Comparison

PRESTO vs BuddyRide Canada

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

Head to head
About

PRESTO

Manage your transit card and pay for rides using your iPhone or Apple Watch. Load funds and passes instantly, set up autoload, and track your balance and transaction history. Supports multiple transit agencies across Ontario.

Highlights
  • Tap to pay with iPhone/Apple Watch
  • Instant fund and pass loading
  • Set up Autoload and Autorenew
  • Manage multiple cards
  • Check balances and transaction history
  • Low balance reminders
Features
Read full description

With the official PRESTO app you can manage your card and tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for transit. Use the PRESTO app for iPhone: • Real-time loads, transactions and more • Load funds instantly • Load transit passes instantly • Live transfer window tracking • Move funds between PRESTO cards • Lock or unlock your card if it's missing • Buy and use e tickets for participating transit agencies • Convert a physical PRESTO card to PRESTO in Apple Wallet and tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to pay for transit (not available on OC Transpo) • Pay with Apple Pay, debit/credit cards, or saved payment method • Set up and manage Autoload and Autorenew • Check your PRESTO card balances • View transaction history • Receive low balance/pass expiry reminders and email receipts for fare purchases • Buy a PRESTO card and create a PRESTO account • Set, modify or remove a default trip for GO Transit rail trips through the settings menu PRESTO can be used on: • Brampton Transit • Burlington Transit • Durham Region Transit (DRT) • GO Transit • Hamilton Street Railway (HSR) • MiWay (Mississauga) • Oakville Transit • OC Transpo (Ottawa) • TTC (Toronto) • UP Express (Greater Toronto Area) • York Region Transit/Viva (YRT/Viva) For security reasons, the PRESTO app is not supported on jailbroken devices.

About

BuddyRide Canada

This carpooling application connects riders with drivers to facilitate shared journeys. Users can search for available trips, post their own rides, manage seat requests, and communicate directly with others. It offers features like profile pages, ride history, and location sharing for safe and convenient travel coordination.

Highlights
  • Search for rides
  • Post a ride
  • Request/approve seats
  • In-app messaging
  • Location sharing
  • Ride history
  • Profile pages
Features
Read full description

BuddyRide is a carpooling app that helps riders find trips and helps drivers fill empty seats. Search for rides, post a ride, request or approve seats, message other users, share your location in chat, and manage your trips in one place. The app includes profile pages, vehicle details, notifications, receipts, and ride history so people can coordinate trips safely and easily.

Screenshots

PRESTO4 screens
BuddyRide Canada3 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: PRESTO at 1.4K against BuddyRide Canada's 1. BuddyRide Canada's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

BuddyRide Canada holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: PRESTO has 1.4K ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
PRESTO versus BuddyRide Canada: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPRESTOBuddyRide Canada
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (1.4K ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews23.6% of reviews—
Number of ratings1.4K — better1
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.415.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size148 MB23 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetrolinx17480822 Canada Inc.

Customer experience

PRESTO

All ratings1,242 ratings
Positive93.2%
Neutral1.6%
Negative5.2%
Written reviews711 reviews
Positive23.6%
Neutral4.6%
Negative71.7%

BuddyRide Canada

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

PRESTO

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Blank screens and loading loops
  • Login issues and accounts getting locked out
  • Funds not loading or disappearing after adding
  • Compatibility problems with newer iOS versions

Requested features

4 requests
  • Add ability to use Presto card with Apple Wallet
  • Improve balance and transaction history visibility
  • Allow transferring of funds between cards
  • Provide better customer support and communication

BuddyRide Canada

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

PRESTO

No in-app purchases

None

BuddyRide Canada

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is PRESTO free?
PRESTO is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is BuddyRide Canada free?
BuddyRide Canada is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, PRESTO or BuddyRide Canada?
BuddyRide Canada is rated higher. PRESTO averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.4K ratings, while BuddyRide Canada averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do PRESTO or BuddyRide Canada have ads?
Neither PRESTO nor BuddyRide Canada shows ads.

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