SamTrans Mobile vs Clipper Card
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SamTrans Mobile
This app allows users to purchase and use bus fares directly from their mobile device. Avoid carrying cash or searching for exact change by paying securely with a debit or credit card. Tickets can be bought instantly and activated when boarding.
- Pay bus fare with phone
- Buy single or group fares
- Use debit/credit card
- Instant ticket purchase
- Activate tickets before boarding
- Store tickets on device
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The official SamTrans Mobile ticketing app lets you use your phone to pay your fare on any SamTrans local or express routes. Just download the free app, register your debit/credit card in our secure system, and we’ll get you where you need to go. WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH THIS APP: * Pay bus fare using your phone without having to carry cash or worry about exact change. * Buy and use fares instantly using a debit/credit card for a single fare or multiple fares for a group of riders. Mobile tickets must be used within thirty days. HOW IT WORKS Tickets: 1. Go to Buy Tickets 2. Choose mode of travel 3. Add tickets to cart 4. Checkout 5. Activate ticket when bus arrives 6. Show ticket to driver COMMON QUESTIONS How do I pay for my tickets in the SamTrans Mobile app? Debit or credit (American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover) cards are accepted. Can customers use a commuter debit card? Yes, provided you have funds in your account. If the card is denied, it will take three to five business days before the funding will appear back on your card. If I am having a problem loading the application, who should I call? Please call customer service at 1-800-660-4287. All problems should be directed to customer service which is available: weekdays 7am – 7pm, weekends & holidays 8am – 5pm. Do I need an internet connection to buy or use tickets? You will need an internet connection to buy and activate bus passes. However, if you save the purchased tickets in your device, you will not need to have internet connection to activate them. IMPORTANT REMINDERS: - Don’t uninstall the SamTrans Mobile app or erase your phone while you have active tickets on it. This will cause you to lose your tickets. Your tickets are stored on your phone (which makes it possible to use them without a cellular network or a wireless Internet connection). Before uninstalling the app or resetting your phone move tickets to the cloud (See Frequently Asked Questions for info). - Activate your ticket right before boarding - Show your ticket to the driver upon boarding - Watch your battery level. You cannot board without showing your ticket.
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
SamTrans Mobile and Clipper Card both sit at 3.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 35% of SamTrans Mobile's written reviews are positive against 3% of Clipper Card's. Clipper Card's advantage is ratings volume (11K vs 138) and chart position (#161 vs unranked). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clipper Card has 11K ratings behind it against 138, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of SamTrans Mobile'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.
SamTrans Mobile ships an update every 6 months, Clipper Card every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 18, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SamTrans Mobile | Clipper Card |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (138 ratings) | 3.8 (11K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 34.8% of reviews — better | 2.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 138 | 11K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #161 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 10.0 — better | 11.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Bytemark, Inc. | Metropolitan Transportation Commission |
Customer experience
SamTrans Mobile
Clipper Card
Bugs and requests
SamTrans Mobile
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
SamTrans Mobile
No in-app purchases
Clipper Card
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is SamTrans Mobile free?
Is Clipper Card free?
Which has better reviews, SamTrans Mobile or Clipper Card?
Do SamTrans Mobile or Clipper Card have ads?
Which is updated more often, SamTrans Mobile or Clipper Card?
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