CTA Transit Tracker vs Chicago Train & Bus Tracker
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.
Chicago Train & Bus Tracker
Get accurate, real-time arrival times for Chicago's CTA buses and 'L' trains. Easily find nearby stops, track vehicles on an interactive map, and save your favorite locations for quick access. Never miss your ride again with reliable predictions.
- Real-time CTA bus tracking
- Live 'L' train tracking
- Nearby stops and stations
- Favorite stops and stations
- Interactive CTA map
- Accurate ETAs
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Never miss your ride again. Chicago Train & Bus gives you accurate, real-time arrival times for every CTA bus route and all eight ‘L’ train lines: Red, Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple and Yellow. Whether you’re commuting into the Loop, heading to class, catching the Blue Line to O’Hare or the Orange Line to Midway, you’ll always know exactly when the next bus or train is coming. Features: • Live ‘L’ Train Tracking: Up-to-the-minute arrival predictions, then follow your train on the map as it moves toward your station. • Real-Time CTA Bus Tracking: See live arrival times and watch your bus travel along its route to your stop. • Home Screen Widget: Keep your stop’s next departures on your Home Screen, without opening the app. • Nearby Stops & Stations: Instantly find the closest bus stops and ‘L’ stations around you. • Favorites: Save the stops and stations you use every day for one-tap access. • Full Stop Map: Search and browse every CTA bus stop and train station across the city. • Accurate ETAs: Real predictions straight from CTA’s Bus Tracker and Train Tracker, not just the printed schedule. • Clean User Experience: Minimal, fast, and built to answer one question: when is my bus or train coming? Chicago Train & Bus covers the whole CTA network: the Loop, River North, Wicker Park, Logan Square, Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Uptown, Rogers Park, Pilsen, Bronzeville, Hyde Park, Englewood, Chatham and Beverly, plus Evanston and Oak Park. Download Chicago Train & Bus today and take the guesswork out of your commute.
Screenshots
Verdict
CTA Transit Tracker and Chicago Train & Bus Tracker both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Chicago Train & Bus Tracker's written reviews are positive against 67% of CTA Transit Tracker's. Chicago Train & Bus Tracker also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 3 months). CTA Transit Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (234 vs 17) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.6). On price, rating, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for CTA Transit Tracker against 4.7 for Chicago Train & Bus Tracker. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CTA Transit Tracker has 234 ratings behind it against 17, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of CTA Transit Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Chicago Train & Bus Tracker's.
CTA Transit Tracker ships an update every 3 months, Chicago Train & Bus Tracker weekly. Both last shipped on November 12, 2026.
| Parameter | CTA Transit Tracker | Chicago Train & Bus Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (234 ratings) | 4.7 (17 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 66.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 234 — better | 17 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Weekly — better |
| Ads | Yes | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 17.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 5 MB | 16 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | 婧嘉 郭 | Rishi Masand |
Customer experience
CTA Transit Tracker
Chicago Train & Bus Tracker
In-app purchases
CTA Transit Tracker
No in-app purchases
Chicago Train & Bus Tracker
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is CTA Transit Tracker free?
Is Chicago Train & Bus Tracker free?
Which has better reviews, CTA Transit Tracker or Chicago Train & Bus Tracker?
Do CTA Transit Tracker or Chicago Train & Bus Tracker have ads?
Which is updated more often, CTA Transit Tracker or Chicago Train & Bus Tracker?
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