Comparison

SF Next Bus vs xtBus 3

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time arrival predictions
  • Location-based stop identification
  • Map navigation integration
  • Bus and BART route viewing
  • Favorite stop saving
  • System-wide notifications
Features
Read full description

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.

About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Supports thousands of routes
  • Covers USA and Canada transit agencies
  • Location-based service availability
  • Ad-free option via subscription
Features
Read full description

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

SF Next Bus4 screens
xtBus 33 screens

Verdict

The call

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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

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.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
SF Next Bus versus xtBus 3: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSF Next BusxtBus 3
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.3 (12 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.0% of reviews — better20.0% of reviews
Number of ratings12 — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS16.014.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size38 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJunebot, LLCIdemfactor Solutions Inc.

Customer experience

SF Next Bus

All ratings12 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews20 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative60.0%

xtBus 3

Written reviews5 reviews
Positive20.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative80.0%

In-app purchases

1 purchases

SF Next Bus

One-time1
  • SF Next Bus - No Ads$2.99
1 purchases

xtBus 3

Subscriptions1
  • VIP Service$0.991 Month

Questions

Is SF Next Bus free?
SF Next Bus is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is xtBus 3 free?
xtBus 3 is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do SF Next Bus or xtBus 3 have ads?
Both SF Next Bus and xtBus 3 show ads.
Which is updated more often, SF Next Bus or xtBus 3?
SF Next Bus ships an update every 2 months, and xtBus 3 fortnightly. Most recently, SF Next Bus was updated on September 19, 2026 and xtBus 3 on June 3, 2026.

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