Comparison

Bluebikes vs Washington Bikes

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

Head to head
About

Bluebikes

This app provides access to a public bike share system in Metro-Boston. Users can find nearby stations, check bike and dock availability in real-time, purchase passes, and unlock bikes for convenient, one-way travel. It's ideal for commutes, errands, and exploring the city.

Highlights
  • Find nearby stations
  • Real-time bike/dock availability
  • Purchase passes
  • Unlock bikes
  • Track ride time
  • Save favorite stations
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Bluebikes is metro-Boston’s public bike share system. With thousands of bikes available 24/7 at hundreds of stations throughout Metro-Boston, Bluebikes is one of the most popular bike shares in the country. Use the app to find your closest station and purchase a pass. Then unlock one of Bluebikes' safe, sturdy, easy to ride bikes, and get riding right away. When you’re done riding, simply return the bike to an available dock at any station in the network. The app will show you all station locations, with real-time bike and dock availability, and you can save your favorites for later reference. Tap a station pin or location and the app will show you the best route to get there. Ideal for one-way trips, commutes to work or school, running errands, meeting friends for dinner, going to a game, or just cruising around metro-Boston to see the sights. All trips under 45 minutes are included for members (the app will track your time for you). Take as many rides as you want during the term of your pass. Enjoy the ride!

About

Washington Bikes

This app displays detailed information about Capital Bikeshare stations, including bike and stand availability on a city map. It offers features like station search, favorites, and a usage timer, with support for multiple languages.

Highlights
  • Interactive city map with station locations
  • Real-time bike and stand availability
  • Station search by number, name, or address
  • Favorite stations list
  • Closest stations finder
  • Bike usage timer
  • Multi-language support
Features
Read full description

Unofficial app to view detailed information about the stations of the Capital Bikeshare bike rental service in Washington. - Map of the city with the position of stations showing the number of bikes and the free stands for each station. It includes also the BIKE PATH. - You can click on a station directly on the map to expand its information. - The map also shows your current position and it updates when you move. - List of favorite stations categorized by groups (home, work, friends or general). - List of stations closest to you according to your current position. - List of all stations. - Search engine for stations by number, name of station or address in all lists. - Timer to see the duration of bike use. - Several languages available (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan). * Unofficial app: Use your user card to unlock a bike.

Screenshots

Bluebikes4 screens
Washington Bikes4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Bluebikes at 4.5 against Washington Bikes's 2.0. Bluebikes also leads on review sentiment (38% vs 0%) and in-app purchases (none vs 1). Washington Bikes's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 17.0). On price and monetization model 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. Washington Bikes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bluebikes asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Bluebikes holds the better App Store score, 4.5 against 2.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebikes has 3K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 38% of Bluebikes's written reviews are positive against 0% of Washington Bikes's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Bluebikes ships an update weekly, Washington Bikes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard9 real differences · 2 level
Bluebikes versus Washington Bikes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBluebikesWashington Bikes
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.5 (3K ratings) — better2.0 (3 ratings)
Positive reviews37.6% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings3K — better3
Update frequencyWeekly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#65 — better—
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS17.012.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size251 MB13 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperLyft Bikes and Scooters, LLCSergi Palomares Redon

Customer experience

Bluebikes

All ratings2,966 ratings
Positive88.4%
Neutral1.3%
Negative10.2%
Written reviews189 reviews
Positive37.6%
Neutral3.7%
Negative58.7%

Washington Bikes

All ratings3 ratings
Positive33.3%
Neutral0.0%
Negative66.7%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

Bugs and requests

Bluebikes

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Inability to log in or create account
  • Incorrect bike and dock availability information
  • Unreliable bike locking and unlocking
  • Unexpected charges and billing issues
  • App crashes and freezes

Requested features

5 requests
  • Improved bike and dock availability tracking
  • Better route planning and navigation
  • Integration with Apple Health/Fitness apps
  • Ability to report issues with bikes and docks
  • More user-friendly app interface

Washington Bikes

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Bluebikes

No in-app purchases

1 purchases

Washington Bikes

One-time1
  • Remove advertisements$6.99

Questions

Is Bluebikes free?
Bluebikes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Washington Bikes free?
Washington Bikes is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Bluebikes or Washington Bikes?
Bluebikes is rated higher. Bluebikes averages 4.5 out of 5 from 3K ratings, while Washington Bikes averages 2.0 from 3 ratings.
Do Bluebikes or Washington Bikes have ads?
Washington Bikes shows ads; Bluebikes does not.
Which is updated more often, Bluebikes or Washington Bikes?
Bluebikes ships an update weekly, and Washington Bikes every 4 months. Most recently, Bluebikes was updated on October 29, 2026 and Washington Bikes on October 19, 2026.

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