Comparison

Transit Chi vs Metra Times

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

Head to head
About

Transit Chi

This app automatically tracks your public transit rides in Chicago. View nearby vehicles, monitor your journeys in real-time, and access a history of your past trips.

Highlights
  • Automated CTA tracking
  • Real-time vehicle location
  • Trip monitoring
  • Save trip data
  • Review past trips
Features
Read full description

Transit Chi is a fully automated CTA tracker for Chicago. After registering for an account, users can find vehicles in their vicinity, track their rides, save trip data, and review past trips.

About

Metra Times

This app provides live departure times and real-time tracking for all Metra train lines in the Chicago region. It offers customizable boards, lock screen widgets, and Siri integration for easy access to your commute information.

Highlights
  • Live departure board for all Metra lines
  • Real-time train tracking on Lock Screen
  • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets
  • Siri integration for train inquiries
  • Customizable favorite routes
  • Get-off alerts
  • Dynamic Island support
Features
Read full description

Metra Times is a fast, clean way to see when your next Metra train leaves: a live departure board for every Metra line in the Chicago region. Build a board around how you actually commute. Favorite the routes you ride and they're one tap away, with live status the moment you open the app. FEATURES • Live departure board for all Metra lines • Network map: see every Metra line and tap any station for live departures • Track a train and watch it on your Lock Screen. A Live Activity counts down to arrival and advances stop by stop as the train moves, even with your phone locked • Home Screen and Lock Screen widgets: your next departures at a glance, even with no signal • Ask Siri for your next train, without opening the app • Favorite the trips you ride for a board that's all yours. Where two lines serve the same trip, you see both together • Full schedule browser: pick any line, station pair, and date • Real-time service alerts • Dynamic Island support • Choose your look: a clean classic board or a split-flap departure-board theme • Get-off alerts: be notified N stops before your destination, even when your phone is locked • Precise on-board tracking (optional): once you confirm you're riding, your phone's location makes get-off alerts more reliable and can detect boarding automatically PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your device and isn't collected or shared. Metra Times is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Metra or the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad. Schedule and real-time information come from Metra's public data feeds.

Screenshots

Transit Chi3 screens
Metra Times4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Transit Chi at 5.0 against Metra Times's 4.1. Transit Chi also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.0). Metra Times's advantage is update cadence (every 4 days vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (7 vs 2). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Transit Chi holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.1. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2 and 7 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Transit Chi ships an update every 10 months, Metra Times every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on November 5, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 5 level
Transit Chi versus Metra Times: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterTransit ChiMetra Times
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (2 ratings) — better4.1 (7 ratings)
Number of ratings27 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.1 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size82 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChristopher MojekwuSean McCauley

Customer experience

Transit Chi

All ratings2 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Metra Times

All ratings7 ratings
Positive71.4%
Neutral14.3%
Negative14.3%

In-app purchases

None

Transit Chi

No in-app purchases

None

Metra Times

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Transit Chi free?
Transit Chi is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Metra Times free?
Metra Times is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Transit Chi or Metra Times?
Transit Chi is rated higher. Transit Chi averages 5.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while Metra Times averages 4.1 from 7 ratings.
Do Transit Chi or Metra Times have ads?
Neither Transit Chi nor Metra Times shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Transit Chi or Metra Times?
Transit Chi ships an update every 10 months, and Metra Times every 4 days. Most recently, Transit Chi was updated on November 5, 2026 and Metra Times on November 10, 2026.

Other comparisons