Comparison

MobileMeter vs Metra Times

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

Head to head
About

MobileMeter

Easily pay for on-street parking directly from your iPhone or iPad. Access your parking history, charges, and profile information through a secure website, and print reports.

Highlights
  • Pay for on-street parking
  • Use iPhone or iPad
  • Access secure website
  • View parking charges
  • Access parking history
  • Print reports
Features
Read full description

MobileMeter provides an easy way to pay for on-street parking using your iPhone or iPad. You can also login to our secure website to access parking charges, history, profile information and print reports.  Registration with us is free and you are never under an obligation to use our system once you join. If there are ways we can help make your life easier as you're taking the key from the ignition, please let us know!

About

Metra Times

This app provides live departure times for all Metra train lines in the Chicago region. Users can favorite routes for quick access, track trains with live updates on their lock screen, and receive notifications before their stop.

Highlights
  • Live departure board for all Metra lines
  • Lock screen train tracking with Live Activity
  • Favorite routes for personalized boards
  • Full schedule browser
  • Real-time service alerts
  • Get-off notifications
Features
Read full description

Metra Times is a fast, clean way to see when your next Metra train leaves: a live departure board for every Metra line in the Chicago region. Build a board around how you actually commute. Favorite the routes you ride and they're one tap away, with live status the moment you open the app. FEATURES • Live departure board for all Metra lines • Network map: see every Metra line and tap any station for live departures • Track a train and watch it on your Lock Screen. A Live Activity counts down to arrival and advances stop by stop as the train moves, even with your phone locked • Favorite the trips you ride for a board that's all yours. Where two lines serve the same trip, you see both together • Full schedule browser: pick any line, station pair, and date • Real-time service alerts • Dynamic Island support • Choose your look: a clean classic board or a split-flap departure-board theme • Get-off alerts: be notified N stops before your destination, even when your phone is locked • Precise on-board tracking (optional): once you confirm you're riding, your phone's location makes get-off alerts more reliable and can detect boarding automatically PRIVATE BY DESIGN No account. No ads. No tracking. Your data stays on your device and isn't collected or shared. Metra Times is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Metra or the Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad. Schedule and real-time information come from Metra's public data feeds.

Screenshots

MobileMeter4 screens
Metra Times4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Metra Times at every 4 days against MobileMeter's every 30 months. MobileMeter's advantage is ratings volume (702 vs 4) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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 — 4.5 for MobileMeter against 4.5 for Metra Times. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MobileMeter has 702 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MobileMeter ships an update every 30 months, Metra Times every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on September 14, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
MobileMeter versus Metra Times: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMobileMeterMetra Times
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (702 ratings) — better4.5 (4 ratings)
Positive reviews34.3% of reviews—
Number of ratings702 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 30 monthsEvery 4 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size41 MB4 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCity of ChampaignSean McCauley

Customer experience

MobileMeter

All ratings661 ratings
Positive87.9%
Neutral1.8%
Negative10.3%
Written reviews67 reviews
Positive34.3%
Neutral10.4%
Negative55.2%

Metra Times

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

MobileMeter

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Crashes on launch
  • Doesn't work on latest iOS
  • Parking time not reflected on meter

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add Apple Watch app
  • Allow early parking session end
  • Improve UI and UX
  • Add QR code scanning for parking spots

Metra Times

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MobileMeter

No in-app purchases

None

Metra Times

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MobileMeter free?
MobileMeter is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Metra Times free?
Metra Times is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MobileMeter or Metra Times?
MobileMeter is rated higher. MobileMeter averages 4.5 out of 5 from 702 ratings, while Metra Times averages 4.5 from 4 ratings.
Do MobileMeter or Metra Times have ads?
Neither MobileMeter nor Metra Times shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MobileMeter or Metra Times?
MobileMeter ships an update every 30 months, and Metra Times every 4 days. Most recently, MobileMeter was updated on September 14, 2026 and Metra Times on September 24, 2026.

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