Comparison

BART (Official) vs CA DMV Wallet

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

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • Real-time train departures
  • End-to-end trip planner
  • Step-by-step navigation
  • Customized service alerts
  • Contactless parking payment
  • Service disruption information
Features
Read 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.

About

CA DMV Wallet

Securely present your California driver's license or ID on your smartphone. Confirm age or identity without revealing sensitive personal data like birth date or address. Use it for airport security and age-verified purchases.

Highlights
  • Digital driver's license and ID
  • Secure data sharing
  • Age verification
  • Airport TSA screening
  • Online identity verification
  • Fraud and identity theft protection
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Now live in Pilot Phase – California DMV Mobile Wallet Californians now have a secure way to present their driver’s license or identification card using their smartphones via a Mobile Driver’s License (mDL) digital credential. California DMV Wallet gives you the control of the driver’s license data you share with others. For example, when buying age-restricted items, the app can confirm you are of legal age without having to share your birth date or address. With mDL in your CA DMV Wallet, you can breeze through the TSA queue at the airports using your phone. You can also enroll in the TruAge program via the Wallet Marketplace to purchase age-verified products at a corner store near you (starting with select pilot locations in California and expanding nationally). The Wallet will soon be supporting online identity verification for government and commercial applications. Designed with California's diverse population in mind, the CA DMV Wallet open-source platform uses state-of-the-art encryption algorithms and security technologies to combat fraud and reduce identity theft while improving privacy, transparency, and access for all Californians with a smartphone. Important note: While the mDL can be used as an official state-issued ID, per the pilot scope approved by the California legislature, you must still have a physical driver’s license or identification card with you. For more information, please visit: https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/ca-dmv-wallet/ California DMV Wallet is free, easy, secure, and convenient

Screenshots

BART (Official)4 screens
CA DMV Wallet4 screens

Verdict

The call

BART (Official) and CA DMV Wallet both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 53% of CA DMV Wallet's written reviews are positive against 30% of BART (Official)'s. CA DMV Wallet also leads on chart position (#109 vs unranked) and ratings volume (143K vs 26K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

CA DMV Wallet holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: CA DMV Wallet has 143K ratings behind it against 26K, 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 53% of CA DMV Wallet's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, CA DMV Wallet every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 28, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
BART (Official) versus CA DMV Wallet: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBART (Official)CA DMV Wallet
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (26K ratings)4.8 (143K ratings) — better
Positive reviews29.7% of reviews52.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings26K143K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 5 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#109 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.616.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size81 MB167 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperSan Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit DistrictCalifornia Department of Motor Vehicles

Customer experience

BART (Official)

All ratings21,736 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews219 reviews
Positive29.7%
Neutral9.1%
Negative61.2%

CA DMV Wallet

All ratings143,416 ratings
Positive95.1%
Neutral1.8%
Negative3.1%
Written reviews1,078 reviews
Positive52.6%
Neutral9.2%
Negative38.2%

User reviews

BART (Official)

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

CA DMV Wallet

From 143K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Fast and easy setup
  • 👍 Worked well for most users
  • 💡 Potential for digital ID convenience

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Scanning and authentication issues
  • 🔒 Security and privacy concerns
  • 👎 Lack of Apple Wallet integration

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

CA DMV Wallet

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Buttons and UI elements not visible
  • Repeated authentication failures
  • Inconsistent app behavior across devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • Add support for Apple Wallet
  • Improve user interface and navigation
  • Expand acceptance at more locations

In-app purchases

None

BART (Official)

No in-app purchases

None

CA DMV Wallet

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BART (Official) free?
BART (Official) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is CA DMV Wallet free?
CA DMV Wallet is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or CA DMV Wallet?
CA DMV Wallet is rated higher. BART (Official) averages 4.6 out of 5 from 26K ratings, while CA DMV Wallet averages 4.8 from 143K ratings.
Do BART (Official) or CA DMV Wallet have ads?
Neither BART (Official) nor CA DMV Wallet shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or CA DMV Wallet?
BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, and CA DMV Wallet every 5 weeks. Most recently, BART (Official) was updated on September 29, 2026 and CA DMV Wallet on September 28, 2026.

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