Clipper Card vs Silicon Valley Hopper
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).
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.
- 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
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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
Verdict
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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
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.
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.
| Parameter | Clipper Card | Silicon Valley Hopper |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.8 (12K ratings) | 4.7 (572 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 2.9% of reviews | 35.7% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 12K — better | 572 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free — better | Ad-supported |
| Best chart rank | #178 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 11.0 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 61 MB | 130 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metropolitan Transportation Commission | Via Transportation, Inc. |
Customer experience
Clipper Card
Silicon Valley Hopper
User reviews
Clipper Card
From 12K App Store ratingsWhat 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 ratingsWhat 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
Clipper Card
No in-app purchases
Silicon Valley Hopper
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Clipper Card free?
Is Silicon Valley Hopper free?
Which has better reviews, Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper?
Do Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper have ads?
Which is updated more often, Clipper Card or Silicon Valley Hopper?
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