Comparison

Transit Stop vs Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Transit Stop

Get real-time Chicago bus and train arrival estimates for your favorite CTA stops. Track vehicle locations on a map, save frequent stops, and view service alerts. Integrates with Apple Watch for quick access.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival estimates
  • Apple Watch integration
  • Location map view
  • Individual vehicle tracking
  • Save favorite stops
  • View multiple routes
  • CTA service alerts
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Transit Stop: CTA Tracker gives you quick and easy access to bus and train (‘L’) arrival time estimates for your favorite Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) stop. ------------ Features Include: ~ Apple Watch integration - view estimated arrival times for the stops you've saved on your wrist! ~ Estimated Bus & Train Arrival Times - Includes arrival time estimates in minutes (e.g. 4 minutes) and time (e.g. 12:14pm) along with the route name, bus ID or train run number, distance to stop, direction of travel, destination and a time stamp when the estimated arrival times were last refreshed. ~ Location Map - In addition to the list of estimated arrival times you can view bus and trains locations and route patterns on a map. ~ Individual Vehicle Tracking - View estimated arrival times for upcoming stops for specific bus or train vehicles by tapping the row of the estimated arrival time of interest. ~ Save Stops - Ability to save the stops you use everyday for quick and easy access while you're on the go. ~ View Multiple Routes - Toggle the estimated arrival times to display only your selected route or you can view all the routes that service a particular stop. ~ CTA Service Alerts – View CTA route service alerts for whichever bus route or train line you're tracking. ~ Refresh – Estimated arrival times can be manually refreshed giving you the flexibility to update the arrival times exactly when you need them. ~ Real Time Tracking Data - Bus routes, train lines, stops and estimated arrival times are all provided directly from the CTA bus and train tracking systems. ------------ Transit Stop is not affiliated with the CTA.

About

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

Track Chicago CTA buses in real-time. Select your route, direction, and stop to view upcoming bus arrivals. Save favorite stops for quick access to arrival times.

Highlights
  • Live bus tracking
  • Route and direction selection
  • Stop arrival predictions
  • Save favorite stops
  • Fast and easy to use
Features
Read full description

Live bus tracker for Chicago CTA buses. Simply select a route, direction and stop to see the next bus arrivals. Save your favorite stops to see upcoming arrivals with a single touch. - CTA buses - Save unlimited number of favorites - Easy to use - Fast This is not an official app.

Screenshots

Transit Stop4 screens
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chicago CTA Bus Tracker at none against Transit Stop's 1. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (12.0 vs 14.0). Transit Stop's advantage is update cadence (every 3 months vs every 37 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On price, review sentiment, ads 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. Transit Stop sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Transit Stop holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Transit Stop has 32K ratings behind it against 184, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 52% of Transit Stop's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Transit Stop ships an update every 3 months, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Transit Stop versus Chicago CTA Bus Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTransit StopChicago CTA Bus Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (32K ratings) — better4.2 (184 ratings)
Positive reviews51.8% of reviews59.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings32K — better184
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 37 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
Best chart rank#129 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS14.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB12 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKramer Concepts, LLCNaiara Albaina

Customer experience

Transit Stop

All ratings32,328 ratings
Positive91.5%
Neutral3.5%
Negative5.0%
Written reviews137 reviews
Positive51.8%
Neutral8.8%
Negative39.4%

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

All ratings184 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral12.0%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral27.7%
Negative12.8%

User reviews

Transit Stop

From 32K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Accurate for trains and buses
  • 🚀 99% accuracy on time rate
  • 👍 Intuitive UI
  • 👍 Excellent paired with Apple Watch
  • 👍 Favorite transit app

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate arrival times
  • 🐛 Crashes on iPad
  • 🐛 Turns off audio when app is open
  • 🐛 Unreliable, with ghost buses and delayed updates
  • 👎 Poor user interface

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

From 184 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use and navigate
  • 🚀 Fast and efficient
  • ✅ Accurate time estimations
  • 👍 Helpful for planning trips
  • 👍 User-friendly for seniors

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App doesn't update or refresh
  • 🐛 Home page sometimes doesn't load
  • 🐛 Inconsistent loading
  • 🐛 No train tracking available
  • 🐛 Ads are intrusive and annoying

Bugs and requests

Transit Stop

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes after updates
  • Stops not recognized when searching
  • Inconsistent accuracy, especially for certain routes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to set favorite routes, not just stops
  • Geolocation to automatically show nearest stops
  • Ability to change names of saved stops
  • Nearby stops button
  • Default stop when opening the app

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App doesn't update
  • App doesn't refresh
  • Home page doesn't load
  • No information available when searching
  • App freezes sometimes
Show 3 more
  • No real-time info refresh
  • Doesn't load consistently
  • Takes a while to upload

Requested features

6 requests
  • Ability to rearrange favorites
  • Add a refresh button
  • Improve user-friendliness on the go
  • Add train tracking
  • Fix discrepancy between app and website
Show 1 more
  • Allow users to refresh current input

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Transit Stop

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
None

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Transit Stop free?
Transit Stop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chicago CTA Bus Tracker free?
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Transit Stop or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Transit Stop is rated higher. Transit Stop averages 4.6 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Chicago CTA Bus Tracker averages 4.2 from 184 ratings.
Do Transit Stop or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker have ads?
Both Transit Stop and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker show ads.
Which is updated more often, Transit Stop or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Transit Stop ships an update every 3 months, and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker every 37 months. Most recently, Transit Stop was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker on September 4, 2026.

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