Comparison

Waymo vs Valley Metro

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Request autonomous rides
  • Ride scheduling
  • Customize ride temperature and music
  • Easy door unlock via Bluetooth
  • Share trip status
  • Multi-stop trips
  • All-electric fleet
Features
Read full description

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

About

Valley Metro

Plan your transit journeys in metro Phoenix with real-time bus and light rail tracking. Easily manage fares, earn savings with Smart Fare, and receive service alerts for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Smart Fare payment and savings
  • Step-by-step trip planning
  • Real-time bus and light rail location
  • Service alerts and notifications
  • Save favorite stops and routes
  • Account loading and transaction history
Features
Read full description

The Valley Metro app is your tool for taking transit in the metro Phoenix area. Smart Fare makes taking transit even easier – load your account, scan every time you ride and the more you ride, the more you save! You’ll never pay more than the Smart Fare daily, weekly and monthly fare. Trip planning helps you get where you want to go with step-by-step navigation and real-time location for bus and light rail. Features: - Load your account and scan the QR code at the purple fare reader - View your transaction history - Set up autoload or load your account with cash at select retail locations - Plan your trip with step-by-step navigation - Locate your bus or train in real time - Save your favorite stops and routes - Get service alerts and account notifications

Screenshots

Waymo4 screens
Valley Metro4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Waymo at 83% against Valley Metro's 25%. Waymo also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (265K vs 10K). Valley Metro's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (16.6 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Waymo holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Waymo has 265K ratings behind it against 10K, 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 25% of Valley Metro's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Waymo ships an update fortnightly, Valley Metro every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Waymo versus Valley Metro: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterWaymoValley Metro
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (265K ratings) — better4.7 (10K ratings)
Positive reviews83.0% of reviews — better25.3% of reviews
Number of ratings265K — better10K
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 4 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#3 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS18.016.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size177 MB139 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperWaymo LLCREGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

Customer experience

Waymo

All ratings259,033 ratings
Positive99.4%
Neutral0.2%
Negative0.5%
Written reviews2,349 reviews
Positive83.0%
Neutral1.6%
Negative15.4%

Valley Metro

All ratings10,257 ratings
Positive93.6%
Neutral2.2%
Negative4.2%
Written reviews154 reviews
Positive25.3%
Neutral8.4%
Negative66.2%

User reviews

Waymo

From 265K App Store ratings

What 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

Valley Metro

From 10K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 👍 Helpful staff
  • 🚀 Convenient app
  • 🚀 Useful utility

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable tracking
  • 🐛 Inaccurate schedules
  • 🐛 Buggy app
  • 🚫 Lack of multi-day passes
  • 💰 Expensive fares

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

Valley Metro

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Brightness glitches
  • Login/authentication issues
  • Disappearing bus locations
  • Unreliable schedule updates

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add monthly/weekly pass options
  • Integrate with Apple Wallet
  • Improve real-time tracking accuracy
  • Provide more fare payment options

In-app purchases

None

Waymo

No in-app purchases

None

Valley Metro

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Waymo free?
Waymo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Valley Metro free?
Valley Metro is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Waymo or Valley Metro?
Waymo is rated higher. Waymo averages 5.0 out of 5 from 265K ratings, while Valley Metro averages 4.7 from 10K ratings.
Do Waymo or Valley Metro have ads?
Neither Waymo nor Valley Metro shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Waymo or Valley Metro?
Waymo ships an update fortnightly, and Valley Metro every 4 months. Most recently, Waymo was updated on October 25, 2026 and Valley Metro on October 25, 2026.

Other comparisons