Comparison

NW Ferry vs Transit GO Ticket

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

Head to head
About

NW Ferry

Plan your Washington State Ferry trips with real-time schedules, live vessel tracking, and service alerts. See dock conditions and estimated drive-up space to stay ahead at the terminal.

Highlights
  • Real-time schedules and fares
  • Live vessel tracking
  • Service alerts for delays
  • Terminal camera views
  • Drive-up space estimates
  • Favorites and recents
  • Apple Watch app and widgets
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Plan your Washington State Ferry trip in seconds. NW Ferry gives you real-time schedules, live vessel tracking, service alerts, terminal cameras, and drive-up space estimates — everything you need, in one fast app. Whether you're a daily commuter or heading to the San Juan Islands for the weekend, NW Ferry keeps you one step ahead at the dock. What you get with NW Ferry: - Real-time schedules & fares: Check upcoming departures, fares, and seasonal schedule changes for every WSF route - Live vessel tracking: Watch ferries cross Puget Sound in real time - Service alerts: Know about delays, cancellations, and route changes before you leave - Terminal cameras: See dock conditions before you drive there - Drive-up space: View estimated vehicle space remaining for upcoming sailings - Favorites & recents: Save your go-to terminal pairs and jump back to recent routes in one tap - Quick route swap: Reverse your departure and arrival terminals in one tap - Apple Watch app & widgets: Check your next sailing from your wrist — with Closest Terminal and Favorite Terminal widgets - Home Screen & CarPlay widgets: See upcoming departures at a glance, including a Favorite Terminal widget for CarPlay Terminals covered: Anacortes, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Clinton, Coupeville, Edmonds, Fauntleroy, Friday Harbor, Kingston, Lopez Island, Mukilteo, Orcas Island, Point Defiance, Port Townsend, Seattle, Shaw Island, Sidney B.C., Southworth, Tahlequah, and Vashon Island. NW Ferry requires an internet connection to load live schedule, fare, and vessel data. NW Ferry is an independent app and is not affiliated with WSDOT or Washington State Ferries.

About

Transit GO Ticket

Purchase bus, rail, and water taxi tickets directly from your mobile device. Avoid the hassle of carrying cash and use this app for various transit services across King County and Kitsap.

Highlights
  • Mobile ticket purchasing
  • Bus, rail, and water taxi tickets
  • King County Metro
  • Sound Transit Express Bus
  • Seattle Streetcar
  • Kitsap Transit
Features
Read full description

The Transit Go Ticket App allows riders to buy bus, rail and water taxi tickets using their mobile device. No more worries about carrying cash for transit fare, Transit Go Ticket is good on King County Metro Buses, Sound Transit Express Bus, Light Rail and Sounder, King County Water Taxi, Seattle Streetcar and Kitsap Transit routed buses and fast ferry. Learn more at: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/metro/fares-orca/transit-go-ticket.aspx

Screenshots

NW Ferry4 screens
Transit GO Ticket4 screens

Verdict

The call

NW Ferry and Transit GO Ticket both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 68% of NW Ferry's written reviews are positive against 17% of Transit GO Ticket's. NW Ferry also leads on chart position (#23 vs unranked). Transit GO Ticket's advantage is price (Free vs $1.99) and ratings volume (24K vs 2.2K). On rating, update cadence, ads and in-app purchases 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

Transit GO Ticket is free to download; NW Ferry costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

NW Ferry holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Transit GO Ticket has 24K ratings behind it against 2.2K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 68% of NW Ferry's written reviews are positive against 17% of Transit GO Ticket's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NW Ferry ships an update every 6 months, Transit GO Ticket every 3 months. Both last shipped on November 6, 2026.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
NW Ferry versus Transit GO Ticket: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNW FerryTransit GO Ticket
Price$1.99Free — better
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better4.5 (24K ratings)
Positive reviews67.6% of reviews — better16.7% of reviews
Number of ratings2.2K24K — better
Update frequencyEvery 6 monthsEvery 3 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree — better
Best chart rank#23 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — betteriPhone, iPod
Requires iOS26.015.6 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB110 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDurbinwareBytemark, Inc.

Customer experience

NW Ferry

All ratings2,217 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral4.1%
Negative3.3%
Written reviews68 reviews
Positive67.6%
Neutral8.8%
Negative23.5%

Transit GO Ticket

All ratings18,352 ratings
Positive87.8%
Neutral2.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews300 reviews
Positive16.7%
Neutral13.3%
Negative70.0%

User reviews

NW Ferry

From 2.2K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🚀 Accurate and up-to-date
  • 📊 Helpful for planning ferry trips
  • 🔍 Useful camera views
  • 🗓️ Essential for frequent ferry users

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Unreliable data and inaccurate information
  • 🔍 Missing important features like arrival times
  • 💰 Paid app with limited functionality compared to free options
  • 🔄 Slow to update and unresponsive to schedule changes
  • 🔧 Buggy and crashes frequently

Transit GO Ticket

From 24K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Easy to use
  • 💡 Convenient for visitors
  • 👍 Works as expected

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Crashes and bugs
  • ⚠️ Not user-friendly
  • 🕰️ Slow performance
  • 🚫 Limited payment options
  • 🤔 Confusing functionality

Bugs and requests

NW Ferry

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App won't open on Apple Watch
  • Broken links to customer support
  • Inconsistent display of car capacity information

Requested features

5 requests
  • Display full day's schedule instead of just upcoming ferries
  • Allow customization of routes/terminals shown
  • Add real-time updates for delayed/late ferries
  • Integrate ticket purchasing/reservation functionality
  • Improve widget and 3D Touch functionality

Transit GO Ticket

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Tickets disappearing before use
  • Constant log-out issues
  • Activation errors and crashes
  • Inability to manage purchased tickets

Requested features

4 requests
  • Integrate with ORCA card system
  • Add support for all transit providers
  • Improve trip planning and routing
  • Provide better user guidance and instructions

In-app purchases

None

NW Ferry

No in-app purchases

None

Transit GO Ticket

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NW Ferry free?
NW Ferry costs $1.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Transit GO Ticket free?
Transit GO Ticket is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NW Ferry or Transit GO Ticket?
NW Ferry is rated higher. NW Ferry averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Transit GO Ticket averages 4.5 from 24K ratings.
Do NW Ferry or Transit GO Ticket have ads?
Neither NW Ferry nor Transit GO Ticket shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NW Ferry or Transit GO Ticket?
NW Ferry ships an update every 6 months, and Transit GO Ticket every 3 months. Most recently, NW Ferry was updated on November 6, 2026 and Transit GO Ticket on November 6, 2026.

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