SmarTrip vs RideNOVA
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
SmarTrip
Manage your SmarTrip card and account with this optional tool. Register your card for balance protection, check benefits, set up auto-reload, or purchase transit passes. It can also be added to Apple Wallet for easy tap-to-pay.
- Manage SmarTrip card and account
- Add SmarTrip to Apple Wallet
- Register card for balance protection
- Check SmartBenefits
- Setup Auto-Reload
- Buy unlimited transit passes
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This app is an OPTIONAL tool that allows you to manage your SmarTrip® card and account. This app can NOT be used to pay your transit or parking fares. You do NOT need to setup a SmarTrip account to use SmarTrip in Apple Wallet. Add SmarTrip to Apple Wallet: - Open Apple Wallet on iPhone or Apple Watch - Tap “+”, choose “Transit Card”, select “SmarTrip” - In less than a minute you’ll have a new SmarTrip card in your Apple Wallet and be ready to tap to pay for rides or parking anywhere SmarTrip is accepted. If you need to do account management, then: - Install this optional SmarTrip app to register your card for account balance protection, check SmartBenefits, setup Auto-Reload, or buy money-saving unlimited transit passes. Chat with us at WMATA.COM/CHAT or call 888-SMARTRIP (888-762-7874)
RideNOVA
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Use the RideNOVA app to discover smarter commuting options at the Northern Virginia Community College. Easily find carpool partners, transit routes, and suggested biking or walking paths to and from campus. Log your trips, earn rewards and more! Just enter your starting point and destination to connect with fellow students, faculty, or staff traveling the same way. You can also locate biking and transit mentors to help you plan a more confident and efficient commute. Get started today. It’s free, easy to use, and designed to make getting to NOVA more convenient and sustainable.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: RideNOVA at every 2 days against SmarTrip's every 5 months. RideNOVA also leads on iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.1). SmarTrip's advantage is chart position (#198 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
SmarTrip ships an update every 5 months, RideNOVA every 2 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 1, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmarTrip | RideNOVA |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (57 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 10.5% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 57 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Every 2 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Best chart rank | #198 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 11.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 12 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 17+ |
| Developer | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | Northern Virginia Community College |
Bugs and requests
SmarTrip
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unable to activate account due to missing activation email
- Password reset process not working
- Inconsistent behavior when adding value to card
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to transfer balance between cards
- Real-time balance updates
- Improved trip planning tools
- Apple Watch support
RideNOVA
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmarTrip
No in-app purchases
RideNOVA
No in-app purchases
