British Airways vs Ryanair
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
British Airways
Book flights, manage bookings, and check in effortlessly with this travel companion. Access airport maps, lounge information, and receive real-time travel updates. Handle disruptions and manage your account with ease.
- Seamless booking experience
- Easy check-in with passport scanning
- Mobile boarding passes
- Real-time travel updates and notifications
- Manage bookings and make changes
- Airport maps and lounge information
- Disruption management and rebooking options
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Welcome to the new British Airways app. Your journey starts here. Enjoy a seamless experience, designed around the way you travel. Simplified navigation makes booking, managing, checking in and travelling effortless with your new travel companion. Book flights Book quickly and with confidence. Compare prices using our new calendar view, choose your preferred fare and pay using Apple Pay, saved cards or part-pay with your Avios in just a few steps. Check in with ease A smoother start to every flight. Check in using passport scanning, select seats and save your boarding pass to your Apple Wallet, ready for departure. The day of your flight We’re with you on the day. Your home screen gives quick access to boarding passes. Notifications and live activities (initially from London Heathrow and Gatwick) update you about gate changes and key information within 24 hours of departure. Manage your bookings Browse your upcoming trips, select seats, add bags or make changes to your bookings with ease whenever you need them. Relax before your flight You’ll have access to airport maps and see in real time how busy our lounges are at London Heathrow T5 to find a quieter place to unwind. Take control of your journey Support when you need it most. If disruption occurs, quickly review your options to rebook your flight or request a refund, all in one place. Manage your account Your travel, tailored to you. Save your passport details for faster booking and check in. Update personal details and preferences, view your Avios balance, tier progress and vouchers, all securely protected with Face ID. Permissions We may ask for access to: - Your calendar and email to help manage bookings - Your camera to scan passports, documents or QR codes - Bluetooth and location for tracking features you enable - Notifications for travel updates You can manage permissions in your device settings at any time. Please refer to the ‘Application Licence Agreement’, linked below, to view the terms of use of this application and its features. By downloading the BA application, you agree to these terms. https://www.britishairways.com/content/information/legal/app-terms-conditions
Ryanair
Find the lowest fares across Europe with this travel app. It offers convenient features like mobile check-in and boarding passes, along with easy access to in-flight extras. Explore Europe with affordable travel options at your fingertips.
- Lowest fares in Europe
- Mobile check-in
- Mobile boarding pass
- In-flight extras
- Easy to use
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With this App at your fingertips, Europe is at your feet. We’re Ryanair, so of course you’ll find the lowest fares in Europe on our app. But you’ll also get handy extras like being able to check in while you’re on the move, a mobile boarding pass delivered straight to your phone and a choice of in-flight extras in one quick click. So why are you still reading? Download it now and get flying!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: Ryanair at weekly against British Airways's every 3 weeks. Ryanair also leads on iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). British Airways's advantage is ratings volume (274K vs 90K). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.5 for British Airways against 4.4 for Ryanair. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 274K and 90K respectively. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 17% and 17% positive.
British Airways ships an update every 3 weeks, Ryanair weekly. Both last shipped on November 3, 2026.
| Parameter | British Airways | Ryanair |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.5 (274K ratings) — better | 4.4 (90K ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.6% of reviews | 17.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 274K — better | 90K |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #84 — better | #138 |
| Devices | iPhone | iPhone, iPod — better |
| Requires iOS | 18.0 | 15.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 124 MB | 339 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | British Airways Plc | Ryanair Ltd. |
Customer experience
British Airways
Ryanair
User reviews
British Airways
From 274K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Simple check-in process
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient mobile boarding passes
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable
- 👎 Poor user experience
- 🤔 Confusing navigation
- 🤔 Inconsistent functionality
- 🤔 Redirects to website instead of in-app
Ryanair
From 90K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 💻 Easy to use app
- 🚀 Efficient check-in process
- 📱 Convenient mobile boarding passes
Room to improve
- 🤑 Excessive fees and hidden charges
- 🤖 Poor customer service and support
- 🤔 Confusing and misleading app features
- 🛫 Frequent flight delays and cancellations
Bugs and requests
British Airways
Reported bugs
4 issues- Login and check-in issues
- Inability to retrieve boarding passes
- Inconsistent display of flight information
- Crashes and freezes
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to manage bookings and changes within the app
- Improved seat selection and management
- Reliable push notifications for flight updates
- Seamless integration between app and website
Ryanair
Reported bugs
3 issues- Passport scanning functionality not working
- Booking and check-in process glitches
- App crashing and losing user data
Requested features
3 requests- Improved communication about flight status updates
- Ability to easily manage and change bookings
- Better integration between app and website
In-app purchases
British Airways
No in-app purchases
Ryanair
No in-app purchases








