BART (Official) vs ACE Rail Tickets
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.
ACE Rail Tickets
Purchase and manage train tickets, view schedules, and get rider support. Plan your trips with step-by-step navigation and store payment methods for easy purchasing. Enjoy a more convenient and sustainable travel experience.
- Mobile ticketing
- Manage tickets
- View schedules
- Trip planning
- Digital wallet
- Rider support
Read full descriptionHide full description
Discover the new ACE Rail app for tickets, schedules, and more! Buy and manage tickets, view schedules, and access rider support — all from your phone. Whether you ride daily or occasionally, ACE Rail is making your journey more convenient, sustainable, and rider-friendly. Features include: - Mobile ticketing which allows you to purchase passes and store them for up to 90 days. - Trip planning with step-by-step navigation. - Digital Wallet allowing you to store multiple credit cards or utilize Apple Pay for convenient purchasing. - Ability to send feedback directly from the app.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: BART (Official) at every 2 months against ACE Rail Tickets's every 6 months. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (28K vs 2.1K) and review sentiment (31% vs 18%). On price, rating, 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for BART (Official) against 4.7 for ACE Rail Tickets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 28K ratings behind it against 2.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 31% of BART (Official)'s written reviews are positive against 18% of ACE Rail Tickets's.
BART (Official) ships an update every 2 months, ACE Rail Tickets every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BART (Official) | ACE Rail Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (28K ratings) | 4.7 (2.1K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 30.8% of reviews — better | 18.2% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 28K — better | 2.1K |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 17.6 | 16.6 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 81 MB | 122 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District | San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission |
Customer experience
BART (Official)
ACE Rail Tickets
User reviews
BART (Official)
From 28K App Store ratingsWhat 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
ACE Rail Tickets
From 2.1K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Train location
Room to improve
- 🐛 Apple Pay fails consistently
- 🐛 Amex not accepted
- 🐛 Login doesn't work
- 🐛 Missing important features like train status and schedule
- 🐛 New app is worse than old app
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
ACE Rail Tickets
Reported bugs
4 issues- Apple Pay fails consistently
- Amex not accepted
- Login doesn't work
- Missing important features like train status and schedule
Requested features
2 requests- Bring back train status with map and train numbers
- Include Caltrain as a ride option in trip planning
In-app purchases
BART (Official)
No in-app purchases
ACE Rail Tickets
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is BART (Official) free?
Is ACE Rail Tickets free?
Which has better reviews, BART (Official) or ACE Rail Tickets?
Do BART (Official) or ACE Rail Tickets have ads?
Which is updated more often, BART (Official) or ACE Rail Tickets?
Other comparisons
