Comparison

Chicago CTA Metro Map vs Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Chicago CTA Metro Map

Navigate Chicago's CTA transit system with ease. This app offers interactive maps, real-time train departures, and offline journey planning to help you get around the city efficiently. Save your favorite routes and enjoy a step-by-step guide for stress-free travel.

Highlights
  • Interactive L train maps
  • Offline journey planner
  • Real-time departure boards
  • Step-by-step navigation
  • Save favorite routes
  • Ad-free VIP option
Features
Read full description

Chicago L Metro Map is the navigation app that makes travelling by CTA transit in Chicago simple From the Bean to the Willis Tower, cheering on the Chicago Cubs or rooting for the Chicago Bears, whether you’re a Chicago native on your commute to work or sightseeing fresh from O'Hare International Airport, we’ll show you the best way to get where you’re going in Chicago. We make taking the L easy. You’ll be a Ventra tapping pro in no time Tap, tap, tap! Pan and zoom your way across Chicago with ease using our simple, interactive maps. We’ll even show your route on the map Plan journeys, sharpish Search for stations and find your way using the world’s fastest route planner No internet? No problem Maps and journey planning even work offline Regular map updates Auto-magic updates keep our maps always up-to-date and box fresh Every step of the way A step-by-step guide means you’ll never get lost again Save your faves From finding your way back home to taking the stress out of commuting and all the places in between. Your personal Shortcuts are never more than a swipe away See the next trains Departure Boards take the guesswork out of travelling. No more wasted time stuck on crowded platforms Chicago L Metro VIP features: An ad-free experience Proper VIP treatment, with no ads, ever Priority support Problem with the app? We’ll be there to help you out We’re the world's number one for transit apps. Check out our world-famous Tube Map London, New York Subway Map, and Paris Metro Map apps today Visiting Boston, Los Angeles, or Washington, D.C. soon? We’ve got you covered there, too. Take our apps with you, just search Mapway on the App Store Chicago L Metro VIP available as an in-app subscription: $1.99 monthly or $4.99 annually, or as a one-off purchase of $12.99. Prices may vary by location. Cancel at any time, for any reason. Payment will be charged to your 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. Your account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, at the cost of your chosen price tier. Subscriptions can be managed, and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to Account Settings in your iTunes Account. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when a subscription to that publication is purchased, where applicable. Privacy Policy: https://mapway.ai/chicagometroios/privacy Terms of use: https://mapway.ai/chicagometroios/terms

About

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.

Highlights
  • Live bus tracking
  • Route and direction selection
  • Stop arrival predictions
  • Save favorite stops
  • Fast and easy to use
Features
Read full description

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

Chicago CTA Metro Map4 screens
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Chicago CTA Bus Tracker at none against Chicago CTA Metro Map's 10. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 33%) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.0). Chicago CTA Metro Map's advantage is update cadence (every 5 months vs every 37 months) and rating (4.6 vs 4.2). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Chicago CTA Metro Map sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. Chicago CTA Bus Tracker asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Chicago CTA Metro Map holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.2. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 155 and 204 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 33% of Chicago CTA Metro Map's written reviews are positive against 60% of Chicago CTA Bus Tracker's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Chicago CTA Metro Map ships an update every 5 months, Chicago CTA Bus Tracker every 37 months. The most recent releases landed on November 1, 2026 and November 2, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Chicago CTA Metro Map versus Chicago CTA Bus Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterChicago CTA Metro MapChicago CTA Bus Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (155 ratings) — better4.2 (204 ratings)
Positive reviews33.3% of reviews59.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings155204 — better
Update frequencyEvery 5 months — betterEvery 37 months
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesAd-supported — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS15.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size162 MB12 MB
Age rating+44+
DeveloperMapway Inc.Naiara Albaina

Customer experience

Chicago CTA Metro Map

All ratings153 ratings
Positive90.8%
Neutral2.0%
Negative7.2%
Written reviews12 reviews
Positive33.3%
Neutral8.3%
Negative58.3%

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

All ratings184 ratings
Positive78.3%
Neutral12.0%
Negative9.8%
Written reviews47 reviews
Positive59.6%
Neutral27.7%
Negative12.8%

Bugs and requests

Chicago CTA Metro Map

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 more
  • 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 more
  • Allow users to refresh current input

In-app purchases

8 purchases

Chicago CTA Metro Map

Subscriptions8
  • Unlimited Access$1.991 Month
  • VIP Monthly$2.491 Month
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$7.997 Days
Show 5 more
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial2 variants$19.991 Year
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial2 variants$29.991 Year
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$39.991 Year
  • Unlimited Access3 Days trial$49.991 Year
None

Chicago CTA Bus Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Chicago CTA Metro Map free?
Chicago CTA Metro Map is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Chicago CTA Bus Tracker free?
Chicago CTA Bus Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Chicago CTA Metro Map or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Chicago CTA Metro Map is rated higher. Chicago CTA Metro Map averages 4.6 out of 5 from 155 ratings, while Chicago CTA Bus Tracker averages 4.2 from 204 ratings.
Do Chicago CTA Metro Map or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker have ads?
Both Chicago CTA Metro Map and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker show ads.
Which is updated more often, Chicago CTA Metro Map or Chicago CTA Bus Tracker?
Chicago CTA Metro Map ships an update every 5 months, and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker every 37 months. Most recently, Chicago CTA Metro Map was updated on November 1, 2026 and Chicago CTA Bus Tracker on November 2, 2026.

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