Transit.Tracker vs Live CTA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Transit.Tracker
Plan your journeys and track public transit in real-time. Find nearby stations, view departure times, and get turn-by-turn navigation. Supports numerous transit agencies across multiple metro areas.
- Real-time vehicle tracking
- Scheduled departure times
- Nearest station finder
- Built-in trip planner
- Multi-metro area support
- Today Widget and Watch App integration
Read full descriptionHide full description
Transit Tracker helps riders check public transit schedules, nearby departures, route stops, and trip options across supported transit systems. Choose your metro area, find nearby stops, search routes and stops, and view upcoming departures without digging through agency websites. Transit Tracker combines scheduled service data with real-time predictions where supported by the local transit provider. Use Transit Tracker to: - Find nearby bus, rail, subway, light rail, commuter rail, ferry, and other transit stops where available - View scheduled departures for the day - See real-time departure estimates where supported - Search route and stop information - Plan trips in supported regions - Save frequently used stops and trip plans - Use Apple Watch and widget support where available - Choose light, dark, or custom app themes Transit Tracker is built for daily commuters, occasional riders, visitors, and anyone who needs quick access to public transportation schedules and departure times. Coverage and feature availability vary by region. Schedule data, routes, trip planning, and real-time predictions depend on the data provided by each supported transit agency. Optional in-app purchases may be available for ad removal and trip-planning tokens.
Live CTA
This app provides real-time train departure information for CTA stations. It automatically finds your nearest station or allows you to select one, displaying estimated arrival times, destinations, and route colors. Get up-to-the-minute transit updates to plan your journey.
- Real-time train departures
- Nearest station locator
- Select station by distance or name
- Destination and route color
- Delay information
- Feedback to developers
Read full descriptionHide full description
Have you ever tried to catch a train at a CTA station, but didn't exactly know when the train was coming? How about guessing how long the train is, only to find out the train was shorter than you thought? If so, then Live CTA is for you! Live CTA will instantly locate the nearest CTA station, and display all the upcoming real-time estimated departures for that station. Additionally, you can also choose to select any other CTA station and get its estimated departures. KEY FEATURES: - Locates your nearest CTA station instantly. - Displays real-time estimated departures loaded directly from CTA servers. - Shows useful information for upcoming trains: - Destination - Estimated time until departure - Route color - Delay information - Allows you to select a station by distance or by name - Feedback tab to send messages directly to the development team SERVICE REQUIREMENTS: - Location Services - A working internet connection DISCLAIMERS and DATA DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY STATEMENT Jonajo Consulting LLC, the owner and producer of Live CTA, shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived (https://www.transitchicago.com/developers/ttdocs/#_Toc296199903). It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of real-time estimated departure data in general and these data in particular. Jonajo Consulting LLC gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. By using the Live CTA application, you agree to these terms and conditions.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Live CTA at 100% against Transit.Tracker's 20%. Live CTA also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.5) and in-app purchases (none vs 6). Transit.Tracker's advantage is ratings volume (3.4K vs 2) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 8 months). On price 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. Transit.Tracker sells 6 one-off in-app purchases. Live CTA asks for nothing beyond the download.
Live CTA holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Transit.Tracker has 3.4K ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 20% of Transit.Tracker's written reviews are positive against 100% of Live CTA's.
Transit.Tracker ships an update every 2 months, Live CTA every 8 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Transit.Tracker | Live CTA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (3.4K ratings) | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 20.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.4K — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 8 months |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 13.2 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 77 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Raging Coders | Jonajo Consulting LLC |
Customer experience
Transit.Tracker
Live CTA
Bugs and requests
Transit.Tracker
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes or crashes frequently
- Incorrect route and schedule data
- Issues with restoring paid upgrades
- Location services not working properly
Requested features
4 requests- Improve real-time bus/train tracking
- Expand coverage to more cities
- Add more customization options
- Fix bugs and crashes
Live CTA
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Transit.Tracker
- Transfer Ticket$0.99
- 40 Tokens$0.99
- 100 Tokens$1.99
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- 180 Tokens$2.99
- Ad Free$3.99
- 400 Tokens$4.99
Live CTA
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Transit.Tracker free?
Is Live CTA free?
Which has better reviews, Transit.Tracker or Live CTA?
Do Transit.Tracker or Live CTA have ads?
Which is updated more often, Transit.Tracker or Live CTA?
Other comparisons















