Comparison

OV vs U

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

Head to head
About

OV

Easily store and display your public transport e-tickets for travel in Rotterdam, The Hague, or Amsterdam. Purchase tickets online and add them to the app using a wallet code from your email. Present your ticket for scanning when boarding buses, trams, or metros to check in and travel.

Highlights
  • Store e-tickets for public transport
  • Supports Rotterdam, The Hague, Amsterdam
  • Add tickets via wallet code
  • Display tickets for scanner
  • Check-in for bus, tram, metro
Features
Read full description

In deze app kun je e-tickets voor het openbaar vervoer toevoegen, zoals dagkaarten voor Rotterdam, Den Haag of Amsterdam. Koop je ticket op OVshop.nl, Public-transport-holland.com of Mobizz.eu. Gebruik de wallet code uit je e-mail om het ticket in de app te zetten. Wanneer je in de bus, tram, metro of op het station bent, haal je het ticket tevoorschijn en houd je het voor de scanner. Je bent nu ingecheckt en klaar om te reizen!

About

U

This app provides real-time departure times and travel planning for public transport in the Netherlands. It offers journey advice for various modes of transport, disruption notifications, and the ability to purchase tickets and passes.

Highlights
  • Real-time departure times
  • Travel planner for bus, tram, metro, train, ferry
  • Disruption notifications
  • Favorite stops
  • Purchase e-tickets and travel passes
  • Shared mobility insight
Features
Read full description

With the U-OV app, you always have the current departure times at your fingertips.' The app shows the current departure times from the nearest stops or from your preferred stop. Based on your location, the app determines which stops are nearby. The screen shows you at a glance whether your journey will depart on time from the stop or whether the vehicle will leave earlier or later. What the app offers: - The app offers a handy travel planner that allows you to request travel advice from your current location or from an address of your choice to a destination in the Netherlands. The travel planner provides advice for bus, tram, metro, train and ferry. - You can search directly by stop name. For each stop, the lines that stop there are shown, and when you select a line, you can see the real-time departure times. With the bell on this page, you can indicate that you want to receive a notification in case of a diversion or disruption. You can also indicate whether you only want to receive this during rush hour or always. - You can add a stop to your favourites by clicking on the heart next to the stop name. This stop will then be displayed in the Favourites screen by default. - Link your debit card (OVpay) to your My Account and purchase OVpay travel passes. - Purchase an e-ticket to travel on U-OV buses and trams in the province of Utrecht. - The Diversions icon shows planned and unplanned diversions and disruptions. Tip: sign up for push notifications so that you receive this information immediately if something happens on your route. - Insight into recent (planned) journeys - Latest weather forecast based on your location (if you wish to share your location data) - Contact customer service - Insight into the available shared mobility in the area - The option to personalise the app's homepage. - Plan, book, pay and follow for your journeys with U-Flex.

Screenshots

OV4 screens
U4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: U at 4.8 against OV's 1.0. U also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 4 months) and ratings volume (11 vs 2). OV's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (14.0.0 vs 17.6). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

U holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 1.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: U has 11 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

OV ships an update every 4 months, U monthly. Both last shipped on October 24, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 4 level
OV versus U: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOVU
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.0 (2 ratings)4.8 (11 ratings) — better
Number of ratings211 — better
Update frequencyEvery 4 monthsMonthly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS14.0.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size18 MB112 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperChip Bizz BVConnexxion Nederland B.V.

In-app purchases

None

OV

No in-app purchases

None

U

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OV free?
OV is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is U free?
U is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, OV or U?
U is rated higher. OV averages 1.0 out of 5 from 2 ratings, while U averages 4.8 from 11 ratings.
Do OV or U have ads?
Neither OV nor U shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OV or U?
OV ships an update every 4 months, and U monthly. Most recently, OV was updated on October 24, 2026 and U on October 24, 2026.

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