Waymo vs TAP LA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Waymo
Request autonomous rides in select territories with a fully electric fleet. Customize your journey with temperature and music controls, and enjoy a safe, reliable, and eco-friendly transportation experience.
- Request autonomous rides
- Ride scheduling
- Customize ride temperature and music
- Easy door unlock via Bluetooth
- Share trip status
- Multi-stop trips
- All-electric fleet
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Get there with The World’s Most Experienced Driver™ Waymo is on a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver, making it safer, more accessible, and more sustainable to get around—without the need for anyone in the driver’s seat. REQUEST AUTONOMOUS RIDES Ready to ride in any of our existing territories? Download the Waymo app and enter your destination to request your first ride. HOW IT WORKS Once requested, the Waymo car will pick you up from your current location; all you have to do is hop in, sit back, and buckle up. To begin your trip, tap “Start Ride” on the in-car passenger screen where you can also see what the Waymo Driver sees and contact Rider Support at any time. DESIGNED WITH YOU IN MIND Waymo offers the freedom of having a car to yourself without the stress of driving or parking. Day or night, you can request fully autonomous rides that are safe, clean, reliable, and customizable. Whether it’s picking the perfect temperature or streaming your favorite playlists, each ride empowers you to make it your own. MEET THE WORLD’S MOST EXPERIENCED DRIVER™ Waymo is The World’s Most Experienced Driver™ with millions of miles of experience and a proven safety track record. Every car in our all-electric fleet is operated by the Waymo Driver, an autonomous driving technology built with safety at heart. Its real-time visibility gives the Waymo Driver the capability to navigate and adapt with ease. Supported by a multilayered suite of sensors—including cameras, radar, and lidar—our systems maintain a constant 360°-view of the car’s surroundings ensuring road safety for all. YOUR RIDE, EVERY TIME. EXPLORE FEATURES Ride scheduling • Set pick up times up to one hour in advance and we’ll be there to get you. Pick the perfect vibe • Adjust temperature and select tunes all through the Waymo app or in-car screen display. Easy door unlock • Only you can unlock your ride—use Bluetooth to unlock your ride automatically as soon as you’re near. Adjust settings via the My Car Tab in the Waymo app. Share your trip • Share live arrival times with friends and family while en route. Trunk space • Store your belongings with ample trunk space. Upon exiting the car, the trunk will automatically open to ensure nothing’s left behind. Multi-stop • Add multiple destinations to your ride anytime—up to 4 per trip. Or, pull over any time with the tap of a button using the Waymo app or in-car screen. Eco-friendly • Do right by the planet when you ride with our all-electric fleet. The Waymo app is available for download in: • Australia • Canada • France • Germany • Great Britain (UK) • India • Italy • Japan • Mexico • New Zealand • Poland • Singapore • United States of America
TAP LA
Pay for transit fares across Los Angeles with your mobile device. This app allows you to purchase passes, manage multiple cards, and use touchless payment on numerous bus and train systems. It also offers trip planning and access to multimodal programs.
- Touchless payment
- Add TAP card to iPhone/Apple Watch
- Purchase transit passes
- Manage multiple TAP cards
- Add TAP card to Apple Wallet
- Trip planning tools
- Reduced fare support
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Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority ("LACMTA"), a government agency, is the owner and developer of this app. TAP is your ticket to ride transit in greater Los Angeles! It is accepted on 27 systems including LA Metro, providing a vast network of buses and trains. - Make your travel safe and easy with touchless payment and card management. - Add a new TAP card to your iPhone and Apple Watch and use your fare immediately. - Use your iPhone (8 and above) and Apple Watch (Series 3 and above) to tap with Apple Pay when boarding a bus or train. - Enjoy flexible payment options including credit/debit cards, account cash and Apple Pay. - Purchase a transit pass or Stored Value for any agency in Los Angeles County. - Manage multiple cards in your TAP account (iPhone 5 and above). - Add your TAP card to Apple Wallet, enable Express Transit and quickly tap and pay when you board. You don't even have to wake up your phone! - Supports reduced fares for seniors, students, persons with disabilities and low-income riders. - Transfer a TAP card in your account to your Apple Wallet and leave the plastic at home. - Access multimodal programs such as Metro Bike Share. - Use Trip Tools to plan trips, find nearby transit options, view real-time arrivals and save favorite destinations and stops. - Enjoy the benefits of a TAP account, such as Balance Protection, card management, discounts, promotions, transaction history and friendly customer service. - Accepted on 27 transit systems in LA County including: Angels Flight Railway Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Baldwin Park Transit Beach Cities Transit Burbank Bus Carson Circuit Compton Renaissance Transit System Culver CityBus Foothill Transit Gardena GTRANS Glendale Beeline Glendora Transportation Division Huntington Park Transit Unlimited LA County Department of Public Works LADOT Transit Lawndale Beat Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Long Beach Transit Metro Montebello Bus Lines Monterey Park Spirit Bus Norwalk Transit Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority Pasadena Transit Santa Clarita Transit Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Torrance Transit
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waymo at 83% against TAP LA's 12%. Waymo also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.9) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months). TAP LA's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13 vs 18.0). On price, ads, 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.
Waymo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waymo has 259K ratings behind it against 838, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 83% of Waymo's written reviews are positive against 12% of TAP LA's.
Waymo ships an update fortnightly, TAP LA every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Waymo | TAP LA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (259K ratings) — better | 1.9 (838 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews — better | 11.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 259K — better | 838 |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #6 — better | #197 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 13 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 177 MB | 84 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waymo LLC | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
Customer experience
Waymo
TAP LA
User reviews
Waymo
From 259K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Smooth, safe, and efficient rides
- 👍 Easy to use app
- 🚗 Comfortable and clean vehicles
- 💰 Affordable pricing
- 🎶 Music control in the car
Room to improve
- 🚧 Limited service area
- 🕰️ Longer wait times compared to other ride-sharing
- 🚶♀️ Inconvenient pickup/drop-off locations
- 🤖 Concerns about self-driving reliability
- 📞 Poor customer service
TAP LA
From 838 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Easy to use
- ✨ Convenient digital tap card
- 💳 Ability to load funds
- 🗺️ Trip planning functionality
Room to improve
- 🐛 App crashes and glitches
- 💰 Charges money without adding funds
- ⏱️ Slow load times and processing
- 🤷♀️ Confusing user experience
- 🚫 Doesn't work for tourists/visitors
Bugs and requests
Waymo
Reported bugs
3 issues- App login issues
- Unreliable ride booking and cancellation
- Unexpected route changes during rides
Requested features
4 requests- Expand service area to more cities
- Improve pickup/drop-off locations
- Add Bluetooth connectivity for personal music
- Provide option to contact support during rides
TAP LA
Reported bugs
3 issues- Card registration and activation issues
- Disappearing funds and balances
- Inconsistent app performance
Requested features
4 requests- Allow multiple devices for one account
- Improve reliability of fund loading
- Provide more transparent transaction history
- Integrate with more payment methods
In-app purchases
Waymo
No in-app purchases
TAP LA
No in-app purchases









