# First Bus vs Preston Bus

The clearest difference is ads: Preston Bus at none against First Bus's shown. Preston Bus also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). First Bus's advantage is rating (4.7 vs 4.3) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). On price, review sentiment, 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.

First Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: First Bus has 2.2K ratings behind it against 6, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 29% of Preston Bus's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, Preston Bus every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and September 29, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Preston Bus |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews)** | [4.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/preston-bus/id1569149147/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **29.4% 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 | 149 MB | 143 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


### Preston Bus

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/preston-bus/id1569149147)

Plan your bus journeys and access real-time information on your smartphone. Purchase mobile tickets, track your bus for on-time arrivals, and find nearby stops. Manage your account and get instant service updates.

**Highlights:** Mobile ticket purchasing, Real-time bus tracking, Journey planner, Next stop notifications, Service timetables, Service updates

**Features:** 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 Preston Bus free?

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

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

First Bus is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Preston Bus averages 4.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do First Bus or Preston Bus have ads?

First Bus shows ads; Preston Bus does not.

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

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and Preston Bus every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 18, 2026 and Preston Bus on September 29, 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.*