Comparison

Toronto vs BuildMap

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

Head to head
About

Toronto

Navigate Toronto with real-time transit updates for TTC and GO, plus discover nearby amenities like restaurants, parks, and Wi-Fi. Features tourist mode with contextual tips and neighborhood data.

Highlights
  • Real-time TTC and GO transit tracking
  • Nearby amenities discovery
  • Tourist mode with contextual tips
  • Neighborhood data (crime, demographics)
  • Home screen widgets for alerts
  • Offline map access
Features
Read full description

Everything you need to get around Toronto: transit directions, live departures, traffic, restaurants, parks, and washrooms, in one app. Plan your trip: type an address and get the fastest way there by subway, streetcar, bus, GO Train, or UP Express. Transit directions: the fastest way anywhere in the city on the TTC, GO, or UP Express. Know when to leave, where to transfer, and where to get off, then follow your ride on the map all the way there. Toronto Transit: subway, bus, and streetcar from TTC, train and bus from GO, all tracked live. Subway alerts land before you're stuck underground, streetcar diversions show up before you're waiting on a dead route, bus detours as they happen, and GO train and bus updates, whether you're headed downtown or out to the suburbs. Everything nearby, the places you're actually looking for: • Best Toronto restaurants and bars • City events • Public Wi-Fi hotspots • Washrooms & water stations • Toronto subway map • Skating rinks & tennis courts • Parks & dog parks • Libraries • Local grocery stores • Parking, tagged with pricing Tourist mode: Turn it on the moment you land. Get context-aware tips as you move around the city — how to pay for transit, which station to use, what's safe, where to eat, and how things work here. A curated Toronto guide built into the app, not buried in a browser tab. Explore Toronto neighbourhoods with crime statistics, demographics, and housing data. Beautiful home-screen widgets: TTC alerts, traffic, and GO Transit status, visible at a glance. This app doesn't collect, store, or track any of your data. Made in Toronto, Canada.

About

BuildMap

Features
Read full description

BuildMap puts local building activity on the map. See permits, demolitions, rezoning applications, and development proposals across Ontario and Quebec cities — all in one place. Data is fetched live from official municipal sources each time you open the app, so you're always seeing the latest activity. WHAT YOU CAN SEE • Building permits and demolitions • Zoning and official plan amendments • Site plans and minor variances • Consent applications • Development applications CITIES COVERED Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Vaughan, Markham, Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, London, St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Barrie, Kingston, Guelph, Newmarket, Peterborough, Sarnia, Brantford, Caledon, Montreal, Quebec City, and more coming soon. HOW IT WORKS Tap any marker on the map to see the full details of a permit or application — file number, status, address, and submission date. Zoom in to see individual permits, or zoom out to see activity at a glance. BUILDMAP PRO Unlock the full experience with a BuildMap Pro subscription: • Search permits and applications by number or address • Filter by date range and status • Set watches on cities or custom areas and get alerted to new activity • Save unlimited favourites Data is sourced from official municipal open data portals. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

Screenshots

Toronto4 screens
BuildMap4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Toronto at none against BuildMap's 2. BuildMap's advantage is update cadence (every 5 days vs every 2 weeks). On price, ads, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. BuildMap sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $14.99 per month. Toronto asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Toronto ships an update every 2 weeks, BuildMap every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 30, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Toronto versus BuildMap: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTorontoBuildMap
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings1 — better—
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad — better
Requires iOS18.618.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size83 MB6 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTaras SavytskyiPaul Scott

In-app purchases

None

Toronto

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

BuildMap

Subscriptions2
  • BuildMap Pro Monthly$14.991 Month
  • BuildMap Pro Yearly$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Toronto free?
Toronto is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BuildMap free?
BuildMap is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Do Toronto or BuildMap have ads?
Neither Toronto nor BuildMap shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Toronto or BuildMap?
Toronto ships an update every 2 weeks, and BuildMap every 5 days. Most recently, Toronto was updated on October 30, 2026 and BuildMap on November 6, 2026.

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