# First Bus vs Scottish Citylink

The clearest difference is rating: First Bus at 4.7 against Scottish Citylink's 2.3. First Bus also leads on ratings volume (2.2K vs 6) and update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). Scottish Citylink's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs ad-supported). 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.

First Bus holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.3. 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 point the same way: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 8% of Scottish Citylink's.

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, Scottish Citylink every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 3, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Scottish Citylink |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews)** | [2.3 (6 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scottish-citylink/id6450262786/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **2.2K** | 6 |
| Positive reviews | **22.5% of reviews** | 8.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Ad-supported | **Free** |
| Size | 143 MB | 176 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [v-Apps UK](https://appshunter.io/developer/403809393) |

## 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 mobile tickets. This app offers personalized tools for a convenient travel experience, including route planning, live bus tracking, and secure payment options for digital tickets.

**Highlights:** Real-time bus tracking, Journey planning and route finder, Mobile ticket purchasing and activation, Save favorite stops and services, Secure payment management, Departure board with filtering

**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


### Scottish Citylink

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/scottish-citylink/id6450262786)

Book coach tickets and plan your journeys across over 200 destinations with real-time updates and easy payment options. Track your coach live and receive service notifications for a stress-free travel experience.

**Highlights:** Book coach tickets easily, Real-time coach tracking, Live departure and arrival times, Secure payment options, Push notifications for service updates, Access tickets in 'My Ticket' section

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, 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 Scottish Citylink free?

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

### Which has better reviews, First Bus or Scottish Citylink?

First Bus is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Scottish Citylink averages 2.3 from 6 ratings.

### Do First Bus or Scottish Citylink have ads?

First Bus shows ads; Scottish Citylink does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or Scottish Citylink?

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and Scottish Citylink every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on November 6, 2026 and Scottish Citylink on November 3, 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.*