# First Bus vs VIBE

The clearest difference is review sentiment: VIBE at 64% against First Bus's 22%. VIBE also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months) and ratings volume (2.2K vs 7). 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.

VIBE holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 7, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 22% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 64% of VIBE's.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, VIBE every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 29, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | VIBE |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[5.0 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vibe-north/id1514822120/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 22.5% of reviews | **64.3% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 150 MB | 92 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | 16.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [NLPH](https://appshunter.io/developer/1488425721) |

## 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


### VIBE

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/vibe-north/id1514822120)

Book a taxi quickly and easily with this official travel app. Features include passwordless registration, business account integration for expense automation, price estimation, real-time driver tracking, and the ability to schedule future rides.

**Highlights:** Passwordless registration, Business account integration, Price estimator, Real-time driver tracking, Schedule future trips, Priority service

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Apple Wallet, 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 VIBE free?

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

### Which has better reviews, First Bus or VIBE?

VIBE is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while VIBE averages 5.0 from 7 ratings.

### Do First Bus or VIBE have ads?

First Bus shows ads; VIBE does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or VIBE?

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and VIBE every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 29, 2026 and VIBE on October 25, 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.*