# First Bus vs Unibuses

The clearest difference is ads: Unibuses at none against First Bus's shown. Unibuses also leads on review sentiment (50% vs 23%) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is ratings volume (2.2K vs 7). On price, update cadence, 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.

Unibuses holds the better App Store score, 4.9 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: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 50% of Unibuses's.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, Unibuses fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 13, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Unibuses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[4.9 (7 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unibuses/id1556029847/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 7 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **50.0% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Fortnightly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 149 MB | 41 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **13.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [The Go-Ahead Group plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566501475) |

## 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


### Unibuses

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/unibuses/id1556029847)

Plan your bus journeys in Bournemouth with mobile ticketing, live departure information, and route planning. Access timetables, view past contactless journeys, and save your favorites for quick access. Stay updated on service disruptions.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchase, Live departure times, Route and journey planning, Digital timetables, Contactless journey history, Favorite stops and routes, Service disruption alerts

**Features:** 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 Unibuses free?

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

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

Unibuses is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Unibuses averages 4.9 from 7 ratings.

### Do First Bus or Unibuses have ads?

First Bus shows ads; Unibuses does not.

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

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and Unibuses fortnightly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 18, 2026 and Unibuses on October 13, 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.*