CTA Transit Tracker vs ChiTrack
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
CTA Transit Tracker
Get real-time Chicago bus and 'L' train arrival estimates and countdowns. Save your favorite stops for quick access and view important service alerts before you travel. Navigate Chicago's public transit with ease.
- Live CTA bus and 'L' train arrivals
- Save favorite stops and stations
- View service alerts
- Search routes, stops, and stations
- Map view of stops and stations
- Customizable appearance and text size
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Check live CTA bus and 'L' train arrivals in Chicago, save your regular stops, and see service alerts before you go. BUS AND 'L' TRAIN ARRIVALS See upcoming arrival estimates and countdowns for CTA buses and all eight 'L' lines: Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Yellow. Search for a route, stop, or station, choose your bus direction, and check when the next service is expected. Refresh manually or turn on automatic updates while your arrival screen is open. YOUR REGULAR STOPS, READY TO CHECK Save your usual bus stops and train stations in Favorites. Put them in the order you use them and open arrival details with a tap, whether you are heading to work, class, or home. SERVICE ALERTS AND STOP MAPS Check relevant CTA service alerts before you leave. View stop and station locations on a map, then open walking directions in Apple Maps. USEFUL DETAILS FOR EVERYDAY TRIPS - Browse CTA bus routes and 'L' train lines. - Search stops and stations by name or ID. - View arrival countdowns and Chicago local arrival times. - Keep fare and pass reference information close at hand. - Choose light, dark, or system appearance and adjust text size. CTA Transit Tracker is an independent app and is not affiliated with the Chicago Transit Authority. Arrival estimates and service alerts come from CTA and may change. Live updates require an internet connection. Questions or feedback? Contact support@mytransitlive.com.
ChiTrack
This app provides real-time Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train arrival information directly from the official API. It offers a streamlined experience with automatic updates for favorite stops and a glance-friendly design for quick readability.
- Real-time CTA train arrivals
- Official API data source
- Direction-specific train filtering
- Automatic home/favorite stop refresh
- Glance-friendly design
- Search any station
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Taking the train to work just got a whole lot easier! ChiTrack is the easiest, fastest, and most reliable Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train tracker for your everyday commute. ----------------- What makes ChiTrack different: - Official, real‑time arrival data: Direct data from the CTA API, unlike Google or Apple Maps - Your direction only: Choose Belmont → Loop (or any stop + direction) and skip irrelevant trains. - Zero‑tap arrivals: Open the app and home + favorite stops refresh automatically. - Glance‑friendly design: Large, clean arrival times you can read in a second. - Search any station: Full coverage when your routine changes. Made by a Chicagoan, for Chicagoans who ride the L every day. ----------------- ChiTrack: Chicago CTA Tracker is not affiliated with the CTA or Ventra. All arrival times come from the public CTA Train Tracker API. Ventra® is a registered trademark of the Chicago Transit Authority / Cubic Transportation Systems. ChiTrack is an independent product and is neither endorsed by nor connected to CTA or Cubic.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: CTA Transit Tracker at Free against ChiTrack's $0.99. CTA Transit Tracker also leads on ratings volume (234 vs 8). ChiTrack's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and rating (5.0 vs 4.6). On in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement 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
CTA Transit Tracker is free to download; ChiTrack costs $0.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
ChiTrack holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CTA Transit Tracker has 234 ratings behind it against 8, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 67% of CTA Transit Tracker's written reviews are positive against 78% of ChiTrack's.
CTA Transit Tracker ships an update every 3 months, ChiTrack every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | CTA Transit Tracker | ChiTrack |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $0.99 |
| Rating | 4.6 (234 ratings) | 5.0 (8 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 77.8% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 234 — better | 8 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 3 weeks — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 43 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 婧嘉 郭 | Declan Kramper |
Customer experience
CTA Transit Tracker
ChiTrack
In-app purchases
CTA Transit Tracker
No in-app purchases
ChiTrack
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CTA Transit Tracker free?
Is ChiTrack free?
Which has better reviews, CTA Transit Tracker or ChiTrack?
Do CTA Transit Tracker or ChiTrack have ads?
Which is updated more often, CTA Transit Tracker or ChiTrack?
Other comparisons
