Comparison

Caltrain Live vs Hoyalift

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

Head to head
About

Caltrain Live

Access real-time Caltrain information, including train status, service disruptions, and timetables with offline access. Plan trips with live data and receive instant alerts for your commute.

Highlights
  • Real-time train status and alerts
  • Offline timetable access
  • Trip planner with live data
  • Service disruption monitoring
  • Pinned train status
  • Station announcements
Read full description

Caltrain Live lets you quickly access all the latest information you need for your Caltrain commute. You can pin a train to quickly access its status and alerts, monitor construction and service disruptions along the corridor, and get the latest timetable with offline access all in one place. - Includes a fast, simple UI with no ads, popups or tracking. - Get a copy of the latest timetable with automatic updates and offline access. - The built-in trip planner includes live data, special event trains, and holiday timetable support. - Monitor trains in realtime and get easy access to trains you care about. - See single tracking events across the corridor and for each station. - Read station announcements. - Train data includes per-stop delays, calculated stop bypass times, and relevant alerts. - Realtime data is fast, uses minimal mobile data, refreshes every 30 seconds, includes departure times to-the-second, alerts from 511, and more.

About

Hoyalift

Features
Read full description

Hoyalift & SafeRides Your ride around the Hilltop and Capitol Campus — on your schedule. The official on-demand transportation app for the Georgetown University community. Request a ride, track your shuttle in real time, and get where you need to go — safely, reliably, and free of charge. Whether you’re heading between campus and the Metro, catching a late class, or getting home after dark, Hoyalift puts Georgetown’s transportation network in your pocket. Request a ride in seconds. Set your pickup and drop-off points within the service area and get matched with the next available vehicle. No schedules to memorize, no waiting at a stop wondering when the next bus will arrive. Track your ride live. Watch your vehicle approach on the map with accurate ETAs, and get notified when your driver is arriving. Ride safe, day or night. SafeRides provides free point-to-point evening transportation to and from campus and adjacent neighborhoods, operated by professional, vetted drivers. Every trip is logged and monitored from pickup to drop-off. Built for the Georgetown community. Available to students, faculty, staff, and affiliates with a valid NetID. Accessible vehicle options are available on request. Hoyalift & SafeRides is operated in partnership with Georgetown University Transportation and Abe’s Transportation, Inc.

Screenshots

Caltrain Live4 screens
Hoyalift4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Hoyalift at every 2 weeks against Caltrain Live's every 3 months. Caltrain Live's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.7.2). On price, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Caltrain Live ships an update every 3 months, Hoyalift every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 6, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Caltrain Live versus Hoyalift: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCaltrain LiveHoyalift
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews62.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 2 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.1 — better17.7.2
Further details — not scored
Size25 MB81 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperJackson Loefflerioki GmbH

In-app purchases

None

Caltrain Live

No in-app purchases

None

Hoyalift

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Caltrain Live free?
Caltrain Live is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Hoyalift free?
Hoyalift is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Caltrain Live or Hoyalift have ads?
Neither Caltrain Live nor Hoyalift shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Caltrain Live or Hoyalift?
Caltrain Live ships an update every 3 months, and Hoyalift every 2 weeks. Most recently, Caltrain Live was updated on October 6, 2026 and Hoyalift on October 7, 2026.

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