SF Next Bus vs xtBus 3
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SF Next Bus
Get real-time arrival predictions for San Francisco buses and BART trains. Navigate using location services or manual map input. Save favorite stops and view system-wide notifications.
- Real-time arrival predictions
- Location-based stop identification
- Map navigation integration
- Bus and BART route viewing
- Favorite stop saving
- System-wide notifications
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SF Next Bus shows real-time arrival predictions for Bay Area transit — Muni buses and Muni Metro in San Francisco, plus BART, Caltrain, and AC Transit. Find nearby stops on the map, tap one for the next arrivals, and save your regular stops as favorites. Service alerts keep you posted on delays and disruptions. Rebuilt from the ground up for the latest iOS, SF Next Bus now includes a companion Apple Watch app and watch-face complication. Data provided by 511 SF Bay (511.org), a service of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
xtBus 3
Track real-time bus arrivals across numerous transit agencies in the USA and Canada. Simply open the app and allow location access to find available routes and services in your area.
- Real-time bus tracking
- Supports thousands of routes
- Covers USA and Canada transit agencies
- Location-based service availability
- Ad-free option via subscription
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xtBus 3 - a reborn of the popular real-time nextbus tracker for urban commuters. xtBus 3 now supports thousands of bus routes from various transit agencies across USA and Canada, including TTC, STL, SF Muni, EZRide and many more. Just open the app and grant it location permission to see if services are available in your area. The "VIP Monthly Service" is provided as an in-app purchase to customers who don't want to have advertisements displayed. The service is provided on a monthly basis. 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. For details of terms of use - http://idemfactor.com/xtbus3/ And privacy policy - http://idemfactor.com/idemfactor-privacy-policy-english.html
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: xtBus 3 at fortnightly against SF Next Bus's every 2 months. xtBus 3 also leads on iOS requirement (14.1 vs 16.0). SF Next Bus's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 20%). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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
Both are free to download. SF Next Bus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase and xtBus 3 sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.
SF Next Bus ships an update every 2 months, xtBus 3 fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 19, 2026 and June 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SF Next Bus | xtBus 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.3 (12 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better | 20.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 12 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 14.1 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 24 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Junebot, LLC | Idemfactor Solutions Inc. |
Customer experience
SF Next Bus
xtBus 3
In-app purchases
SF Next Bus
- SF Next Bus - No Ads$2.99
xtBus 3
- VIP Service$0.991 Month









