Comparison

Swarm vs VTA Schedule & Tracker

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

Head to head
About

Swarm

Log your visits to places, create a personal map of your life, and discover new spots. This app helps you track your journeys, save favorites, and share experiences with friends.

Highlights
  • One-tap check-ins
  • Discover places near you
  • Bookmark and save favorite spots
  • Personal life timeline and map
  • Build travel journals and memories
  • Social map with friends' check-ins
  • Earn badges and explore milestones
Features
Read full description

Check in anywhere. Find amazing places. Save favorites to revisit later — and see your life on a map. Swarm by Foursquare is the original check-in and travel app that turns your daily journeys into a personal location history, social map, and travel journal you’ll actually love using. CHECK IN FAST • One-tap check-ins at any place you visit. • Add photos and friends to capture moments and memories. • Stay private or share publicly — your check-ins, your choice. SEARCH & DISCOVER PLACES • Find coffee shops, restaurants, parks, and hidden gems near you using powerful place search. • Explore cities through Foursquare’s verified maps and local guides. • Turn your check-ins into a travel log of every city you explore. BOOKMARK & SAVE PLACES • Bookmark favorite restaurants, cafes, and landmarks for later. • Build custom lists like “Weekend Spots,” “Tokyo Trip,” or “Best Pizza.” • Your saved places become a personal travel planner and city guide. YOUR LIFE TIMELINE • Each check-in adds to your personal timeline of places you’ve been. • Scroll through days, weeks, or years to relive memories. • Search your location history and see your journey on a map. TRAVEL JOURNAL & MEMORIES • Automatically build a visual record of every trip and adventure. • Add notes and photos to remember every moment. • Share your travels and inspire friends to explore. SOCIAL MAP WITH FRIENDS • See friends’ check-ins live on a shared social map. • Comment, react, and plan meetups in real time. • Discover new cities and travel spots together. EXPLORING MILESTONES • Earn badges for daily check-ins, new cities, and new places. • Celebrate milestones and track your most-visited spots. • Keep your streak alive and make every day count. SMART NOTIFICATIONS • Get reminders to check in when you arrive somewhere new. • See when friends are nearby and plan spontaneous meetups. • Stay connected without constant manual tracking. POWERED BY FOURSQUARE • Every place comes from Foursquare’s verified global POI database. • Accurate locations, categories, and maps trusted by millions worldwide. • The same data that powers Uber, Apple, and Airbnb — now in your pocket. Start your check-in journey today and discover every place that shapes your world. A Note on Battery We’ve spent *years* developing the location technology that powers Foursquare Swarm, making it extremely power efficient. But, as with all apps of this type, continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life

About

VTA Schedule & Tracker

Plan VTA light rail trips with real-time train positions, schedules, and service alerts. Find direct routes, check departure times, and view fare information on a convenient map. Works offline for timetables and provides delay updates.

Highlights
  • Live train positions and schedule estimates
  • Direct trip planning between stations
  • Customizable line visibility
  • Offline timetables
  • Real-time delay updates
  • Light-rail specific alerts
  • Fare information
Features
Read full description

Plan direct VTA light rail trips with reported and schedule-estimated train positions, departure countdowns, timetables, fares, and service alerts in one fast map. Built for daily Bay Area commuters and occasional riders, Delayta: VTA covers the Blue, Green, and Orange lines, including special-event service. FEATURES • See reported trains and schedule-based estimates on a rail-following map • Find direct trips between stations served by the same line • Choose which lines you see from the gear menu; the map and timetable follow, and the choice sticks between launches • Browse timetables by line, direction, and service day • Check real-time delay updates and trip progress when available • See active light-rail alerts without bus-alert clutter • Find the closest station and view a walking route • Save Home and Work for faster commute planning • Review stop-by-stop details, trip duration, and VTA fare information • Choose 12- or 24-hour time SCHEDULES THAT STAY CURRENT A full timetable ships inside the app, so trip planning works offline. Each time you open Delayta it checks for a newer VTA schedule and swaps it in automatically, so timetable changes reach you without waiting for an app update. Settings shows which schedule you are on and when it was published. NO ADS. NO SUBSCRIPTIONS. NO CATCH. Delayta: VTA is free, with no account, no tracking, and no paywall. An optional tip jar is there if you want to support development. Map positions combine reported vehicle locations with schedule-based estimates, so not every train has a live GPS report. Real-time updates, alerts, walking directions, and schedule refreshes require a network connection and may be delayed, incomplete, or unavailable. Schedule data provided by VTA. Real-time data provided by 511.org. Delayta: VTA is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, or 511.org.

Screenshots

Swarm4 screens
VTA Schedule & Tracker3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VTA Schedule & Tracker at 5.0 against Swarm's 4.2. VTA Schedule & Tracker also leads on ads (none vs shown) and update cadence (daily vs every 2 weeks). Swarm's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ratings volume (8.1K vs 1). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. VTA Schedule & Tracker sells 3 one-off in-app purchases. Swarm asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

VTA Schedule & Tracker holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Swarm has 8.1K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Swarm ships an update every 2 weeks, VTA Schedule & Tracker daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Swarm versus VTA Schedule & Tracker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSwarmVTA Schedule & Tracker
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.2 (8.1K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews40.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings8.1K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeksDaily — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size397 MB8 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperFoursquare Labs, Inc.Jonathan Ng

Bugs and requests

Swarm

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent app crashes
  • Inability to add new places
  • Syncing and login issues
  • Apple Watch app not functioning

Requested features

4 requests
  • Dark mode option
  • Better integration with social media
  • More useful rewards for check-ins
  • Improved search and location browsing

VTA Schedule & Tracker

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Swarm

No in-app purchases

3 purchases

VTA Schedule & Tracker

One-time3
  • Buy Me a Boba$1.99
  • Buy Me Lunch$4.99
  • Generous Supporter$9.99

Questions

Is Swarm free?
Swarm is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VTA Schedule & Tracker free?
VTA Schedule & Tracker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Swarm or VTA Schedule & Tracker?
VTA Schedule & Tracker is rated higher. Swarm averages 4.2 out of 5 from 8.1K ratings, while VTA Schedule & Tracker averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do Swarm or VTA Schedule & Tracker have ads?
Swarm shows ads; VTA Schedule & Tracker does not.
Which is updated more often, Swarm or VTA Schedule & Tracker?
Swarm ships an update every 2 weeks, and VTA Schedule & Tracker daily. Most recently, Swarm was updated on October 29, 2026 and VTA Schedule & Tracker on October 26, 2026.

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