# Transit vs BusBus NYC

The clearest difference is ads: Transit at none against BusBus NYC's shown. Transit also leads on rating (4.4 vs 4.0) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.0). BusBus NYC's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (74% vs 63%). On price, ratings volume, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Transit sells 11 one-off in-app purchases and BusBus NYC sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

Transit holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 44 and 73 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 63% of Transit's written reviews are positive against 74% of BusBus NYC's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Transit ships an update every 3 months, BusBus NYC every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Transit | BusBus NYC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (44 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transit-trip-planner/id430848814/reviews)** | [4.0 (73 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busbus-nyc/id568911309/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | 44 | **73** |
| Positive reviews | 63.1% of reviews | **73.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Ads | **No** | Yes |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 16 MB | 15 MB |
| Requires iOS | **11.0** | 17.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [circlegate](https://appshunter.io/developer/416328630) | [MGS Technologies LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/1681684076) |

## What reviewers say

### Transit

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/transit-trip-planner/id430848814)

Plan your public transport journeys offline with this app. Get detailed route suggestions, including transfers and departure times, for numerous cities in the US, Canada, and Europe. View routes on a map and receive schedule update notifications.

**Highlights:** Offline trip planning, Route suggestions with transfers, Departure and arrival times, View routes on map, Schedule update notifications, Search routes by map, Advanced search parameters

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (11)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| City timetable | $1.99 | one-time |
| NYC - NYCT Subway Premium for 1 year | $1.99 | one-time |
| Czech data package | $3.99 | one-time |
| Denver - RTD Premium for 1 year | $3.99 | one-time |
| Chicago - CTA Premium for 1 year | $3.99 | one-time |
| Czech, Slovak and Europian trains package | $5.99 | one-time |
| NYC - NYCT Subway | $7.99 | one-time |
| Chicago - CTA | $9.99 | one-time |
| Philadelphia - SEPTA | $9.99 | one-time |
| Denver - RTD | $9.99 | one-time |
| NYC Discount Package Premium Lifetime | $9.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Accurate schedules
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- 🚀 Offline access
- 💡 Saved locations
- 👍 Intuitive route planning

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable route information
- 🐛 Inaccurate departure times
- 👎 Confusing navigation
- 👎 Lack of real-time updates
- 👎 Premium features required

**Reported bugs**

- App crashes on startup
- No routes found error
- Incorrect transfer information
- Outdated schedule data

**Requested features**

- Integration with address book
- Real-time service alerts
- Ability to browse schedules
- Custom labels for saved locations
- Improved map integration


### BusBus NYC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/busbus-nyc/id568911309)

Track the real-time location of MTA buses in New York City. See exactly where your bus is on its route. Data availability is dependent on MTA's rollout of live tracking for all bus lines.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus location tracking, View bus routes, MTA bus data integration, Live updates

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases (1)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BusBus Ad Free | $1.99 | one-time |

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Simple and straightforward interface
- 📍 Real-time bus tracking
- 🗺️ Visual representation of buses
- 💡 Unique feature to see run numbers
- ✅ Essential for many users

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Significant lag and slowness
- 📍 Inaccurate bus locations (behind true location)
- ❓ No visual indicator for loading
- ❌ Missing many local bus routes
- ❌ Buses sometimes don't show up

**Reported bugs**

- Map is slow to load buses
- No visual indicator for loading status
- Buses appear several stops behind true location
- BxM (1&2) buses don't show in the Bronx
- Some local buses are missing (Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island)

**Requested features**

- Tagging or highlighting specific buses
- Addition of all routes, including local buses
- Refresh button that works consistently
- Option to type bus numbers
- Reduce refresh time for quicker updates


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Transit free?

Transit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Is BusBus NYC free?

BusBus NYC is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Which has better reviews, Transit or BusBus NYC?

Transit is rated higher. Transit averages 4.4 out of 5 from 44 ratings, while BusBus NYC averages 4.0 from 73 ratings.

### Do Transit or BusBus NYC have ads?

BusBus NYC shows ads; Transit does not.

### Which is updated more often, Transit or BusBus NYC?

Transit ships an update every 3 months, and BusBus NYC every 2 weeks. Most recently, Transit was updated on October 24, 2026 and BusBus NYC on October 26, 2026.

---

*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*