Comparison

Routesy vs SF Next Bus

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

Head to head
About

Routesy

Get real-time transit predictions for major California transit systems. Find the closest stops and make sure you arrive on time with live data. Bookmark your favorite stops for quick access.

Highlights
  • Real-time transit predictions
  • Supports SF Muni, BART, Caltrain, AC Transit, LA Metro
  • Find closest stops/stations
  • Bookmark favorite stops
  • Dark mode (Pro feature)
  • Ad-free experience (Pro feature)
Features
Read full description

Routesy will help you find your way around some of California's top transit systems -- San Francisco Muni, BART, Caltrain & AC Transit, Los Angeles Metro, and West Hollywood -- in real time! Simply choose the line you want to ride, and Routesy will show you the closest stop or station, along with real-time prediction data to make sure you make it on time. You can also bookmark your favorite stops to quickly get predictions immediately upon opening the app. * * * * * Routesy is free to use, but for additional features, you can subscribe to Routesy Pro, which removes advertisements, and adds a dark mode. Automatically renews once per year, cancel anytime If you purchase Routesy Pro, payment will be charged to your iTunes account, and your account will be charged for renewal within 24 hours prior to the end of the current period. Auto-renewal can be disabled by going to your settings in the iTunes Store after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when you purchase a subscription, where applicable. Privacy Policy: http://routesy.com/privacy.html Terms of Use: https://app.termly.io/document/terms-of-use-for-website/6b82436d-9903-4aff-a3e5-ac86686b0680

About

SF Next Bus

Get real-time arrival predictions for San Francisco buses and BART trains. Navigate using location services or manual map input. Save favorite stops and view system-wide notifications.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival predictions
  • Location-based stop identification
  • Map navigation integration
  • Bus and BART route viewing
  • Favorite stop saving
  • System-wide notifications
Features
Read full description

SF Next Bus shows real-time arrival predictions for Bay Area transit — Muni buses and Muni Metro in San Francisco, plus BART, Caltrain, and AC Transit. Find nearby stops on the map, tap one for the next arrivals, and save your regular stops as favorites. Service alerts keep you posted on delays and disruptions. Rebuilt from the ground up for the latest iOS, SF Next Bus now includes a companion Apple Watch app and watch-face complication. Data provided by 511 SF Bay (511.org), a service of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

Screenshots

Routesy4 screens
SF Next Bus4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Routesy at 4.7 against SF Next Bus's 2.1. Routesy also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 14) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). SF Next Bus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2). On price, ads, monetization model 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. Routesy sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. SF Next Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Routesy holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Routesy has 15K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Routesy's written reviews are positive against 40% of SF Next Bus's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Routesy ships an update fortnightly, SF Next Bus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Routesy versus SF Next Bus: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterRoutesySF Next Bus
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (15K ratings) — better2.1 (14 ratings)
Positive reviews51.1% of reviews — better40.0% of reviews
Number of ratings15K — better14
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 2 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFreemiumFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, Apple Watch
Requires iOS12.0 — better16.0
Further details — not scored
Size46 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperRoutesy, LLCJunebot, LLC

Customer experience

Routesy

All ratings14,629 ratings
Positive93.3%
Neutral3.0%
Negative3.7%
Written reviews188 reviews
Positive51.1%
Neutral4.8%
Negative44.1%

SF Next Bus

All ratings12 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

Bugs and requests

Routesy

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App freezing or crashing on some devices
  • Inconsistent data sync across multiple devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Live transit map with vehicle locations
  • Destination-based trip planning
  • Customizable alerts and notifications

SF Next Bus

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

2 purchases

Routesy

Subscriptions1
  • Routesy Pro$4.991 Year
One-time1
  • Routesy Pro (Prior Purchase)Free
None

SF Next Bus

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Routesy free?
Routesy is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is SF Next Bus free?
SF Next Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Routesy or SF Next Bus?
Routesy is rated higher. Routesy averages 4.7 out of 5 from 15K ratings, while SF Next Bus averages 2.1 from 14 ratings.
Do Routesy or SF Next Bus have ads?
Both Routesy and SF Next Bus show ads.
Which is updated more often, Routesy or SF Next Bus?
Routesy ships an update fortnightly, and SF Next Bus every 2 months. Most recently, Routesy was updated on November 11, 2026 and SF Next Bus on November 1, 2026.

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