Comparison

McGill’s Buses vs NextHopper

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

Head to head
About

McGill’s Buses

Plan your bus journeys, view real-time bus locations, and purchase mobile tickets directly within the app. Access timetables, find nearby stops, and save favorite routes for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Real-time bus tracking
  • Mobile ticket purchasing
  • Journey planning
  • Find nearest stops
  • User-friendly timetables
  • Save favorite services
Features
Read full description

McGill’s new and improved m-ticket and real-time app allows you to buy your tickets within the app and use your mobile device as your ticket as well as view real-time information, meaning you can check exactly where your bus is, at any given time – all in the once place! With other added features including- planning my journey, find my nearest stop, user friendly timetable information and saving your favourite services, this will make McGill’s bus travel even easier, with everything you need fitting into your pocket. With M-Ticketing you can buy and load your tickets to your phone and use them whenever suits you; including saving your tickets for later! No more searching for change and for use on any McGill’s bus across our extensive network of services, with payment accepted via PayPal, credit or debit card. There are over half a million journeys on a McGill’s bus every week. Our app makes it even easier to get on-board and track your bus right to your stop! McGill’s operates over 120 routes across Inverclyde, Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire and Glasgow city. Once you have downloaded the app, create an account and you’re ready! With adult, student, child and family offers available, we have a ticket to suit you. We look forward to welcoming you on board!

About

NextHopper

Features
Read full description

Use our app to check real-time arrivals and departures to and from your place of work. With the power of Real-Time data is in your hands, making your commute more comfortable and less stressful. Buy your ticket So much easier than paying on the bus – buy your ticket in advance, then just activate on the day you want to travel and scan the QR code when you get on the bus

Screenshots

McGill’s Buses4 screens
NextHopper3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: McGill’s Buses at fortnightly against NextHopper's every 6 weeks. NextHopper's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 15.6). 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.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

McGill’s Buses ships an update fortnightly, NextHopper every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
McGill’s Buses versus NextHopper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMcGill’s BusesNextHopper
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (11 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews42.2% of reviews—
Number of ratings11 — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 6 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS15.612.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size42 MB83 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMcGill's Bus Service LimitedRise Digital Media Limited

Bugs and requests

McGill’s Buses

Reported bugs

22 issues
  • App signs users out
  • Account termination threats
  • App causes iPhone to overheat
  • App crashes when tracking transport
  • App doesn't show any bus times
Show 17 more
  • App doesn't update in real-time
  • App is slow to load
  • Live bus locations cause app to crash
  • App turns brightness down on phone
  • App doesn't show bus times anymore
  • App removed ability to know bus capacity
  • Website doesn't update in real-time
  • App is more expensive than cash
  • Tickets expire in 15 minutes
  • No live tracking available
  • Ticket activation expires after 10 minutes
  • App freezes when trying to buy tickets
  • Discount codes cannot be applied
  • Tickets not transferring from old app
  • Payment system flags as fraud
  • Real-time tracking is inaccurate
  • App doesn't work on quick page on new iPhone update

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add screen for next stop
  • Fix the 66 bus route
  • More 66 buses
  • Add ability to know when bus is full/moderate/empty
  • Add ticket gifting speed
Show 1 more
  • Improve real-time tracking accuracy

NextHopper

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

McGill’s Buses

No in-app purchases

None

NextHopper

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is McGill’s Buses free?
McGill’s Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NextHopper free?
NextHopper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do McGill’s Buses or NextHopper have ads?
Neither McGill’s Buses nor NextHopper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, McGill’s Buses or NextHopper?
McGill’s Buses ships an update fortnightly, and NextHopper every 6 weeks. Most recently, McGill’s Buses was updated on October 29, 2026 and NextHopper on October 25, 2026.

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