METRO Splash Pass vs Clipper Card
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
METRO Splash Pass
Pay for bus rides directly from your phone using a credit or debit card. Avoid the need for exact change or visiting ticket machines to purchase passes.
- Credit/debit card payment
- Mobile pass purchase
- No exact change needed
- Convenient ticketless travel
Read full descriptionHide full description
- No more need to carry cash in exact change to ride the Hwy 17 Express - just pay with a credit or debit card - No need to go to a TVM or order a 31-day pass by mail - just purchase directly on your phone
Clipper Card
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.
- 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
Read full descriptionHide full description
The Clipper app is here! - Pay your fares with Clipper in Apple Pay - Manage your account(s) - Load cash value and transit passes - Plan your trips Clipper is the all-in-one transit card used for contactless fare payments throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. The new Clipper app lets you manage your Clipper account from your iPhone—add value, view your history, and plan your trip! Download the Clipper app today! Pay with Your iPhone or Apple Watch The Clipper app gives you step-by-step instructions for setting up a new Clipper card or transferring an existing Clipper card to your Apple Wallet. Manage Your Account The Clipper app gives you the same account access as the website, but on your iPhone! You can register a new card, load cash value and transit passes, set up Autoload, view your recent activity, and other features. Sign in and out of multiple Clipper accounts in the Clipper app to manage a card on behalf of someone else. Plan Your Trip The Clipper app has real-time transit information and helpful trip planning tools to make getting around the Bay easy! You can view nearby transit options and routes, get real-time travel and arrival information, and save your favorite locations, stops, and stations. By downloading this app, you agree to and accept the terms of the Clipper Mobile Application License Agreement (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/mobile-application-agreement.html) and the Clipper Privacy Policy (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/privacy.html). Clipper serves 24 transit services in the San Francisco Bay Area: AC Transit BART Caltrain City Coach County Connection Dumbarton Express FAST Golden Gate Ferry Golden Gate Transit Marin Transit Muni Petaluma Transit SamTrans San Francisco Bay Ferry Santa Rosa CityBus SMART SolTrans Sonoma County Transit Tri Delta Transit Union City Transit Vine VTA WestCAT Wheels By downloading this app, you agree to and accept the terms of the Clipper Mobile Application License Agreement (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/mobile-application-agreement.html) and the Clipper Privacy Policy (https://www.clippercard.com/ClipperWeb/privacy.html).
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: METRO Splash Pass at 40% against Clipper Card's 3%. Clipper Card's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 18) and rating (3.8 vs 3.5). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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.
Clipper Card holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clipper Card has 12K ratings behind it against 18, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 40% of METRO Splash Pass's written reviews are positive against 3% of Clipper Card's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
METRO Splash Pass ships an update every 9 months, Clipper Card every 3 months. The most recent releases landed on October 11, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | METRO Splash Pass | Clipper Card |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.5 (18 ratings) | 3.8 (12K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 40.0% of reviews — better | 2.9% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 18 | 12K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 9 months | Every 3 months — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #130 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 65 MB | 61 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District | Metropolitan Transportation Commission |
Customer experience
METRO Splash Pass
Clipper Card
Bugs and requests
METRO Splash Pass
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
Clipper Card
Reported bugs
4 issues- App freezes and crashes frequently
- Card balances not updating properly
- Issues with adding cards to Apple Wallet
- Inconsistent behavior when loading funds
Requested features
5 requests- 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
In-app purchases
METRO Splash Pass
No in-app purchases
Clipper Card
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is METRO Splash Pass free?
Is Clipper Card free?
Which has better reviews, METRO Splash Pass or Clipper Card?
Do METRO Splash Pass or Clipper Card have ads?
Which is updated more often, METRO Splash Pass or Clipper Card?
Other comparisons
