Ventra vs Illinois Tollway
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- 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
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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.
Illinois Tollway
Manage your I-PASS account or pay unpaid tolls directly from your smartphone. Easily handle missed tolls for rented or borrowed vehicles by adding your plate information within 14 days of travel to avoid fines. Enroll in or manage your I-PASS account with notifications and online management.
- Pay unpaid tolls
- Manage I-PASS accounts
- Enroll in I-PASS
- Use Pay By Plate service
- Add plate for missed tolls
- Manage rental/borrowed vehicle tolls
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Safely and securely pay unpaid tolls or enroll and manage your I-PASS account or Pay By Plate service directly from your smartphone. - Already miss a toll? No transponder? No problem. Simply add your plate, payment information for up to 14 days after your initial travel to avoid fines and fees. TIP - If you’ve already traveled, be sure to backdate your plate information to reflect your beginning date of travel. -Are you an I-PASS customer, or looking to enroll? You can now enroll in or manage your account right from the Tollway’s app. You’ll receive account notification, and will be able to manage your entire account online. Get started today! - Renting or Borrowing a Vehicle? If you’re in a rented, borrowed or temporary vehicle without an I-PASS or E-ZPass transponder, Pay By Plate is right for you. Simply enter the plate, payment and dates and times of travel within 14 days of your initial travel and you’re all set. - Already a Pay By Plate customer? Login right from the app to manage your service. Simply download the app and log in today!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Illinois Tollway at 4.4 against Ventra's 1.9. Illinois Tollway also leads on ratings volume (162K vs 3.5K) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). Ventra's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). On price, review sentiment, 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Illinois Tollway holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Illinois Tollway has 162K ratings behind it against 3.5K, 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 13% of Illinois Tollway's.
Ventra ships an update every 3 months, Illinois Tollway every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 13, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ventra | Illinois Tollway |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (3.5K ratings) | 4.4 (162K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 8.2% of reviews | 13.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 3.5K | 162K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #104 — better | #165 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 87 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chicago Transit Authority | Illinois State Toll Highway Authority |
Customer experience
Ventra
Illinois Tollway
User reviews
Ventra
From 3.5K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient for transit
- 🚀 Helpful for visitors
- 🚀 Reliable payment processing
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🐛 Inaccurate arrival/departure times
- 🐛 Confusing user interface
- 🐛 Unreliable login and account management
- 🐛 Payment issues and declined transactions
Illinois Tollway
From 162K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless
- 🚀 Easy download
- 👍 Nice overview of account
Room to improve
- 🐛 Doesn't work
- 🐛 Crashes
- 🐛 Glitches
- 🐛 Inaccurate charges
- 🐛 Confusing
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
Illinois Tollway
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login issues
- Incorrect credit card information
- Delayed toll charge updates
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to filter activity by transponder
- Improved notification system for tolls
- Better integration between Pay by Plate and I-Pass
- Streamlined payment process
- Enhanced user interface and navigation
In-app purchases
Ventra
No in-app purchases
Illinois Tollway
No in-app purchases
