Comparison

MBTA Schedule vs BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker

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

Head to head
About

MBTA Schedule

Features
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Key Features • Live departures for selected stops • Route and stop browsing with search • Favorites with quick refresh • Vehicle status and direction labels • Lightweight, fast, and easy to use Lite Version • Ad-supported • Designed for quick “open-and-check” commute use We’re continuously improving performance and usability for Boston-area riders.

About

BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker

This app provides real-time MBTA bus tracking, specifically designed to combat "ghost buses" that disappear from tracking. It shows if a bus is actually on the road, predicts the next confirmed bus, and displays live bus movements on a map.

Highlights
  • Ghost bus protection
  • Next confirmed bus prediction
  • Live bus tracking
  • Departure track record
  • Offline route and schedule access
  • Real-time map view
Features
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BusTracc is a bus-first app for the MBTA. It was built to fight ghost buses. GHOST BUS PROTECTION Every MBTA rider knows the ghost bus: the countdown that hits 0 and resets, the tracked bus that vanishes three stops away. BusTracc tells you the truth. Every departure shows whether a real bus is on the road for it. When one is not, you see it plainly — along with how often departures in that time window have ghosted over the last two weeks, from data we collect around the clock. THE NEXT CONFIRMED BUS When a departure looks like a ghost, BusTracc answers the question that actually matters: when is the next bus with a real vehicle behind it? One line: the time, the bus number, en route. AND IF A BUS VANISHES WHILE YOU WATCH BusTracc says so. No silent reshuffling, no pretending it never existed. You see what happened and what to do next. KNOW YOUR DEPARTURE'S TRACK RECORD BusTracc remembers how your exact scheduled departure has performed: how late it usually runs and how often it has been roughly on time. The difference between "2 minutes" and "2 minutes, but this one usually runs five late." LIVE MAP, INSTANTLY Open the app and see every bus and stop near you moving in real time, with heading and route at a glance. WORKS WHEN THE NETWORK DOES NOT Stops, routes, and schedules are bundled on-device, and live data degrades gracefully. You always see the best information available, never a blank screen. Built for Boston riders. Bus data from the MBTA live feed plus published performance history.

Screenshots

MBTA Schedule3 screens
BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker at every 9 days against MBTA Schedule's monthly. BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker also leads on iOS requirement (16.4 vs 26.2). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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

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

MBTA Schedule ships an update monthly, BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and November 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 7 level
MBTA Schedule versus BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMBTA ScheduleBusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
Monetization—Ad-supported
DevicesiPhoneiPhone
Requires iOS26.216.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size4 MB218 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperXiaohe HuPlarix

In-app purchases

None

MBTA Schedule

No in-app purchases

None

BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MBTA Schedule free?
MBTA Schedule is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker free?
BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do MBTA Schedule or BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker have ads?
Both MBTA Schedule and BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker show ads.
Which is updated more often, MBTA Schedule or BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker?
MBTA Schedule ships an update monthly, and BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker every 9 days. Most recently, MBTA Schedule was updated on November 9, 2026 and BusTracc MBTA Bus Tracker on November 10, 2026.

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