Comparison

Live BART vs Arrival BART

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

Head to head
About

Live BART

This app provides real-time BART train departure information, including estimated arrival times, destinations, and platform details. It can locate your nearest station or allow you to select any other BART station to view upcoming departures and train car counts. It also features a trip planner with a "get a seat" mode and an alerts screen for delays.

Highlights
  • Real-time BART departures
  • Nearest station locator
  • Train destination and route color
  • Estimated time until departure
  • Number of cars and platform
  • Trip planner with 'get a seat' mode
  • BART delay and emergency alerts
Features
Read full description

Have you ever tried to catch a train at a BART station, but didn't exactly know when the train was coming? How about guessing how long the train is, only to find out the train was shorter than you thought? If so, then Live BART is for you! Live BART will instantly locate the nearest BART station, and display all the upcoming real-time estimated departures for that station. Additionally, you can also choose to select any other BART station, and get its estimated departures. KEY FEATURES: - Locates your nearest BART station instantly. - Displays real-time estimated departures loaded directly from BART servers. - Shows useful information for upcoming trains: - Destination - Estimated time until departure - Route color - Number of cars - Train Platform - Allows you to select a station by distance or by name - Trip Planner with unique “Get a seat” mode, based on train congestion - Feedback tab to send messages directly to the development team - Alerts screen to view BART delays and emergencies SERVICE REQUIREMENTS: - Location Services - A working internet connection DISCLAIMERS and DATA DISTRIBUTION LIABILITY STATEMENT Jonajo Consulting LLC, the owner and producer of Live BART, shall not be held liable for improper or incorrect use of the data described and/or contained herein. The information contained in these data is dynamic and may change over time. The data are not better than the original sources from which they were derived (http://api.bart.gov/docs/etd/etd.aspx). It is the responsibility of the data user to use the data appropriately and consistent within the limitations of real-time estimated departure data in general and these data in particular. Jonajo Consulting LLC gives no warranty, expressed or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability, or completeness of these data. Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. By using the Live BART application, you agree to these terms and conditions.

About

Arrival BART

Get real-time train predictions and plan your journeys with this intuitive transit app. It offers fast access to essential BART information, including transfer details and alerts, all without ads or data collection.

Highlights
  • Real-time train predictions
  • Intuitive user interface
  • Detailed stop information
  • Trip planner with suggestions
  • BART alerts for delays
  • Intelligent station search
  • Siri Shortcuts integration
Read full description

Arrival is the beautiful and clean BART app for commuters. With an interface that is easy and intuitive to use, you get access to real-time train predictions for the station nearest to you from the moment you launch it. This fast experience quickly gets you access to the information you need without excess tapping and visual clutter and allows you to quickly see detailed information (where to transfer, transfer windows, and train colors) for any stop. Key Features: * FAST One of Arrival's best features is that it is fast. Really fast. It loads the information you need quickly and without any extra steps. This allows you to take BART throughout the San Francisco Bay Area with ease. * Trip Planner Arrival's trip planner allows you to plan trips to stations ahead of time. It will even provide suggestions of potential arrival and departure times. * BART Alerts Arrival displays BART warnings in real time to help you avoid delays. * Station Search Arrival has an intelligent station search algorithm that uses on-device machine learning to provide you with relevant results. * Siri Shortcuts Use Siri Shortcuts to automate Arrival. * Machine Learning Arrival uses on-device machine learning throughout the system to provide intelligent suggestions and speed up your experience. * NO ADs Arrival has zero ads or clutter. It's just the BART information you need. * Private & Secure Arrival intentionally does not collect identifiable information. It processes as much data as it can on device. Additionally, it does not sell or share information with 3rd party advertisers. Arrival is an unofficial BART app. BART is the trademark of the San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District. Arrival's data comes from the BART developer program under the respective license.

Screenshots

Live BART4 screens
Arrival BART4 screens

Verdict

The call

Live BART and Arrival BART both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 92% of Arrival BART's written reviews are positive against 50% of Live BART's. Live BART's advantage is ratings volume (2.1K vs 21) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.0). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for Live BART against 4.7 for Arrival BART. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Live BART has 2.1K ratings behind it against 21, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 50% of Live BART's written reviews are positive against 92% of Arrival BART's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Live BART ships an update every 6 weeks, Arrival BART every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 20, 2026 and June 4, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
Live BART versus Arrival BART: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterLive BARTArrival BART
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (2.1K ratings)4.7 (21 ratings) — better
Positive reviews50.0% of reviews92.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.1K — better21
Update frequencyEvery 6 weeksEvery 3 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac
Requires iOS13.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB3 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperJonajo Consulting LLCRonan Furuta

Customer experience

Live BART

All ratings2,059 ratings
Positive91.4%
Neutral3.3%
Negative5.4%
Written reviews40 reviews
Positive50.0%
Neutral2.5%
Negative47.5%

Arrival BART

All ratings21 ratings
Positive90.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative9.5%
Written reviews13 reviews
Positive92.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative7.7%

Bugs and requests

Live BART

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Departure times not updating correctly
  • App crashing or freezing
  • Incorrect station listings and locations

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add support for Antioch and Pittsburg/Bay Point eBART stations
  • Implement widgets for quick departure time access
  • Allow customization of favorite stations or commute routes
  • Improve Apple Watch app performance and features

Arrival BART

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Live BART

No in-app purchases

None

Arrival BART

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Live BART free?
Live BART is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Arrival BART free?
Arrival BART is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Live BART or Arrival BART?
Arrival BART is rated higher. Live BART averages 4.6 out of 5 from 2.1K ratings, while Arrival BART averages 4.7 from 21 ratings.
Do Live BART or Arrival BART have ads?
Neither Live BART nor Arrival BART shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Live BART or Arrival BART?
Live BART ships an update every 6 weeks, and Arrival BART every 3 weeks. Most recently, Live BART was updated on September 20, 2026 and Arrival BART on June 4, 2026.

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