SMART eTickets vs Clipper Card
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SMART eTickets
Purchase and use train tickets instantly on your phone with a debit or credit card. Register securely and buy single or round-trip tickets, with discounts for eligible passengers. Store, activate, and display tickets for easy travel.
- Instant ticket purchase
- Debit/credit card payment
- Discounted fares for youth, seniors, and disabled
- Group ticket payment
- Store multiple tickets
- Activate tickets before boarding
- Transfer tickets to new devices
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The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) eTickets app allows you to purchase and use tickets instantly on your phone using a debit or credit card. Simply download the free app, register your e-mail address in our secure system and you're ready to ride. With the SMART Train Mobile Tickets app, you can: · Purchase one-way or round-trip tickets · Receive a discounted fare if you qualify as: Youth (5 -18), Senior (65 & Older) or a passenger with disabilities · Pay a single fare or multiple fares for a group of riders · Store multiple tickets on your phone for future use · Activate tickets · Register your debit/credit card in our secure system IMPORTANT REMINDERS: · You need an account to use mobile tickets. An account only requires an email & password · Once you purchase your ticket it will appear in your "ticket wallet" · Activate your ticket shortly before boarding the SMART Train · If you purchased multiple tickets remember to activate all of them. Tickets are displayed in order of activation. Swipe to advance to the next ticket · Be prepared to show your active ticket(s) to SMART personnel · Keep an eye on your battery level. You are held responsible for having a mobile phone in good working order and usable prior to boarding. If your mobile phone is inoperable you must use some other payment method for the journey · Mobile tickets do not need cell phone or WiFi services to be activated. However, you do need connectivity during the purchase of the ticket. · Mobile tickets are valid for 90 minutes after activation · Mobile tickets that have been purchased, but not activated, will expire after 30 days · Transfer credits are not available via the SMART mobile ticket app · If you lose or purchase a new device you can transfer any valid, unused tickets to a new device. SMART POLICY ON REFUNDS: · Generally, SMART does not issue refunds on mobile products · In the case of extenuating circumstances, customers can submit a refund request · Refund form can be found on: www.SonomaMarinTrain.org
Clipper Card
Manage your transit card for contactless fare payments across the San Francisco Bay Area. Load value, plan trips with real-time information, and pay fares directly from your iPhone or Apple Watch.
- Pay fares with Clipper in Apple Pay
- Manage transit accounts
- Load cash value and transit passes
- Plan trips with real-time info
- Add/transfer cards to Apple Wallet
- View account activity
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The Clipper app is here! - Pay your fares with Clipper in Apple Pay - Manage your account(s) - Load cash value and transit passes - Plan your trips Clipper is the all-in-one transit card used for contactless fare payments throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The new Clipper app lets you manage your Clipper account from your iPhone—add value, view your history, and plan your trip! Download the Clipper app today! Pay with Your iPhone or Apple Watch The Clipper app gives you step-by-step instructions for setting up a new Clipper card or transferring an existing Clipper card to your Apple Wallet. Manage Your Account The Clipper app gives you the same account access as the website, but on your iPhone! You can register a new card, load cash value and transit passes, set up Autoload, view your recent activity, and other features. Sign in and out of multiple Clipper accounts in the Clipper app to manage a card on behalf of someone else. Plan Your Trip The Clipper app has real-time transit information and helpful trip planning tools to make getting around the Bay easy! You can view nearby transit options and routes, get real-time travel and arrival information, and save your favorite locations, stops, and stations. By downloading this app, you agree to and accept the terms of the Clipper Mobile Application License Agreement (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/mobile-application-agreement.html) and the Clipper Privacy Policy (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/privacy.html). Clipper serves 24 transit services in the San Francisco Bay Area: AC Transit BART Caltrain City Coach County Connection Dumbarton Express FAST Golden Gate Ferry Golden Gate Transit Marin Transit Muni Petaluma Transit SamTrans San Francisco Bay Ferry Santa Rosa CityBus SMART SolTrans Sonoma County Transit Tri Delta Transit Union City Transit Vine VTA WestCAT Wheels By downloading this app, you agree to and accept the terms of the Clipper Mobile Application License Agreement (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/mobile-application-agreement.html) and the Clipper Privacy Policy (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/privacy.html).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Clipper Card at 3.8 against SMART eTickets's 3.1. Clipper Card also leads on ratings volume (12K vs 36) and chart position (#125 vs unranked). SMART eTickets's advantage is review sentiment (22% vs 3%). On price, update cadence, 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.
Clipper Card holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clipper Card has 12K ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 22% of SMART eTickets's written reviews are positive against 3% of Clipper Card's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
SMART eTickets ships an update every 4 months, Clipper Card every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and November 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SMART eTickets | Clipper Card |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.1 (36 ratings) | 3.8 (12K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 22.2% of reviews — better | 2.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 36 | 12K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #125 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 14.0 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 71 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit | Metropolitan Transportation Commission |
Customer experience
SMART eTickets
Clipper Card
Bugs and requests
SMART eTickets
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Clipper Card
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes and crashes frequently
- Card balances not updating properly
- Issues with adding cards to Apple Wallet
- Inconsistent behavior when loading funds
Requested features
5 requests- Improve real-time sync of card balance and transactions
- Streamline process to cancel auto-load and transfer balances
- Provide better customer support and communication
- Enhance security features for lost/stolen cards
- Eliminate unnecessary fees
In-app purchases
SMART eTickets
No in-app purchases
Clipper Card
No in-app purchases
