# First Bus vs High Peak

The clearest difference is ads: High Peak at none against First Bus's shown. High Peak also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (38% vs 23%). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (weekly vs every 2 months). On price, in-app purchases, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

First Bus ships an update weekly, High Peak every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and June 5, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | High Peak |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **37.5% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 154 MB | 137 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Rise Digital Media Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/893223527) |

## What reviewers say

### First Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379)

Plan your bus journeys, track buses in real-time, and purchase digital tickets. Save favorite routes and stops for quick access. Manage your account and payments securely for a convenient travel experience.

**Highlights:** Journey planning, Live bus tracking, Digital ticket purchasing, Save favorite stops, Departure board, Gifting tickets

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

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Helpful for planning journeys
- 🚀 Accurate live bus tracking
- 💡 Ability to save favorite stops
- 👍 Convenient ticket purchasing

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable bus arrival times
- 🐛 Buses disappearing from the app
- 🐛 Technical issues and app crashes
- 🤔 Confusing and unintuitive interface
- 🤔 Lack of service updates and notifications

**Reported bugs**

- App pausing music playback
- Inconsistent bus tracking and location data
- Inability to purchase certain ticket types

**Requested features**

- Offline ticket access
- Improved journey planning with timetables
- Service change notifications
- Simpler and more user-friendly interface


### High Peak

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/high-peak/id1450253104)

Purchase and display mobile tickets for bus journeys. Track live bus locations and receive important service updates to stay informed about your travel.

**Highlights:** Purchase M-tickets, Display QR code tickets, Track live bus locations, Receive service announcements, Account creation, Card setup

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

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

### Is High Peak free?

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

### Do First Bus or High Peak have ads?

First Bus shows ads; High Peak does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or High Peak?

First Bus ships an update weekly, and High Peak every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and High Peak on June 5, 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.*