# First Bus vs Ipswich Buses

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.

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 — 4.7 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.

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

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Ipswich Buses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[4.8 (4 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipswich-buses/id1483091071/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 4 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **35.7% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Monthly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 154 MB | 71 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Ipswich Buses Limited](https://appshunter.io/developer/1483091070) |

## 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


### Ipswich Buses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ipswich-buses/id1483091071)

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:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked 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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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*