Comparison

Transit Stop vs Chicago ETAs

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 ETAs

This app provides real-time arrival estimates for Chicago's public transit system. It allows users to track specific departures on their lock screen, save favorite stops, and find nearby locations. Detailed route information is also available.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival times
  • Lock screen tracking
  • Favorite stops
  • Nearby stops finder
  • Detailed route information
Read full description

Key Features: - Real-Time Arrival Times: Get up-to-the-minute updates for CTA buses and trains. - Lock Screen Tracking: Show live ETAs for busses and trains on lock screen to conveniently track specific departures. - Favorite Stops: Save your frequently used stops for quick access to arrival times. - Nearby Stops: Easily find nearby bus and train stops based on your current location. - Detailed Route Info: Look up specific buses and trains to view route details and schedules. This app is not affiliated with the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), though displays data provided publicly by the CTA.

Screenshots

Transit Stop4 screens
Chicago ETAs4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chicago ETAs at none against Transit Stop's 1. Chicago ETAs also leads on ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). Transit Stop's advantage is ratings volume (32K vs 1) and chart position (#144 vs unranked). On price 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 ETAs asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chicago ETAs holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Transit Stop has 32K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Transit Stop ships an update every 3 months, Chicago ETAs fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and June 1, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Transit Stop versus Chicago ETAs: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTransit StopChicago ETAs
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (32K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews51.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings32K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#144 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB6 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperKramer Concepts, LLCEmil Mikkelsen

Customer experience

Transit Stop

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

Chicago ETAs

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

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 ETAs

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Transit Stop

One-time1
  • Remove Ads$3.99
None

Chicago ETAs

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Transit Stop free?
Transit Stop is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chicago ETAs free?
Chicago ETAs is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Transit Stop or Chicago ETAs?
Chicago ETAs is rated higher. Transit Stop averages 4.6 out of 5 from 32K ratings, while Chicago ETAs averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Transit Stop or Chicago ETAs have ads?
Transit Stop shows ads; Chicago ETAs does not.
Which is updated more often, Transit Stop or Chicago ETAs?
Transit Stop ships an update every 3 months, and Chicago ETAs fortnightly. Most recently, Transit Stop was updated on September 25, 2026 and Chicago ETAs on June 1, 2026.

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