Comparison

First Bus vs Ipswich Buses

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

Head to head
About

First Bus

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
Read full description

Plan your journey, track your bus, and travel with confidence using the First Bus app. With real-time updates, mobile tickets, and personalised tools, getting around by bus has never been easier. Bus travellers can buy, gift, and activate digital bus tickets, manage secure payments, and save favourite locations, stops, and services for quicker access. The app also supports account management, consent management, while providing access to help and support features. Whether you’re commuting, exploring, or travelling occasionally, the app helps you stay in control from door to door. Planning your journey Find the best routes using locations, stops, or service numbers. View routes, timings, and stop information to plan trips that suit you. Live Bus tracking See your bus in real time on an interactive map and get more accurate arrival estimates. This feature helps reduce waiting uncertainty, improves journey planning, and enables users to make informed travel decisions by knowing exactly where their bus is at any moment. Departure Board Check upcoming services for either your stop or route, with clear timings and filtering (such as First Bus only) options. The time and dates can also be easily adjusted for future travel plans. Favourites Save your most-used stops, locations, and bus services for quick access every time you travel. Buying Buy, gift, and activate digital tickets directly in the app with a variety of filters. Secure payments and instant access mean no paper tickets needed. Tickets appear instantly ready to use in your account. Gifting Send tickets to friends or family quickly and easily. During the ticket buying flow, users can choose to gift a ticket instead of using it themselves, enter recipient details, and complete the purchase securely. Activating Tickets Activate your ticket in the First Bus app when you’re ready to travel. Once activated, it clearly shows its status and validity, making it quick and easy to present when boarding the bus. Account and Payments The First Bus app lets users securely manage their account and payment details in one place. Users can sign up, sign in, and reset their password if needed, as well as view and update their personal information and account settings. They can also choose to delete their account if required. Within the app, users can manage saved payment cards, set a default payment method, and remove cards at any time. All payment information is handled securely, helping ensure a smooth, safe, and convenient ticket purchasing experience. Preferences Choose your region, set walking distance preferences, and manage consent and notifications. Help and support Access FAQs , contacts and support resources in our dedicated help centre.

About

Ipswich Buses

Purchase and store bus tickets directly on your smartphone for easy validation. Find nearby bus stops and check scheduled departure times for your specific routes. Travel around Ipswich conveniently with this service.

Highlights
  • Purchase bus tickets
  • Store tickets on smartphone
  • Validate tickets via machine
  • Search for bus stops
  • Check departure times
  • View bus routes
Features
Read full description

The Ipswich Buses mobile app allows you to purchase and validate bus tickets on Ipswich Bus vehicles. You can also search for particular stops and check scheduled departure times for your route. Functions: Purchase and store tickets: Use the app to pay for your tickets on Ipswich Buses vehicles. Store your tickets on your smartphone: Validate them via the ticket machine when boarding. Search for stops on the map: Locate your closest bus stop on the map, and check bus routes and departure times from that stop. Getting around Ipswich couldn’t be easier with Ipswich Buses. We operate bus services all year round. With over 110 years experience in moving people around, our great transport network will ensure you get to enjoy everything Ipswich has to offer, whether it’s for work, leisure or education.

Screenshots

First Bus4 screens
Ipswich Buses4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ads: Ipswich Buses at none against First Bus's shown. Ipswich Buses also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and review sentiment (36% vs 23%). First Bus's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 4) and update cadence (weekly vs monthly). On price, rating, in-app purchases and device support 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

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for First Bus against 4.8 for Ipswich Buses. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 36% of Ipswich Buses's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

First Bus ships an update weekly, Ipswich Buses monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 19, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard5 real differences · 5 level
First Bus versus Ipswich Buses: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFirst BusIpswich Buses
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (2.2K ratings)4.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews22.8% of reviews35.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings2.2K — better4
Update frequencyWeekly — betterMonthly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS16.016.0
Further details — not scored
Size154 MB71 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperFirstGroup PlcIpswich Buses Limited

Customer experience

First Bus

All ratings2,180 ratings
Positive94.1%
Neutral3.6%
Negative2.2%
Written reviews864 reviews
Positive22.8%
Neutral11.5%
Negative65.7%

Ipswich Buses

All ratings4 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews14 reviews
Positive35.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative64.3%

Bugs and requests

First Bus

Reported bugs

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

Requested features

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

Ipswich Buses

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

First Bus

No in-app purchases

None

Ipswich Buses

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is First Bus free?
First Bus is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Ipswich Buses free?
Ipswich Buses is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, First Bus or Ipswich Buses?
Ipswich Buses is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Ipswich Buses averages 4.8 from 4 ratings.
Do First Bus or Ipswich Buses have ads?
First Bus shows ads; Ipswich Buses does not.
Which is updated more often, First Bus or Ipswich Buses?
First Bus ships an update weekly, and Ipswich Buses monthly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ipswich Buses on September 19, 2026.

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