Comparison

border | How's the line? vs BorderSmart

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

Head to head
About

border | How's the line?

This community-powered app provides real-time updates on US-Mexico border crossing wait times and status. Users can contribute information to help others plan their trips, with privacy-focused location tracking and dual language support.

Highlights
  • Real-time wait time estimates
  • Community-contributed updates
  • North/South line status
  • Guest mode (no account needed)
  • English and Spanish support
  • Privacy-focused location sharing
Read full description

Welcome to border! A community-powered app built to quickly and easily share and find where to line up, current wait times, and other useful US-Mexico border-crossing information. New border Pro subscription features: • No ads • Lane alerts • Crossing history • Hourly charts GET REAL-TIME UPDATES • Check how’s the line going north or south • Live wait time estimates and line location • Monitor current status of border crossings near you CONTRIBUTE • Update how’s the line when you cross • Help others plan their trips KEY FEATURES • Real-time data from the community • Guest mode - no account required • Available in English and Spanish PRIVACY FIRST • Your location is only collected when you choose to submit it • We do not perform continuous tracking or access your real-time location • Control ad personalization in settings Perfect for daily commuters, travelers, and anyone crossing the US-Mexico border. border Pro is an optional auto-renewable subscription: • border Pro Monthly — 1-month subscription • border Pro Annual — 1-year subscription New subscribers get a 14-day free trial. Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Manage or cancel anytime in your Apple Account settings. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://nebu-labs.com/border/privacy

About

BorderSmart

Features
Read full description

BorderSmart helps San Diego-Tijuana crossers plan northbound trips through San Ysidro and Otay Mesa. Open the app for a quick answer on General, Ready Lane, and SENTRI waits. Save your regular lane as My Lane, compare every supported lane on the board, and use freshness, confidence, and likely-range cues to decide whether to go now or wait. BorderSmart combines public border wait-time data, historical patterns, traffic context, and optional crossing reports to help estimate what the wait may look like next. Use BorderSmart to: - compare San Ysidro and Otay Mesa General, Ready Lane, and SENTRI waits - save one lane as My Lane for a faster home screen - view a planning range instead of false precision - check freshness and confidence before trusting an estimate - open lane detail for supporting cues and best-time-today guidance - create alerts for good crossing windows and unusually heavy waits - start, finish, or cancel a crossing from the app - switch between English and Spanish - keep reading cached lane data when connectivity is poor BorderSmart does not require an account. Forecasts are estimates, not guarantees, and the app shows its trust cues so you can judge the current reading before you leave.

Screenshots

border | How's the line?4 screens
BorderSmart4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: BorderSmart at none against border | How's the line?'s shown. BorderSmart also leads on update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

border | How's the line? ships an update monthly, BorderSmart weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
border | How's the line? versus BorderSmart: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
Parameterborder | How's the line?BorderSmart
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (16 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews60.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings16 — better—
Update frequencyMonthlyWeekly — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationAd-supported—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size99 MB60 MB
Age rating9+4+
DeveloperJorge ChavezManuel Ruiz

In-app purchases

None

border | How's the line?

No in-app purchases

None

BorderSmart

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is border | How's the line? free?
border | How's the line? is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BorderSmart free?
BorderSmart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do border | How's the line? or BorderSmart have ads?
border | How's the line? shows ads; BorderSmart does not.
Which is updated more often, border | How's the line? or BorderSmart?
border | How's the line? ships an update monthly, and BorderSmart weekly. Most recently, border | How's the line? was updated on October 24, 2026 and BorderSmart on October 28, 2026.

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