Metro Transit vs Jefferson Lines
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Metro Transit
Plan your transit trips, view real-time departure information for buses and trains, and purchase mobile tickets directly from your smartphone. This app simplifies navigating public transportation in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.
- Trip Planner
- Real-time departure information (NexTrip)
- Mobile ticket purchasing
- Store multiple tickets
- Secure payment options
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Make transit trips in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area as mobile as you are with the official Metro Transit app. Now you can plan your trip, see departure information for buses and trains, and buy transit tickets all on the go! Just download the free app, create an account with your method of payment, and get moving. The Metro Transit app is a tool to make riding the bus, METRO system and Northstar in the Twin Cities a little bit easier. After you’ve identified your desired trip and transit departure time, you can buy and use Metro Transit mobile tickets right from your smartphone – it’s like having a ticket machine right in your pocket! KEY FEATURES: Find the right bus, light rail, or train for you through the Trip Planner. See the next available bus, light rail, or train for your desired trip with NexTrip. Pay a single fare or multiple fares for a group of riders, and store multiple tickets on your phone for future use. Simply create an account and enter your credit/debit card information in our secure system. If you’re looking to pay with cash, you can use a pre-paid debit card or pre-paid gift card. HOW IT WORKS: 1. SELECT RIDER TYPE: Adult, Senior/Youth/Medicare, Mobility, Family 2. SELECT SERVICE: Local Bus/METRO, Express Bus, or Northstar 3. SELECT: Station for Northstar or time-based fare for Bus/METRO 4. CHECKOUT: Pay with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, pre-paid debit or gift card, or Apple Pay COMMON QUESTIONS: Do I need to be connected? An internet connection is required create an account, sign-in and purchase and activate tickets. What if my battery dies? Just like with paper tickets, you're responsible for making sure you have a valid fare at all times, so be sure to plan ahead! IMPORTANT REMINDERS: • Activate your ticket when you see your bus or train approaching. Your ticket must be activated before boarding a vehicle. • Watch your battery level... Just like with paper tickets, you're responsible for making sure you have a valid fare at all times.
Jefferson Lines
Purchase bus tickets, locate stops, and receive travel alerts directly from your phone. This app offers contactless travel tools to enhance your journey without unnecessary interaction.
- Contactless ticket purchasing
- Locate nearby bus stops
- Monitor travel alerts
- Track your bus in real-time
- Innovative travel tools
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Go Contactless. Easily access innovative travel tools from your phone to assist you while you travel. You can now purchase tickets, find nearby bus stops, monitor travel alerts, track your bus, and more without the unnecessary interaction. Download the Jefferson Lines Mobile App 2.0 for free!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is ads: Metro Transit at none against Jefferson Lines's shown. Metro Transit also leads on update cadence (every 3 months vs every 10 months) and ratings volume (355 vs 30). Jefferson Lines's advantage is rating (1.9 vs 1.6). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases and device support 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.
Jefferson Lines holds the better App Store score, 1.9 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Metro Transit has 355 ratings behind it against 30, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 14% of Metro Transit's written reviews are positive against 9% of Jefferson Lines's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Metro Transit ships an update every 3 months, Jefferson Lines every 10 months. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Metro Transit | Jefferson Lines |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.6 (355 ratings) | 1.9 (30 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 13.9% of reviews — better | 9.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 355 — better | 30 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 10 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 40 MB | 36 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Metropolitan Council | Jefferson Partners L.P. |
Customer experience
Metro Transit
Jefferson Lines
Bugs and requests
Metro Transit
Reported bugs
4 issues- Payment buttons not functioning
- App crashing or getting stuck on loading screens
- Login issues and account problems
- Incompatibility with older devices or OS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Add prompt for first-time users to buy tickets
- Integrate trip planning and schedules into the app
- Allow purchasing multiple tickets at once
- Improve payment flow and reliability
Jefferson Lines
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Metro Transit
No in-app purchases
Jefferson Lines
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Metro Transit free?
Is Jefferson Lines free?
Which has better reviews, Metro Transit or Jefferson Lines?
Do Metro Transit or Jefferson Lines have ads?
Which is updated more often, Metro Transit or Jefferson Lines?
Other comparisons
