Comparison

Ventra vs VIA goMobile+

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

Head to head
About

Ventra

Manage your public transit fares and tickets for Chicago's CTA, Metra, and Pace services. Load value, buy Metra mobile tickets, and access real-time arrival information all in one place. Add your Ventra Card to your iPhone for seamless travel.

Highlights
  • Manage Ventra Card balance and passes
  • Load value and passes to Ventra Card
  • Buy Metra mobile tickets
  • Real-time CTA, Metra, Pace arrivals
  • Add Ventra Card to Apple Wallet
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Ride CTA, Metra & Pace with Ventra: Manage your fares, buy Metra mobile tickets, get arrivals and add your Ventra Card for riding CTA and Pace to iPhone and Apple Wallet. Use transit in and around all of Chicago: It's easy to manage and pay your fare on CTA, Metra and Pace buses and trains with the Ventra app. Find all the features you're used to on the Ventra website and more, including mobile ticketing for Metra trains! With the Ventra app, you can: • Check your balance and available passes in your Ventra Card's transit account. • Instantly load value or passes to your Ventra Card's transit account. • Switch autoload for transit value or passes on and off. • Buy and use Metra mobile tickets to ride any Metra train. • Use transit value you've loaded to buy a Metra ticket. • Get real-time account notifications so you know when it's time to load more fare or buy more tickets. • Get real-time arrival/departure information from CTA, Metra and Pace all in one app—by picking a stop, using favorites or looking at service near where you're standing.

About

VIA goMobile+

Purchase and activate transit fares instantly on your smartphone. Store multiple tickets, use various payment methods, and enjoy touchless boarding. Access trip planning and next bus information easily.

Highlights
  • Purchase and activate fares instantly
  • Store multiple tickets on phone
  • Use Apple Pay, Visa, Mastercard
  • Add funds with cash at retailers
  • Touchless payment
  • Trip planning and next bus info
  • Available in English and Spanish
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

VIA goMobile+ is VIA Metropolitan Transit’s mobile-ticketing app, available for smartphones. Purchase fares on the go for easy, fast boarding. There are never additional fees to purchase VIA products through your goMobile+ app. It’s the way to go! Benefits • Stop worrying about misplaced or expired passes. Buy and activate VIA fares and passes instantly on your phone. • Use Apple Pay, Visa, Mastercard for purchases and set up an optional account to make future visits faster. Add funds to your account using cash at retailers. • Store multiple tickets on your phone for future activation. • Touchless payment is safe and quick. • Take your tickets with you when you upgrade your phone. • Quick links to trip planning and Next Bus information at your fingertips anytime. • Available in English and Spanish.

Screenshots

Ventra4 screens
VIA goMobile+4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: VIA goMobile+ at 2.7 against Ventra's 1.8. Ventra's advantage is ratings volume (3.3K vs 68). On price, review sentiment, 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

VIA goMobile+ holds the better App Store score, 2.7 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ventra has 3.3K ratings behind it against 68, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 8% of Ventra's written reviews are positive against 14% of VIA goMobile+'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
Ventra versus VIA goMobile+: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVentraVIA goMobile+
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.8 (3.3K ratings)2.7 (68 ratings) — better
Positive reviews7.7% of reviews14.3% of reviews — better
Number of ratings3.3K — better68
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank#96 — better#209
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS13.0 — better14.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB73 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChicago Transit AuthorityVIA Metropolitan Transit

Customer experience

Ventra

All ratings3,278 ratings
Positive18.4%
Neutral4.1%
Negative77.5%
Written reviews494 reviews
Positive7.7%
Neutral4.9%
Negative87.4%

VIA goMobile+

All ratings68 ratings
Positive36.8%
Neutral10.3%
Negative52.9%
Written reviews21 reviews
Positive14.3%
Neutral14.3%
Negative71.4%

Bugs and requests

Ventra

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Purchase button not working on iPhones
  • Favorites list glitches and resets
  • Inconsistent and unreliable ticket display
  • Frequent app crashes and login issues
  • Payment processing failures and lost funds

Requested features

5 requests
  • Add ability to manage Ventra cards and balances
  • Improve real-time transit tracking and notifications
  • Allow saving of favorite routes and stations
  • Integrate with Apple Wallet for easier access
  • Provide more transparent and user-friendly payment options

VIA goMobile+

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Ventra

No in-app purchases

None

VIA goMobile+

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Ventra free?
Ventra is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is VIA goMobile+ free?
VIA goMobile+ is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Ventra or VIA goMobile+?
VIA goMobile+ is rated higher. Ventra averages 1.8 out of 5 from 3.3K ratings, while VIA goMobile+ averages 2.7 from 68 ratings.
Do Ventra or VIA goMobile+ have ads?
Neither Ventra nor VIA goMobile+ shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Ventra or VIA goMobile+?
Ventra ships an update every 4 months, and VIA goMobile+ every 4 months. Most recently, Ventra was updated on September 23, 2026 and VIA goMobile+ on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Ventra or VIA goMobile+?
Ventra currently peaks at #96 in the App Store charts, and VIA goMobile+ at #209. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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