TAP LA vs The Good Host
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
TAP LA
Pay for transit fares across Los Angeles with your mobile device. This app allows you to purchase passes, manage multiple cards, and use touchless payment on numerous bus and train systems. It also offers trip planning and access to multimodal programs.
- Touchless payment
- Add TAP card to iPhone/Apple Watch
- Purchase transit passes
- Manage multiple TAP cards
- Add TAP card to Apple Wallet
- Trip planning tools
- Reduced fare support
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Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority ("LACMTA"), a government agency, is the owner and developer of this app. TAP is your ticket to ride transit in greater Los Angeles! It is accepted on 27 systems including LA Metro, providing a vast network of buses and trains. - Make your travel safe and easy with touchless payment and card management. - Add a new TAP card to your iPhone and Apple Watch and use your fare immediately. - Use your iPhone (8 and above) and Apple Watch (Series 3 and above) to tap with Apple Pay when boarding a bus or train. - Enjoy flexible payment options including credit/debit cards, account cash and Apple Pay. - Purchase a transit pass or Stored Value for any agency in Los Angeles County. - Manage multiple cards in your TAP account (iPhone 5 and above). - Add your TAP card to Apple Wallet, enable Express Transit and quickly tap and pay when you board. You don't even have to wake up your phone! - Supports reduced fares for seniors, students, persons with disabilities and low-income riders. - Transfer a TAP card in your account to your Apple Wallet and leave the plastic at home. - Access multimodal programs such as Metro Bike Share. - Use Trip Tools to plan trips, find nearby transit options, view real-time arrivals and save favorite destinations and stops. - Enjoy the benefits of a TAP account, such as Balance Protection, card management, discounts, promotions, transaction history and friendly customer service. - Accepted on 27 transit systems in LA County including: Angels Flight Railway Antelope Valley Transit Authority (AVTA) Baldwin Park Transit Beach Cities Transit Burbank Bus Carson Circuit Compton Renaissance Transit System Culver CityBus Foothill Transit Gardena GTRANS Glendale Beeline Glendora Transportation Division Huntington Park Transit Unlimited LA County Department of Public Works LADOT Transit Lawndale Beat Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) Long Beach Transit Metro Montebello Bus Lines Monterey Park Spirit Bus Norwalk Transit Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority Pasadena Transit Santa Clarita Transit Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Torrance Transit
The Good Host
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Family's coming. Be the host they'll remember. When guests visit, you want to show them the very best of your city — but between work and everything else, who has time to plan it? The Good Host builds you a ready-to-share plan of real, local places in seconds. Your parents, in-laws, or old friends get a trip they'll rave about, and you look like you planned for weeks. REAL PLACES, NOT MADE-UP ONES Every suggestion is a real, verified spot — checked against Google, rated, and reviewed. No closed restaurants, no places that don't exist. Just the spots locals actually know about. TAILORED TO YOUR GUESTS Tell us who's visiting — parents, in-laws, adult kids, old friends — their ages, and what they're into. You get activities, restaurants, and day trips that fit them, not a generic tourist list. READY IN SECONDS, SHARED IN A TAP Build a full plan for the whole visit, organize it by day, and share a clean itinerary — or export a polished PDF — straight to your guests. Everyone knows the plan before they land. KEEP THE MEMORIES When the trip's over, the memories stay. Guests sign your guestbook, and every note lives on across every visit you host. WHY HOSTS LOVE IT Real, verified local places — rated and reviewed Plans built around who's actually visiting A shareable itinerary and printable PDF A guestbook that outlasts the trip Made for the host, not the tourist Stop scrambling the night before they arrive. Be the host they'll remember.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: TAP LA at none against The Good Host's 3. TAP LA also leads on iOS requirement (13 vs 26.5). The Good Host's advantage is update cadence (every 10 days vs every 5 months). On price, ads and device support 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. The Good Host sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $24.99 per year. TAP LA asks for nothing beyond the download.
TAP LA ships an update every 5 months, The Good Host every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | TAP LA | The Good Host |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 1.9 (852 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 11.7% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 852 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 10 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 26.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 84 MB | 25 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | JOSEPH YI |
Bugs and requests
TAP LA
Reported bugs
3 issues- Card registration and activation issues
- Disappearing funds and balances
- Inconsistent app performance
Requested features
4 requests- Allow multiple devices for one account
- Improve reliability of fund loading
- Provide more transparent transaction history
- Integrate with more payment methods
The Good Host
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
TAP LA
No in-app purchases
The Good Host
- Yearly Plan$24.991 Year
- Trip Pass$5.99
- Lifetime Access$99.99
Questions
Is TAP LA free?
Is The Good Host free?
Do TAP LA or The Good Host have ads?
Which is updated more often, TAP LA or The Good Host?
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