Comparison

BART Watch vs Backyard Explorer

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

Head to head
About

BART Watch

This app provides a discreet way for public transit riders to report suspicious activity directly to transit police. Users can send text messages, photos, and location data, with options for anonymity. It also features alerts for persons of interest.

Highlights
  • Report suspicious activity
  • Send text messages and photos
  • Discreet reporting with disabled flash
  • Location sharing
  • Anonymous reporting option
  • Direct call to transit police
  • Be On the Look Out (BOLO) alerts
Features
Read full description

BART Watch: Free Security App for Riders. The BART Watch App offers the public a quick and discreet method for reporting suspicious activity directly to BART Police. The app can send pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious people or activities. From the home screen, users have two easy options for contacting BART Police: * The “Report a Problem” button allows users to send text or photos directly to BART Police. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. When reporting an issue, users can select locations and report categories to assist BART Police. Riders can also send reports anonymously if they chose. * The “Call BART Police” button will connect customers directly to BART Police. The application is designed for BART. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also designed to send text messages before pictures so that BART Police can get app reports as quickly as possible. Additional Features BOLO (Be On the Look Out) Alerts. BOLO Alerts on the BART Watch App may display alerts from BART Police about specific persons of interest. For example, BART Watch may display information about a missing person or child, such as where they were last seen. If you see a person from a BOLO, immediately call 911 and send an app report to BART Police discreetly. Help keep BART safe, "See something, Say something."

About

Backyard Explorer

Discover the history and hidden stories of your surroundings with an audio guide that automatically narrates as you walk. Explore different historical perspectives and unlock new content through optional subscriptions.

Highlights
  • Automatic GPS-triggered audio narration
  • Multiple themed walking tours
  • Interactive map that reveals as you explore
  • Live narration for real-world events
  • Museum collection tours
  • User-published and discoverable routes
  • Personal exploration log and achievements
Features
Read full description

Backyard turns any walk into a story. Wherever you are, a talking tree guide narrates real, fact-checked history and hidden stories about the exact block you're standing on, triggered automatically as you walk. No planning, no searching, no tapping through a list of stops. Just walk, and listen. SAME STREETS, FIVE DIFFERENT WALKS Pick a mood before you start, and hear the same city told a completely different way: Time Machine: what this spot looked like decades ago Hidden City: secrets hiding in plain sight Dark Side: unsolved mysteries and dark history Behind the Scenes: film locations and celebrity history Unfiltered: raw, funny, opinionated, like walking with a local friend who knows everything A MAP YOU HAVE TO EARN The map starts completely dark. Nothing shows, not a street, not a pin, until you've actually walked there. Every step you take reveals it for good. Other explorers' published routes stay invisible too, until you've personally discovered that exact spot yourself, so your map becomes a real record of your own exploration. REAL-WORLD EVENTS, NARRATED LIVE Backyard Events ties narration to real runs, parades, and festivals happening right now. Walk into an event's zone and the story shifts to be about what's actually happening around you, not just the block's usual history. MUSEUM TOURS GPS doesn't work indoors, so museum collections get their own kind of tour: fixed, narrated stops through a real museum's own collection, starting with The Metropolitan Museum of Art, advanced with a tap whenever you're ready for the next piece. DISCOVER AND REPLAY Browse routes other explorers have published and walk them yourself, hearing their original narration play back as you retrace their steps. Publish your own walks for others to discover. YOUR OWN EXPLORATION LOG Every walk is saved: distance, duration, and the story behind every stop, so you can relive it anytime. Track tours completed, distance walked, cities visited, and badges earned along the way. BACKYARD EXPLORER (OPTIONAL) Unlock Dark Side, Behind the Scenes, and Unfiltered moods, Dramatic and Warm narration voices, a higher daily story limit, and the ability to ask a question out loud anywhere on your walk. Backyard is free to download and use. Backyard Explorer is an optional subscription (monthly or annual) for anyone who wants more. Every street has a story. Go find it. Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/ Privacy Policy: https://backyardexplorer.org/privacy

Screenshots

BART Watch3 screens
Backyard Explorer4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Backyard Explorer at 5.0 against BART Watch's 4.4. Backyard Explorer also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 3 months). BART Watch's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (2.9K vs 1). On price, ads 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. Backyard Explorer sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. BART Watch asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Backyard Explorer holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART Watch has 2.9K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, Backyard Explorer fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
BART Watch versus Backyard Explorer: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBART WatchBackyard Explorer
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (2.9K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings2.9K — better1
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsFortnightly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree — betterFreemium
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.1
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB62 MB
Age rating4+9+
DeveloperELERTS CorpKELLY LEUNG

Customer experience

BART Watch

All ratings2,797 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive34.8%
Neutral7.9%
Negative57.3%

Backyard Explorer

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

BART Watch

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • had a good connection but unable to upload
  • Can't file a report and a kid is lighting things on fire in the BART car. Obvious the camera doesn't work. Good job!
  • Don't see an option for fare evader

Requested features

2 requests
  • Need a way to report non-police matters too
  • Upload a photo of disruptive behavior

Backyard Explorer

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

BART Watch

No in-app purchases

2 purchases

Backyard Explorer

Subscriptions2
  • Backyard Explorer$4.991 Month
  • Backyard Explorer Annual$39.991 Year

Questions

Is BART Watch free?
BART Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Backyard Explorer free?
Backyard Explorer is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, BART Watch or Backyard Explorer?
Backyard Explorer is rated higher. BART Watch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while Backyard Explorer averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do BART Watch or Backyard Explorer have ads?
Neither BART Watch nor Backyard Explorer shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BART Watch or Backyard Explorer?
BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, and Backyard Explorer fortnightly. Most recently, BART Watch was updated on October 21, 2026 and Backyard Explorer on October 9, 2026.

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