onTime Metra, CTA vs ChiTrack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
onTime Metra, CTA
This app provides live train schedules and real-time updates for commuters. Easily find your next train, track its progress, and receive service notifications. Go paperless and stay on time with convenient access to all necessary schedule information.
- Metra service/outage notification
- Track number lookup
- Paperless schedules
- Countdown to next train
- Holiday and eve schedules
- Weekday and weekend schedules
- Offline schedule access
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Find the next Metra train schedule and more in a New York Minute. onTime is fast and easy to use. It is designed with commuters in mind. With onTime Metra, you can look up the Metra schedule anytime anywhere without having to carry and dig through paper schedules. Find the next train as easy as opening the app. Be on time and be environmental friendly at the same time. FEATURES: - Metra service/outage notification. - Track number - Paperless - Count down to the next train - Holiday and Holiday eve schedules - Weekdays and Weekends - Works on iPhone and iPod Touch without data connection - Latest schedule - Trip duration onTime Premium: – $4.99 USD (or equivalent) per year and may vary from country to country. – Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase – Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Term Of Service: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_tos.html * Note: onTime App uses transit agencies' schedule data but it is not affiliated with any of the agencies.
ChiTrack
This app provides real-time Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train arrival information directly from the official API. It offers a streamlined experience with automatic updates for favorite stops and a glance-friendly design for quick readability.
- Real-time CTA train arrivals
- Official API data source
- Direction-specific train filtering
- Automatic home/favorite stop refresh
- Glance-friendly design
- Search any station
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Taking the train to work just got a whole lot easier! ChiTrack is the easiest, fastest, and most reliable Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train tracker for your everyday commute. ----------------- What makes ChiTrack different: - Official, real‑time arrival data: Direct data from the CTA API, unlike Google or Apple Maps - Your direction only: Choose Belmont → Loop (or any stop + direction) and skip irrelevant trains. - Zero‑tap arrivals: Open the app and home + favorite stops refresh automatically. - Glance‑friendly design: Large, clean arrival times you can read in a second. - Search any station: Full coverage when your routine changes. Made by a Chicagoan, for Chicagoans who ride the L every day. ----------------- ChiTrack: Chicago CTA Tracker is not affiliated with the CTA or Ventra. All arrival times come from the public CTA Train Tracker API. Ventra® is a registered trademark of the Chicago Transit Authority / Cubic Transportation Systems. ChiTrack is an independent product and is neither endorsed by nor connected to CTA or Cubic.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: onTime Metra, CTA at Free against ChiTrack's $0.99. onTime Metra, CTA also leads on ratings volume (876 vs 8). ChiTrack's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.0) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). On device support and iOS requirement 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
onTime Metra, CTA is free to download; ChiTrack costs $0.99 up front. onTime Metra, CTA sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. ChiTrack asks for nothing beyond the download.
ChiTrack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: onTime Metra, CTA has 876 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of onTime Metra, CTA's written reviews are positive against 78% of ChiTrack's.
onTime Metra, CTA ships an update every 2 months, ChiTrack every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 22, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | onTime Metra, CTA | ChiTrack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.0 (876 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 47.5% of reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 876 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 15.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mobileware Inc. | Declan Kramper |
Customer experience
onTime Metra, CTA
ChiTrack
Bugs and requests
onTime Metra, CTA
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Incorrect train arrival/departure times
- Inability to check-in or track trains
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Real-time delay notifications
- Ability to purchase tickets in-app
- Improved user interface
- Better integration with Metra services
ChiTrack
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
onTime Metra, CTA
- onTime Premium$4.991 Year
ChiTrack
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is onTime Metra, CTA free?
Is ChiTrack free?
Which has better reviews, onTime Metra, CTA or ChiTrack?
Do onTime Metra, CTA or ChiTrack have ads?
Which is updated more often, onTime Metra, CTA or ChiTrack?
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