SmarTrip vs NearStop
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)
NearStop
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What's new: • More reliable arrival alerts — you'll now be alerted even when your phone is locked or the app is in the background • Loud arrival alarm with vibration • Tap anywhere on the map to set your destination • Recent destinations are saved between launches • Stability fixes
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: NearStop at daily against SmarTrip's every 5 months. 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, NearStop daily. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 28, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | SmarTrip | NearStop |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.2 (114 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 10.4% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 114 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Daily — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.1 | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 66 MB | 29 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority | wenjuan feng |
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
NearStop
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
SmarTrip
No in-app purchases
NearStop
No in-app purchases
