Comparison

Zum vs First View

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

Head to head
About

Zum

This app allows parents to easily track and manage their child's school transportation in real-time. Parents can view driver and vehicle details, receive notifications, and communicate specific instructions or changes to drivers. It aims to provide a flexible, efficient, and transparent student transportation experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time ride tracking
  • Driver and vehicle profiles
  • Pickup and dropoff notifications
  • Driver instruction input
  • Ride feedback
  • Cancel or change rides
Features
Read full description

Zūm is bringing flexible, efficient, connected and sustainable student transportation to school districts, communities and families across the United States. We know that families are incredibly busy, so we’ve made Zūm easy for parents to track and manage their child’s school rides. With our app parents can: - Quickly view driver and vehicle profiles. - Track the location of vehicles and your child’s ride progression in real-time. - Receive pickup and dropoff notifications. - Provide specific instructions for your child’s driver. - Leave feedback about the driver or your child’s experience on the ride. - Easily communicate changes or cancel a ride if a child is sick or absent. Our drivers go through a rigorous selection and vetting process, while our app provides full transparency to eliminate the chaos and anxiety of getting students to and from school everyday. Want to learn more or ask a question? Visit us at https://ridezum.com

About

First View

This app helps K-12 parents and caregivers monitor their student's school commute. It provides real-time vehicle tracking, trip updates, and instant notifications for a stress-free transportation experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time vehicle location tracking
  • Monitor multiple students and transportation types
  • Access trip details and updates
  • Receive instant notifications and service alerts
  • Set up custom alerts for family members
  • Dedicated customer support
Features
Read full description

For K-12 parents and caregivers, we understand the importance of a stress-free school commute for your student. That's why we've developed FirstView, our easy-to-use vehicle tracking app. FirstView allows you to plan your day and stay connected with your student's trips, regardless of the type of vehicle your student travels in. With FirstView: - See real-time vehicle location and track its progress - Easily monitor multiple students, including yellow school bus and special/alternative transportation journeys - Quickly access updates and vehicle details for each trip - Receive instant notifications and service alerts from your district - Set up family members and caregivers to receive customizable trip update alerts - Dedicated customer support at your fingertips

Screenshots

Zum4 screens
First View4 screens

Verdict

The call

Zum and First View are too close to call on the numbers: across 10 compared parameters — price, rating, review sentiment and ratings volume among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.

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 — 4.8 for Zum against 4.8 for First View. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.6K and 21K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 35% of Zum's written reviews are positive against 40% of First View's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Zum ships an update every 2 weeks, First View monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

ScorecardNo meaningful differences
Zum versus First View: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterZumFirst View
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.6K ratings)4.8 (21K ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.7% of reviews40.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.6K21K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size112 MB46 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperZum Services, Inc.Firstgroup America Inc

Customer experience

Zum

All ratings7,581 ratings
Positive94.3%
Neutral1.3%
Negative4.4%
Written reviews144 reviews
Positive34.7%
Neutral4.2%
Negative61.1%

First View

All ratings19,818 ratings
Positive95.3%
Neutral2.6%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews195 reviews
Positive40.0%
Neutral8.7%
Negative51.3%

Bugs and requests

Zum

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

First View

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Routes disappearing from app
  • Login and password reset problems
  • Glitchy user interface

Requested features

3 requests
  • Estimated time of arrival for bus
  • Simpler setup and configuration
  • Consistent performance across all users

In-app purchases

None

Zum

No in-app purchases

None

First View

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Zum free?
Zum is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is First View free?
First View is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Zum or First View?
First View is rated higher. Zum averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.6K ratings, while First View averages 4.8 from 21K ratings.
Do Zum or First View have ads?
Neither Zum nor First View shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Zum or First View?
Zum ships an update every 2 weeks, and First View monthly. Most recently, Zum was updated on October 24, 2026 and First View on October 25, 2026.

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