BART (Official) vs METRO Splash Pass
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BART (Official)
Plan your Bay Area transit journeys with real-time train departures and official service alerts. This app offers end-to-end trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and customized notifications for a hassle-free commute.
- Real-time train departures
- End-to-end trip planner
- Step-by-step navigation
- Customized service alerts
- Contactless parking payment
- Service disruption information
Read full descriptionHide full description
The official Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) app has arrived. It’s the easiest way to plan your trip and get accurate real time train departures with data straight from BART, along with official service alerts. The BART app offers exclusive features for hassle free travel for daily commuters, infrequent users and tourists alike: -Plan your entire end to end trip with BART’s exclusive Trip Planner giving you the fastest route from your starting point to your destination using BART and multiple modes of transportation, including connecting transit, biking, walking and driving. -Step by step navigation with personalized preferences and saved favorite stations and trips. -Real time departures and schedule timetable. -Customized in-app notifications about BART service and announcements. -Contactless in-app Daily Fee parking payment -Service disruption information linked to your trip itinerary. -Report a Biohazard that needs addressing and access our BART Watch App for reporting crimes. -Escalator and Elevator advisories. -Fleet of the Future train tracker. -Cancelled trip notices. -Easily see the last train of the evening by station when you’re planning your night out or your trip home from the airport. -Station information (including if it offers a parking lot and secured bike parking). -Seamless connection to bart.gov and BARTable for deals, events, and fun. -It’s ad free; who wants to be distracted when looking how far away your train is? BART is working on future features of the app to enhance your BART experience... Tell us about the features you want.
METRO Splash Pass
Pay for bus rides directly from your phone using a credit or debit card. Avoid the need for exact change or visiting ticket machines to purchase passes.
- Credit/debit card payment
- Mobile pass purchase
- No exact change needed
- Convenient ticketless travel
Read full descriptionHide full description
- No more need to carry cash in exact change to ride the Hwy 17 Express - just pay with a credit or debit card - No need to go to a TVM or order a 31-day pass by mail - just purchase directly on your phone
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BART (Official) at 4.6 against METRO Splash Pass's 3.5. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (26K vs 18) and update cadence (every 2 months vs every 9 months). METRO Splash Pass's advantage is review sentiment (40% vs 31%) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
BART (Official) holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 31% of BART (Official)'s written reviews are positive against 40% of METRO Splash Pass's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, METRO Splash Pass every 9 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and September 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BART (Official) | METRO Splash Pass |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (26K ratings) — better | 3.5 (18 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 30.8% of reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 26K — better | 18 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 9 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 65 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District | Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District |
Customer experience
BART (Official)
METRO Splash Pass
Bugs and requests
BART (Official)
Reported bugs
4 issues- Real-time departure times not updating accurately
- Trip planning providing incorrect/nonsensical routes
- Login and password issues causing frequent logouts
- Parking payment not working as expected
Requested features
5 requests- Ability to check Clipper card balance
- Automatic license plate recognition for parking
- Offline mode for schedules and trip planning
- Better notifications for service advisories and delays
- More customization options for favorite stations
METRO Splash Pass
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BART (Official)
No in-app purchases
METRO Splash Pass
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BART (Official) free?
Is METRO Splash Pass free?
Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or METRO Splash Pass?
Do BART (Official) or METRO Splash Pass have ads?
Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or METRO Splash Pass?
Other comparisons
