BART (Official) vs AC Transit Mobile
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
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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.
AC Transit Mobile
Plan your journeys and travel conveniently with real-time bus predictions and mobile fare payment. Access customer service directly and manage your transit account seamlessly. This app simplifies your commute across the East Bay.
- Trip planning and schedules
- Real-time bus arrival predictions
- Mobile fare payment
- Clipper account management
- Customer service access
- iOS accessibility integration
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Plan your trip and ride with ease using the AC Transit mobile app. Stay connected across the East Bay with real-time predictions, mobile fare payments, and direct access to customer service. Key Features: • Trip planning and schedules, right in the app • Real-time bus arrival predictions • Mobile fare payment • Clipper account management • Seamless integration with iOS accessibility tools • Quick access to AC Transit customer service Download today and make your AC Transit trip simpler, smarter, and faster.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: BART (Official) at 4.6 against AC Transit Mobile's 2.6. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (26K vs 11). AC Transit Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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 2.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 11, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 30% of BART (Official)'s written reviews are positive against 24% of AC Transit Mobile's.
BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, AC Transit Mobile every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BART (Official) | AC Transit Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (26K ratings) — better | 2.6 (11 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 29.7% of reviews — better | 23.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 26K — better | 11 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 15.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District | Alameda Contra Costa Transit District |
Customer experience
BART (Official)
AC Transit Mobile
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
AC Transit Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BART (Official)
No in-app purchases
AC Transit Mobile
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BART (Official) free?
Is AC Transit Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile?
Do BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile?
Other comparisons
