Clipper Card vs AC Transit Mobile
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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
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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).
AC Transit Mobile
Plan your journeys and travel conveniently with real-time bus predictions and mobile fare payment. Access customer service directly and manage your transit account seamlessly. This app simplifies your commute across the East Bay.
- Trip planning and schedules
- Real-time bus arrival predictions
- Mobile fare payment
- Clipper account management
- Customer service access
- iOS accessibility integration
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Plan your trip and ride with ease using the AC Transit mobile app. Stay connected across the East Bay with real-time predictions, mobile fare payments, and direct access to customer service. Key Features: • Trip planning and schedules, right in the app • Real-time bus arrival predictions • Mobile fare payment • Clipper account management • Seamless integration with iOS accessibility tools • Quick access to AC Transit customer service Download today and make your AC Transit trip simpler, smarter, and faster.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Clipper Card at 3.8 against AC Transit Mobile's 2.5. Clipper Card also leads on ratings volume (12K vs 12) and chart position (#156 vs unranked). AC Transit Mobile's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months) and review sentiment (24% vs 3%). 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 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clipper Card has 12K ratings behind it against 12, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 3% of Clipper Card's written reviews are positive against 24% of AC Transit Mobile's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
Clipper Card ships an update every 3 months, AC Transit Mobile every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Clipper Card | AC Transit Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (12K ratings) — better | 2.5 (12 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 2.9% of reviews | 23.5% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12K — better | 12 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #156 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 72 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metropolitan Transportation Commission | Alameda Contra Costa Transit District |
Customer experience
Clipper Card
AC Transit Mobile
Bugs and 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
AC Transit Mobile
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Clipper Card
No in-app purchases
AC Transit Mobile
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Clipper Card free?
Is AC Transit Mobile free?
Which has better reviews, Clipper Card or AC Transit Mobile?
Do Clipper Card or AC Transit Mobile have ads?
Which is updated more often, Clipper Card or AC Transit Mobile?
Other comparisons
