Comparison

Boston Next Bus vs Next MBTA

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

Head to head
About

Boston Next Bus

Track your favorite bus routes by destination and see real-time arrival information. View bus numbers and nearby stations. Includes trip planning and customizable theme colors.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus arrival tracking
  • Group favorite routes by destination
  • View bus numbers and nearby stations
  • Trip planning functionality
  • Customizable theme colors
  • Near bus stops feature
Features
Read full description

Add your favorite bus routes into different group by destination and see how long it takes when next bus will arrive. See the buses No. and which station they are nearby in the whole station list +Trip Planning +Near Bus Stops +Change theme color

About

Next MBTA

Features
Read full description

Your daily MBTA commute, simplified. MBTA Tracker gives you real-time arrival predictions for Boston's subway lines and bus routes — all in one clean, glanceable dashboard. Track what matters Add any combination of subway lines (Red, Orange, Blue, Green) and bus routes to your personal dashboard. Pick your stop, choose your direction, and see live countdown timers for the next arrivals. Smart notifications, zero spam Set up arrival alerts that only fire during your commute window. Pick the days and times that matter — mornings before work, evenings heading home — and stay informed without the noise. Outside your window, complete silence. Live on your lock screen Add the MBTA Tracker widget to your lock screen or watch face for instant arrival countdowns without opening the app. Available in circular, rectangular, and inline styles. Built for your routine • Reorder routes to put your most-used stops first • Pull to refresh for instant updates • Auto-refresh keeps predictions current in the background • Swipe to configure alerts or remove a route • Clean, dark-friendly interface designed for quick glances Completely free No ads. No subscriptions. No in-app purchases. Just a fast, focused transit companion for Boston riders. Powered by live data from the MBTA.

Screenshots

Boston Next Bus4 screens
Next MBTA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is iOS requirement: Boston Next Bus at 8.0 against Next MBTA's 16.2. On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Boston Next Bus ships an update every 4 months, Next MBTA every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard1 real difference · 9 level
Boston Next Bus versus Next MBTA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBoston Next BusNext MBTA
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (3 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews12.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings3 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 2 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS8.0 — better16.2
Further details — not scored
Size12 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperYEH TSUNG MINGWeiqiang Fu

In-app purchases

None

Boston Next Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Next MBTA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Boston Next Bus free?
Boston Next Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Next MBTA free?
Next MBTA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Boston Next Bus or Next MBTA have ads?
Neither Boston Next Bus nor Next MBTA shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Boston Next Bus or Next MBTA?
Boston Next Bus ships an update every 4 months, and Next MBTA every 2 months. Most recently, Boston Next Bus was updated on November 1, 2026 and Next MBTA on October 31, 2026.

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