Comparison

Social Bicycles vs Wave by OCTA

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Social Bicycles

Locate, reserve, and ride shared bicycles using your smartphone. This app allows you to find available bikes on a map, manage your account, and pay for rides. Return bikes to designated hubs or public racks.

Highlights
  • Find bicycles using map
  • Create account and pay
  • Reserve bicycles wirelessly
  • Manage your account
  • Contact customer support
  • Sync with Health app
Features
Read full description

Social Bicycles (SoBi) provides innovative bike share technology to municipal, university and private programs around the world. Find, reserve, ride, and return bicycles with ease. Our bikes are GPS enabled and can be rented with your smartphone. You can return bicycles to hub locations or lock them to public bike racks for a small fee. Use our mobile app to: - Find bicycles using map - Create an account and pay through the app - Reserve bicycles wirelessly - Manage your account - Contact customer support Public programs powered by Social Bicycles: - SoBi Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, CA - SoBi Long Beach, NY - Coast Bike Share, Tampa, FL - GRID Bike Share, Phoenix, AZ - Juice Bike Share, Orlando, FL - Topeka Metro Bikes, Topeka, KS - Boise GreenBike, Boise, ID - University of Virginia UBike, Charlottesville, VA - Mountain Rides Bike Share, Ketchum, ID - Reddy Bike Share, Buffalo, NY - Breeze Bike Share, Santa Monica, CA - VeloGo, Ottawa, ON, CA - Share-A-Bull Bikes, University of South Florida, FL - Monash University, VIC, AU - Curtin University, VIC, AU - Bay Bike, San Mateo, CA - Long Beach Bike Share, Long Beach CA - Beverly Hills Bike Share, Beverly Hills, CA - WeHo Pedals, West Hollywood - BIKETOWN, Portland, OR - UHBikes, Cleveland, OH - Relay Bike Share, Atlanta, GA - Velonet, Czech Republic - Bruin Bike Share UCLA, CA - Bike Share Connect, Los Angeles, CA Social Bicycles (SoBi) integrates with the Health app to sync your bicycle trips. Enable integration in the Account tab.

About

Wave by OCTA

This app simplifies public transit by allowing users to pay for rides and manage their transit cards. It automatically caps fares to ensure the best price and offers real-time bus information for trip planning. Users can easily add value, manage multiple cards, and utilize features like autopay and virtual cards for seamless travel.

Highlights
  • Automatic fare capping
  • Pay as you ride
  • Real-time bus information
  • Virtual card creation
  • Add value with cash
  • Autopay for reloads
  • Manage multiple cards
Features
Read full description

The Wave by OCTA app makes riding OC Bus easier, faster, and smarter. With Wave, your payments are automatically capped, so you’ll never overpay, and you’ll always get the best fare. No more pre-paying for a daily or monthly pass, just load value and pay as you go. New features include card management, allowing you to add value to your Wave cards directly in the mobile app or at participating retailers using cash; real-time bus information so you can plan your trip; and apply your reduced fare status to your Wave card. Why the Wave app makes riding easier: 1. Pay as you ride. No need to pay upfront for passes. 2. Daily and monthly fares are automatically capped, so you always pay less. 3. Get a free virtual card; no need to purchase a separate Wave card. 4. Set up autopay to reload value when your balance is low. 5. Load value with cash at participating retailers. 6. Real-time reloads and account management. 7. Manages up to 8 reusable Wave cards in your account. 8. Virtual card displays a large QR code for quicker boarding. 9. Wave cards include a free two-hour transfer for paid rides. 10. Connects to the Transit App for trip planning. To get started, download Wave by OCTA to register your account. Create a virtual Wave card or link your physical card. Add funds and you’re ready to ride. It’s that simple.

Screenshots

Social Bicycles4 screens
Wave by OCTA4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Social Bicycles at 4.4 against Wave by OCTA's 1.7. Social Bicycles also leads on ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, update cadence and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Social Bicycles holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 1.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Social Bicycles has 6.8K ratings behind it against 216, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 27% of Social Bicycles's written reviews are positive against 9% of Wave by OCTA's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Social Bicycles ships an update every 4 weeks, Wave by OCTA monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 8, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 3 level
Social Bicycles versus Wave by OCTA: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSocial BicyclesWave by OCTA
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (6.8K ratings) — better1.7 (216 ratings)
Positive reviews27.5% of reviews — better9.3% of reviews
Number of ratings6.8K — better216
Update frequencyEvery 4 weeks — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS12.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size49 MB24 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMobilityCloud IncOrange County Transportation Authority

Customer experience

Social Bicycles

All ratings6,755 ratings
Positive86.1%
Neutral3.0%
Negative11.0%
Written reviews193 reviews
Positive27.5%
Neutral5.2%
Negative67.4%

Wave by OCTA

All ratings202 ratings
Positive14.9%
Neutral3.5%
Negative81.7%
Written reviews97 reviews
Positive9.3%
Neutral7.2%
Negative83.5%

User reviews

Social Bicycles

From 6.8K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Convenient bike access
  • 👍 Easy to use app
  • 💡 Great bike sharing community
  • 🚲 Comfortable bikes

Room to improve

  • 🐛 App crashes and glitches
  • ⚠️ Unreliable bike availability
  • 💳 Confusing payment system
  • 🔑 Difficult bike unlocking process
  • 🏪 Uneven bike distribution

Wave by OCTA

From 216 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 💡 Needs NFC support

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Can't sign in
  • 🐛 Not working
  • 🐛 Totally unable to sign in
  • 🐛 No free virtual on update
  • 🐛 Where's the free 15th-31st rides?

Bugs and requests

Social Bicycles

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Account login issues
  • Incorrect bike charges
  • Broken bike sensors
  • Unresponsive bike keypads

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improved app navigation
  • Better bike status information
  • Streamlined payment options
  • Expanded service area

Wave by OCTA

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Can't sign in
  • Not working
  • Totally unable to sign in
  • No free virtual on update
  • Where's the free 15th-31st rides?

Requested features

2 requests
  • Free bus pass option
  • Easier college pass transfer

In-app purchases

None

Social Bicycles

No in-app purchases

None

Wave by OCTA

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Social Bicycles free?
Social Bicycles is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Wave by OCTA free?
Wave by OCTA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Social Bicycles or Wave by OCTA?
Social Bicycles is rated higher. Social Bicycles averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.8K ratings, while Wave by OCTA averages 1.7 from 216 ratings.
Do Social Bicycles or Wave by OCTA have ads?
Wave by OCTA shows ads; Social Bicycles does not.
Which is updated more often, Social Bicycles or Wave by OCTA?
Social Bicycles ships an update every 4 weeks, and Wave by OCTA monthly. Most recently, Social Bicycles was updated on November 6, 2026 and Wave by OCTA on November 8, 2026.

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