# First Bus vs Ruter

The clearest difference is ads: Ruter at none against First Bus's shown. Ruter also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 23%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for First Bus against 4.8 for Ruter. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.2K and 3.8K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 23% of First Bus's written reviews are positive against 51% of Ruter's.

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly weekly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | First Bus | Ruter |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.7 (2.2K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/first-bus/id566586379/reviews) | **[4.8 (3.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruter/id993620197/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.2K | **3.8K** |
| Positive reviews | 22.8% of reviews | **51.4% of reviews** |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | Yes | **No** |
| Update frequency | Weekly | Weekly |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Size | 154 MB | 87 MB |
| Requires iOS | **16.0** | 16.4 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [FirstGroup Plc](https://appshunter.io/developer/566586382) | [Ruter As](https://appshunter.io/developer/581486549) |

## 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


### Ruter

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ruter/id993620197)

Plan your journeys and purchase tickets for public transport in Oslo and Akershus. This app provides real-time departure information, route planning, and allows you to see vehicle locations and crowding levels. It also offers options for renting e-scooters, e-bikes, and city bikes.

**Highlights:** Plan journeys from A to B, Buy tickets for public transport, Real-time departure times, Live vehicle tracking, See crowding information, Rent e-scooters and bikes

**Features:** Apple Wallet, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Smooth and easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for navigating public transport
- 🚀 Provides real-time updates on bus/train arrivals
- 💡 Allows purchasing tickets within the app

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Issues with account registration, especially for non-Norwegian phone numbers
- 🐛 Unreliable real-time arrival information
- 🔍 Lack of support for train and ferry travel
- 🤔 Confusing to determine the right ticket to purchase

**Reported bugs**

- Tickets disappearing after phone restart
- Verification codes not being received
- App crashing or freezing on older devices

**Requested features**

- Ability to manually reorder shortcut stations
- Offline support for proof of fare
- Improved walking directions between connections
- Support for international credit cards and Apple Pay


## Frequently asked questions

### Is First Bus free?

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

### Is Ruter free?

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

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

Ruter is rated higher. First Bus averages 4.7 out of 5 from 2.2K ratings, while Ruter averages 4.8 from 3.8K ratings.

### Do First Bus or Ruter have ads?

First Bus shows ads; Ruter does not.

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

First Bus ships an update weekly, and Ruter weekly. Most recently, First Bus was updated on September 24, 2026 and Ruter on September 23, 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.*