# First Bus vs City Explorer App

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: First Bus at none against City Explorer App's 9. City Explorer App's advantage is ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. City Explorer App sells 9 in-app purchases, starting at $17.99 per month. First Bus asks for nothing beyond the download.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, City Explorer App weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 18, 2026 and October 11, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | City Explorer App |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Every 9 days | **Weekly** |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 149 MB | 99 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Adam Manczuk](https://appshunter.io/developer/1680716696) |

## 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


### City Explorer App

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/city-explorer-app/id6449268372)

**Features:** Family Sharing

**In-app purchases (9)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Premium Standard Monthly | $17.99 | per month |
| Premium Plus Monthly | $34.99 | per month |
| Premium Standard Annual | $99.99 | per year |
| Premium Plus Annual | $179.99 | per year |
| Story Boost bundle 25 | $2.99 | one-time |
| Story Boost Bundle 50 | $3.99 | one-time |
| Story Boost bundle 100 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Routes Boost bundle 250 | $4.99 | one-time |
| Story Boost bundle 200 | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

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

### Is City Explorer App free?

City Explorer App is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do First Bus or City Explorer App have ads?

First Bus shows ads; City Explorer App does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or City Explorer App?

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and City Explorer App weekly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 18, 2026 and City Explorer App on October 11, 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.*