# First Bus vs ZoneCard

The clearest difference is update cadence: First Bus at weekly against ZoneCard's every 21 months. First Bus also leads on review sentiment (23% vs 0%) and device support. ZoneCard's advantage is monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (12.4 vs 16.0). On price and in-app purchases 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 ships an update weekly, ZoneCard every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 30, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | ZoneCard |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | — |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 21 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | **Free** |
| Size | 153 MB | 48 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **12.4** |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPad** | — |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Strathclyde Partnership for Transport](https://appshunter.io/developer/1732686168) |

## 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


### ZoneCard

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/zonecard/id6478397216)

This app simplifies public transport ticketing for bus, rail, and subway in West Scotland. It allows users to purchase and manage smartcards, buy tickets, and download them directly to their phone via NFC. Users can also manage their account details and view past purchases.

**Highlights:** Register and purchase smartcards, Associate existing transport cards, Buy flexible tickets, Download tickets via NFC, Manage account details, View purchase history

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

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

### Is ZoneCard free?

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

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

First Bus ships an update weekly, and ZoneCard every 21 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 1, 2026 and ZoneCard on September 30, 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.*