# Ride Pingo vs SMRTpay

The clearest difference is review sentiment: Ride Pingo at 50% against SMRTpay's 0%. Ride Pingo also leads on rating (4.7 vs 3.3) and ratings volume (1.6K vs 14). SMRTpay's advantage is monetization model (free vs ad-supported). On price, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

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

Ride Pingo holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ride Pingo has 1.6K ratings behind it against 14, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 50% of Ride Pingo's written reviews are positive against 0% of SMRTpay's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 3 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 19, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | Ride Pingo | SMRTpay |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (1.6K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ride-pingo/id1536281958/reviews)** | [3.3 (14 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smrtpay/id1554841917/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **1.6K** | 14 |
| Positive reviews | **50.4% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Every 3 weeks |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 108 MB | 72 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 15.1 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [The Routing Company](https://appshunter.io/developer/1536219093) | [Modeshift Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/1504685070) |

## What reviewers say

### Ride Pingo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ride-pingo/id1536281958)

This app offers shared rides for the price of a bus ticket, providing a smart, easy, and affordable transit option. Request on-demand rides, track shuttle services, or book accessible transportation.

**Highlights:** On-demand ride requests, Shuttle service tracking, Accessible ride booking, Affordable travel, Community transit

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great service
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚕 Convenient transportation
- 💯 Excellent drivers
- 🕰️ Prompt and on-time

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 App issues (crashes, glitches, bugs)
- ⏱️ Inaccurate ETAs and timing
- 🗺️ Poor mapping and location tracking
- 🤖 Unreliable app functionality
- 📞 Lack of customer support

**Reported bugs**

- App not working in certain areas
- Login/signup process issues
- Incorrect time zone handling
- Payments not processing properly

**Requested features**

- Ability to message drivers before pickup
- Option to switch drivers during a ride
- More accurate real-time tracking
- Improved routing and scheduling algorithms
- Seamless integration with other transit options


### SMRTpay

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/smrtpay/id1554841917)

Plan your public transit journeys, purchase tickets, and validate them all within a single, intuitive application. This app offers real-time departure and arrival information, secure payment options, and a digital wallet for your passes, simplifying city travel.

**Highlights:** Trip planning with integrated map, Real-time departure/arrival times, Secure ticket and pass purchases, Digital wallet for tickets, Onboard validation via QR code, Clean and friendly interface

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is Ride Pingo free?

Ride Pingo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is SMRTpay free?

SMRTpay is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, Ride Pingo or SMRTpay?

Ride Pingo is rated higher. Ride Pingo averages 4.7 out of 5 from 1.6K ratings, while SMRTpay averages 3.3 from 14 ratings.

### Do Ride Pingo or SMRTpay have ads?

Neither Ride Pingo nor SMRTpay shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, Ride Pingo or SMRTpay?

Ride Pingo ships an update every 3 weeks, and SMRTpay every 3 weeks. Most recently, Ride Pingo was updated on October 19, 2026 and SMRTpay on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*