Bluebikes vs Boston Bikes
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Find nearby stations
- Real-time bike/dock availability
- Purchase passes
- Unlock bikes
- Track ride time
- Save favorite stations
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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!
Boston Bikes
This unofficial app displays detailed information about BlueBikes rental stations in Boston. It features an interactive map showing bike and stand availability, your current location, and bike paths. Manage favorite stations, find nearby options, and search for stations by name or address.
- Interactive city map with station locations
- Real-time bike and free stand counts
- Current location tracking and updates
- Favorite station management
- Nearby station finder
- Station search by name, number, or address
- Bike usage timer
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Unofficial application to view detailed information about the stations of the BlueBikes bicycles rental service in Boston. - 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
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Bluebikes at 4.6 against Boston Bikes's 2.5. Bluebikes also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). Boston 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
Both are free to download. Boston Bikes sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Bluebikes asks for nothing beyond the download.
Bluebikes holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bluebikes has 3.2K ratings behind it against 45, 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 19% of Boston Bikes's.
Bluebikes ships an update weekly, Boston Bikes every 4 months. The most recent releases landed on November 11, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Bluebikes | Boston Bikes |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (3.2K ratings) — better | 2.5 (45 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 37.6% of reviews — better | 18.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.2K — better | 45 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #124 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | 12.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 253 MB | 13 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Lyft Bikes and Scooters, LLC | Sergi Palomares Redon |
Customer experience
Bluebikes
Boston Bikes
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
Boston Bikes
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Bluebikes
No in-app purchases
Boston Bikes
- Remove advertisements$6.99
