# BART (Official) vs AC Transit Mobile

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.

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.

## The numbers

| Metric | BART (Official) | AC Transit Mobile |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews)** | [2.6 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ac-transit-mobile/id1630430863/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **26K** | 11 |
| Positive reviews | **29.7% of reviews** | 23.5% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 81 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) | [Alameda Contra Costa Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1423855729) |

## 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


### AC Transit Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ac-transit-mobile/id1630430863)

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.

**Highlights:** Trip planning and schedules, Real-time bus arrival predictions, Mobile fare payment, Clipper account management, Customer service access, iOS accessibility integration

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BART (Official) free?

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

### Is AC Transit Mobile free?

AC Transit Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile?

BART (Official) is rated higher. BART (Official) averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while AC Transit Mobile averages 2.6 from 11 ratings.

### Do BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile have ads?

Neither BART (Official) nor AC Transit Mobile shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or AC Transit Mobile?

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, and AC Transit Mobile every 2 weeks. Most recently, BART (Official) was updated on September 24, 2026 and AC Transit Mobile on September 21, 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.*