# MBTA mTicket vs Harvard Van

The clearest difference is rating: Harvard Van at 4.7 against MBTA mTicket's 2.6. Harvard Van also leads on review sentiment (60% vs 27%) and update cadence (every 5 weeks vs every 3 months). MBTA mTicket's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and chart position (#133 vs unranked). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

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

Harvard Van holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.6. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 644 and 170 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of MBTA mTicket's written reviews are positive against 60% of Harvard Van's.

MBTA mTicket ships an update every 3 months, Harvard Van every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 18, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | MBTA mTicket | Harvard Van |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [2.6 (644 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mbta-mticket/id560487958/reviews) | **[4.7 (170 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harvard-van/id1419081124/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **644** | 170 |
| Positive reviews | 27.4% of reviews | **60.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 5 weeks** |
| Monetization | **Free** | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | **#133** | — |
| Size | 79 MB | 134 MB |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [MBTA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1055198019) | [Via Transportation, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/657777018) |

## What reviewers say

### MBTA mTicket

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mbta-mticket/id560487958)

**Currently charting:** #133 Top Free · Travel (US App Store)

Purchase Commuter Rail and Ferry tickets instantly from your smartphone. This app acts as a mobile ticket office, allowing you to buy single, round-trip, and 10-ride tickets securely. Your phone becomes your ticket, and purchased tickets are stored within the app for easy access and transfer.

**Highlights:** Secure ticket purchasing, Smartphone as ticket, Ticket transferability, View schedules and alerts, Purchase 10-ride tickets

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Great app and reliable
- 👍 Clean and simple, easy to use
- 👍 Functional and works as needed
- 🚀 Intuitive and easy to use
- 👍 Works fine, no issues experienced

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Glitchy at best, frequently crashes
- 🐛 Buggy, payment processing issues
- 🐛 Unreliable, app often doesn't work
- 🐛 Broken features, poor UX
- 🐛 Payments not working, app unusable

**Reported bugs**

- Login issues, unable to create account
- Tickets disappearing, money stolen
- Brightness settings not resetting
- Incompatible with older devices

**Requested features**

- Add support for Apple Wallet
- Integrate with mobile wallets
- Improve navigation and ticket management
- Add real-time train schedule updates
- Allow changing account details


### Harvard Van

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/harvard-van/id1419081124)

Book on-demand shuttle rides around the Harvard University campus. Select your pickup and drop-off locations, track your van in real-time, and enjoy a safe and convenient travel experience. Matches riders going in the same direction for efficient routing.

**Highlights:** On-demand shuttle booking, Real-time van tracking, Customized and flexible routing, Campus-wide service area, Estimated pickup ETAs, Safe and convenient travel

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is MBTA mTicket free?

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

### Is Harvard Van free?

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

### Which has better reviews, MBTA mTicket or Harvard Van?

Harvard Van is rated higher. MBTA mTicket averages 2.6 out of 5 from 644 ratings, while Harvard Van averages 4.7 from 170 ratings.

### Do MBTA mTicket or Harvard Van have ads?

Neither MBTA mTicket nor Harvard Van shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, MBTA mTicket or Harvard Van?

MBTA mTicket ships an update every 3 months, and Harvard Van every 5 weeks. Most recently, MBTA mTicket was updated on September 24, 2026 and Harvard Van on September 18, 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.*