# BART (Official) vs Clipper Card

The clearest difference is rating: BART (Official) at 4.6 against Clipper Card's 3.8. BART (Official) also leads on review sentiment (30% vs 3%). Clipper Card's advantage is chart position (#149 vs unranked) and iOS requirement (11.0 vs 17.6). On price, ratings volume, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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 3.8. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 26K and 11K respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of BART (Official)'s written reviews are positive against 3% of Clipper Card's.

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, Clipper Card every 3 months. Both last shipped on September 24, 2026.

## The numbers

| Metric | BART (Official) | Clipper Card |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews)** | [3.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clipper-card/id1534042451/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **26K** | 11K |
| Positive reviews | **29.7% of reviews** | 3.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Every 2 months** | Every 3 months |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | **#149** |
| Size | 81 MB | 61 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **11.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) | [Metropolitan Transportation Commission](https://appshunter.io/developer/577603960) |

## What reviewers say

### BART (Official)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871)

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.

**Highlights:** Real-time train departures, End-to-end trip planner, Step-by-step navigation, Customized service alerts, Contactless parking payment, Service disruption information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient in-app parking payment
- 👍 Accurate real-time train information
- 🚀 Easy to use app
- 👍 Helpful for planning trips

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable real-time information
- 🔍 Confusing parking payment process
- 🔍 Lack of key features like checking Clipper card balance
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Not intuitive for first-time users

**Reported bugs**

- 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**

- 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


### Clipper Card

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/clipper-card/id1534042451)

**Currently charting:** #149 Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

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.

**Highlights:** 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

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Convenient to add Clipper card to Apple Wallet
- 👍 Easy to manage Clipper card balance

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Buggy app with frequent issues
- ⏱️ Slow to update card balance and transaction history
- 💳 Difficult to cancel auto-load or transfer card balances
- 🤖 Poor customer service and unresponsive support
- 🔒 Security concerns with lost/stolen cards

**Reported bugs**

- App freezes and crashes frequently
- Card balances not updating properly
- Issues with adding cards to Apple Wallet
- Inconsistent behavior when loading funds

**Requested features**

- 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


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BART (Official) free?

BART (Official) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Clipper Card free?

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

### Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or Clipper Card?

BART (Official) is rated higher. BART (Official) averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while Clipper Card averages 3.8 from 11K ratings.

### Do BART (Official) or Clipper Card have ads?

Neither BART (Official) nor Clipper Card shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or Clipper Card?

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, and Clipper Card every 3 months. Most recently, BART (Official) was updated on September 24, 2026 and Clipper Card on September 24, 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.*