# First Bus vs SAM Wallet

The clearest difference is ads: SAM Wallet at none against First Bus's shown. First Bus's advantage is update cadence (every 9 days vs every 2 months). 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 ships an update every 9 days, SAM Wallet every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 7, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | SAM Wallet |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | **Every 9 days** | Every 2 months |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | — |
| Size | 149 MB | 18 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.6** |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Beep Ltd](https://appshunter.io/developer/986312414) |

## 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


### SAM Wallet

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sam-wallet/id6786344425)

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

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

### Is SAM Wallet free?

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

### Do First Bus or SAM Wallet have ads?

First Bus shows ads; SAM Wallet does not.

### Which is updated more often, First Bus or SAM Wallet?

First Bus ships an update every 9 days, and SAM Wallet every 2 months. Most recently, First Bus was updated on October 15, 2026 and SAM Wallet on October 7, 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.*