SF Next Bus vs SF Muni Buses
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.
SF Muni Buses
Track the real-time location and arrival predictions for buses. Get instant notifications for delays and closures, save favorite stops, and set reminders to never miss your ride. Optimized for various Apple devices.
- Live bus tracking on map
- Real-time arrival predictions
- Push notifications for delays
- Favorite stops management
- Nearby stops identification
- Bus arrival reminders
- Notification Center widgets
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*** IMPORTANT: The SF Muni Buses app is being discontinued. Download the all-new Busly app to ensure continued updates & support: https://busly.app *** View up-to-date locations and time predictions for the SF Muni buses. LIVE MAP Get up-to-date bus positions showing exactly where each bus is along its route. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS Get real-time updates regarding delays, closures, and other important messages. FAVORITE STOPS Add stops you use often to your Favorites for quick, easy access. NEARBY STOPS See stops nearest to your current location, as well as how far they are. SET REMINDERS Easily set reminder notifications so you don't forget to catch your bus when it arrives. NOTIFICATION CENTER WIDGETS 2 Notification Center widgets for easy access to time predictions for nearby stops as well as your favorites. APPLE WATCH + IPAD Optimized for iOS 17, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. If you run into any issues or have any feedback, use the in-app Support button or email support@iminichrispy.com. You can also tweet me @iMinichrispy.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: SF Muni Buses at 4.2 against SF Next Bus's 2.1. SF Muni Buses also leads on ratings volume (1K vs 14) and device support (4 vs 2). SF Next Bus's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and review sentiment (40% vs 27%). On price, update cadence, ads 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 Muni Buses sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. SF Next Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.
SF Muni Buses holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: SF Muni Buses has 1K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of SF Next Bus's written reviews are positive against 27% of SF Muni Buses's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SF Next Bus ships an update every 2 months, SF Muni Buses every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 11, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SF Next Bus | SF Muni Buses |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (14 ratings) | 4.2 (1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better | 27.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14 | 1K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 38 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Junebot, LLC | Alex Perez |
Customer experience
SF Next Bus
SF Muni Buses
Bugs and requests
SF Next Bus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
SF Muni Buses
Reported bugs
4 issues- App crashes frequently
- Disappearing bus predictions
- Outdated route information
- Inability to purchase tickets
Requested features
4 requests- Add bus route numbers
- Improve trip planning and pricing
- Allow customization of favorite routes
- Provide a map of Muni train routes and stations
In-app purchases
SF Next Bus
No in-app purchases
SF Muni Buses
- Remove Ads$4.99
