Waymo vs Valley Metro
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
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
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 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.
Waymo ships an update fortnightly, Valley Metro every 4 months. Both last shipped on October 25, 2026.
| Parameter | Waymo | Valley Metro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (265K ratings) — better | 4.7 (10K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 83.0% of reviews — better | 25.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 265K — better | 10K |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly — better | Every 4 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | #3 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 177 MB | 139 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Waymo LLC | REGIONAL PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY |
Customer experience
Waymo
Valley Metro
User reviews
Waymo
From 265K 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
Valley Metro
From 10K App Store ratingsWhat 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
Waymo
No in-app purchases
Valley Metro
No in-app purchases









