Comparison

Clipper Card vs Silicon Valley Hopper

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

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.

Highlights
  • 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
Features
Currently charting
Read 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).

About

Silicon Valley Hopper

This app offers an affordable, public ridesharing service connecting users within Cupertino and Santa Clara, and to key transit hubs and a hospital. Book convenient, eco-friendly rides directly from your phone and pay easily with a credit or debit card.

Highlights
  • On-demand rideshare booking
  • Service across Cupertino and Santa Clara
  • Connections to Caltrain stations
  • Eco-friendly electric vehicles
  • Affordable public transit option
  • In-app credit/debit card payment
Features
Read full description

Silicon Valley Hopper is an affordable, public ridesharing program with service across the Cities of Cupertino and Santa Clara, plus to/from the Mountain View and Sunnyvale Caltrain stations and El Camino Health Mountain View Hospital. CONVENIENT Use your phone to book trips directly on the Silicon Valley Hopper app. You’ll be picked up in a nearby location by a branded vehicle. GREEN Most of the Silicon Valley Hopper vehicles are electric, and by connecting you to nearby transit we help you reduce your carbon footprint even further! AFFORDABLE Silicon Valley Hopper is a low cost, public transit option. Pay easily with a credit/debit card through the app. Questions? Reach out at support-hopper@ridewithvia.com Loving your experience so far? Throw us a 5-star rating. You’ll have our eternal gratitude.

Screenshots

Clipper Card4 screens
Silicon Valley Hopper4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Silicon Valley Hopper at 4.7 against Clipper Card's 3.8. Silicon Valley Hopper also leads on review sentiment (36% vs 3%) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 3 months). Clipper Card's advantage is ratings volume (12K vs 572) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Silicon Valley Hopper holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Clipper Card has 12K ratings behind it against 572, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 3% of Clipper Card's written reviews are positive against 36% of Silicon Valley Hopper's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Clipper Card ships an update every 3 months, Silicon Valley Hopper every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Clipper Card versus Silicon Valley Hopper: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterClipper CardSilicon Valley Hopper
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.8 (12K ratings)4.7 (572 ratings) — better
Positive reviews2.9% of reviews35.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings12K — better572
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterAd-supported
Best chart rank#178 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size61 MB130 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetropolitan Transportation CommissionVia Transportation, Inc.

Customer experience

Clipper Card

All ratings9,408 ratings
Positive68.4%
Neutral3.0%
Negative28.6%
Written reviews414 reviews
Positive2.9%
Neutral6.5%
Negative90.6%

Silicon Valley Hopper

All ratings573 ratings
Positive92.8%
Neutral0.7%
Negative6.5%
Written reviews28 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.3%

User reviews

Clipper Card

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Convenient to add Clipper card to Apple Wallet
  • 👍 Easy to manage Clipper card balance

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Buggy app with frequent issues
  • ⏱️ Slow to update card balance and transaction history
  • 💳 Difficult to cancel auto-load or transfer card balances
  • 🤖 Poor customer service and unresponsive support
  • 🔒 Security concerns with lost/stolen cards

Silicon Valley Hopper

From 572 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💰 Affordable transportation option
  • 👍 User-friendly app interface
  • 🚗 Good drivers (when available)
  • 🛡️ Safe and convenient service
  • 📱 Easy app setup

Room to improve

  • ⏱️ Extremely long wait times (30+ minutes)
  • 🚗 Driver reliability issues and cancellations
  • 🔄 Frequent driver reassignments
  • 💸 Unfair cancellation penalties
  • 🗺️ Incorrect drop-off locations

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

Silicon Valley Hopper

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App splash screen freezes on startup
  • Excessive 'why are you not riding' notifications
  • Driver location tracking inaccuracies
  • Booking system unavailable during peak times
  • Drivers marked as no-show within one minute

Requested features

5 requests
  • Show pickup arrival time (not just destination time)
  • Live activity tracking for ride status
  • Drop-off at doorstep like Uber/Lyft
  • More drivers in Cupertino and Santa Clara
  • Better driver tracking and monitoring

In-app purchases

None

Clipper Card

No in-app purchases

None

Silicon Valley Hopper

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Clipper Card free?
Clipper Card is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Silicon Valley Hopper free?
Silicon Valley Hopper is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper?
Silicon Valley Hopper is rated higher. Clipper Card averages 3.8 out of 5 from 12K ratings, while Silicon Valley Hopper averages 4.7 from 572 ratings.
Do Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper have ads?
Neither Clipper Card nor Silicon Valley Hopper shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper?
Clipper Card ships an update every 3 months, and Silicon Valley Hopper every 6 weeks. Most recently, Clipper Card was updated on November 6, 2026 and Silicon Valley Hopper on November 3, 2026.

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