# Reading Buses vs Carousel

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Reading Buses at 61% against Carousel's 32%. Reading Buses also leads on ratings volume (83 vs 3) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 15.6). Carousel's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.8). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Carousel holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Reading Buses has 83 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 61% of Reading Buses's written reviews are positive against 32% of Carousel's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Reading Buses | Carousel |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.8 (83 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-buses/id1384118827/reviews) | **[5.0 (3 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-high-wycombe-buses/id1557701327/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **83** | 3 |
| Positive reviews | **61.2% of reviews** | 32.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Fortnightly | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 42 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 15.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Reading Buses](https://appshunter.io/developer/1384118826) | [The Go-Ahead Group plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566501475) |

## What reviewers say

### Reading Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/reading-buses/id1384118827)

Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and track live departures. This app provides real-time bus information, fare discovery, and contactless journey history. Save your favorite routes and stay updated on service disruptions.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live departure tracking, Journey planning, Fare discovery, Timetable access, Contactless journey history, Service update notifications

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Carousel

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carousel-high-wycombe-buses/id1557701327)

Plan your bus journeys, purchase mobile tickets, and view live departures. Access timetables, track service disruptions, and save your favorite routes for easy access. Contactless payment options are available for your convenience.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchasing, Live departure information, Journey planning, Route timetables, Contactless journey history, Favorite routes, Service disruption alerts

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Reading Buses free?

Reading Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Carousel free?

Carousel is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Reading Buses or Carousel?

Carousel is rated higher. Reading Buses averages 4.8 out of 5 from 83 ratings, while Carousel averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.

### Do Reading Buses or Carousel have ads?

Neither Reading Buses nor Carousel shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Reading Buses or Carousel?

Reading Buses ships an update fortnightly, and Carousel fortnightly. Most recently, Reading Buses was updated on October 26, 2026 and Carousel on October 30, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*