAM Transit every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Discover Madison versus SAM Transit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDiscover MadisonSAM Transit
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better4.8 (260 ratings)
Positive reviews—37.5% of reviews
Number of ratings1260 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.015.0
Further details — not scored
Size69 MB129 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperArmstrong SoftwareVia Transportation, Inc.

Customer experience

Discover Madison

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

SAM Transit

All ratings261 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.1%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive37.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative62.5%

In-app purchases

None

Discover Madison

No in-app purchases

None

SAM Transit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Discover Madison free?
Discover Madison is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SAM Transit free?
SAM Transit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Discover Madison or SAM Transit?
Discover Madison is rated higher. Discover Madison averages 5.0 out of 5 from 1 ratings, while SAM Transit averages 4.8 from 260 ratings.
Do Discover Madison or SAM Transit have ads?
Neither Discover Madison nor SAM Transit shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Discover Madison or SAM Transit?
Discover Madison ships an update every 2 months, and SAM Transit every 3 weeks. Most recently, Discover Madison was updated on October 29, 2026 and SAM Transit on October 30, 2026.

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