CHI Next Bus vs Chicago CTA Bus Tracker
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CHI Next Bus
Get real-time arrival information for Chicago bus stops and train stations. Navigate using your location or by map, save favorite stops, and view system-wide CTA notifications. Includes a watch app for convenient access.
- Real-time bus and train arrival info
- Location-based stop identification
- Map navigation integration
- Save favorite stops
- System-wide CTA notifications
- Watch app and complication
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A simple, but straightforward, location based application that identifies Chicago bus stops and train stations with arrival information. Location can be determined by location services, or by your own map navigation. Display routes, save favorite stops, and view system-wide CTA notifications. Now with a watch app and complication. Bus information provided by the CTA Bus Tracker API. Train information provided by the CTA Train Tracker API.
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker
Track Chicago CTA buses in real-time. Select your route, direction, and stop to view upcoming bus arrivals. Save favorite stops for quick access to arrival times.
- Live bus tracking
- Route and direction selection
- Stop arrival predictions
- Save favorite stops
- Fast and easy to use
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Live bus tracker for Chicago CTA buses. Simply select a route, direction and stop to see the next bus arrivals. Save your favorite stops to see upcoming arrivals with a single touch. - CTA buses - Save unlimited number of favorites - Easy to use - Fast This is not an official app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: CHI Next Bus at 5.0 against Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's 4.2. CHI Next Bus also leads on review sentiment (100% vs 60%) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 37 months). Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (203 vs 1). On price, ads and device support 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. CHI Next Bus sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.
CHI Next Bus holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Chicago CTA Bus Tracker has 203 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 100% of CHI Next Bus's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's.
CHI Next Bus ships an update every 2 months, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CHI Next Bus | Chicago CTA Bus Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better | 4.2 (203 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better | 59.6% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 1 | 203 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 37 months |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Ad-supported — better |
| Devices | iPhone, Apple Watch | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 64 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Junebot, LLC | Naiara Albaina |
Customer experience
CHI Next Bus
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker
Bugs and requests
CHI Next Bus
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker
Reported bugs
8 issues- App doesn't update
- App doesn't refresh
- Home page doesn't load
- No information available when searching
- App freezes sometimes
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- No real-time info refresh
- Doesn't load consistently
- Takes a while to upload
Requested features
6 requests- Ability to rearrange favorites
- Add a refresh button
- Improve user-friendliness on the go
- Add train tracking
- Fix discrepancy between app and website
Show 1 moreShow fewer
- Allow users to refresh current input
In-app purchases
CHI Next Bus
- CHI Next Bus - No Ads$2.99
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CHI Next Bus free?
Is Chicago CTA Bus Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, CHI Next Bus or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Do CHI Next Bus or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, CHI Next Bus or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Other comparisons
