# McGill’s Buses vs ZoneCard

The clearest difference is review sentiment: McGill’s Buses at 42% against ZoneCard's 0%. McGill’s Buses also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 21 months) and device support. ZoneCard's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

McGill’s Buses ships an update fortnightly, ZoneCard every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 14, 2026 and October 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | McGill’s Buses | ZoneCard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[5.0 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgills-buses/id1435892003/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **11** | — |
| Positive reviews | **42.2% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | — |
| Update frequency | **Fortnightly** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 41 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | — |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [McGill's Buses](https://appshunter.io/developer/1435892002) | [Strathclyde Partnership for Transport](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732686168) |

## What reviewers say

### McGill’s Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mcgills-buses/id1435892003)

Purchase and use mobile tickets directly from your device, eliminating the need for paper tickets. Track your bus in real-time, plan your journeys, and find nearby stops. Access timetables and save favorite routes for convenient travel.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticketing, Real-time bus tracking, Journey planning, Find nearest stops, User-friendly timetables, Save favorite services

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Handy for checking bus times
- 👍 Useful for planning journeys
- 👍 Good for knowing bus location
- 👍 Drivers are often nice
- 👍 App is easy to use

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buses are often late
- 🐛 Timetables are inaccurate
- 🐛 App crashes frequently
- 🐛 App is unreliable
- 🐛 Live tracking is inaccurate

**Reported bugs**

- App signs users out
- Account termination threats
- App causes iPhone to overheat
- App crashes when tracking transport
- App doesn't show any bus times

**Requested features**

- 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


### ZoneCard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zonecard/id6478397216)

This app simplifies public transport ticketing for bus, rail, and subway in West Scotland. It allows users to purchase and manage smartcards, buy tickets, and download them directly to their phone via NFC. Users can also manage their account details and view past purchases.

**Highlights:** Register and purchase smartcards, Associate existing transport cards, Buy flexible tickets, Download tickets via NFC, Manage account details, View purchase history

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is McGill’s Buses free?

McGill’s Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is ZoneCard free?

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

### Which is updated more often, McGill’s Buses or ZoneCard?

McGill’s Buses ships an update fortnightly, and ZoneCard every 21 months. Most recently, McGill’s Buses was updated on October 14, 2026 and ZoneCard on October 5, 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.*