# BART Watch vs BART (Official)

The clearest difference is rating: BART (Official) at 4.6 against BART Watch's 4.4. BART (Official) also leads on ratings volume (26K vs 2.8K). BART Watch's advantage is iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.6). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

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

BART (Official) holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 2.8K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 34% of BART Watch's written reviews are positive against 30% of BART (Official)'s, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, BART (Official) every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on September 17, 2026 and September 24, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | BART Watch | BART (Official) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.4 (2.8K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-watch/id900583295/reviews) | **[4.6 (26K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | 2.8K | **26K** |
| Positive reviews | **34.1% of reviews** | 29.7% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 months** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 20 MB | 81 MB |
| Requires iOS | **13.0** | 17.6 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPod |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ELERTS Corp](https://appshunter.io/developer/445885285) | [San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District](https://appshunter.io/developer/1421336221) |

## What reviewers say

### BART Watch

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-watch/id900583295)

This app provides a discreet way for public transit riders to report suspicious activity directly to transit police. Users can send text messages, photos, and location data, with options for anonymity. It also features alerts for persons of interest.

**Highlights:** Report suspicious activity, Send text messages and photos, Discreet reporting with disabled flash, Location sharing, Anonymous reporting option, Direct call to transit police, Be On the Look Out (BOLO) alerts

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Speedy response
- 🚀 Helpful app
- 🚀 Fast response time!
- 🚀 Buen trabajo
- 🚀 Excellent app/very useful

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🔍 Logo is too big
- 🔍 Works horrible in tunnel and tube
- 🔍 If you like to answer endless inane questions
- 🔍 Useless
- 🔍 No response

**Reported bugs**

- had a good connection but unable to upload
- Can't file a report and a kid is lighting things on fire in the BART car. Obvious the camera doesn't work. Good job!
- Don't see an option for fare evader

**Requested features**

- Need a way to report non-police matters too
- Upload a photo of disruptive  behavior


### BART (Official)

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bart-official/id1439601871)

Plan your Bay Area transit journeys with real-time train departures and official service alerts. This app offers end-to-end trip planning, step-by-step navigation, and customized notifications for a hassle-free commute.

**Highlights:** Real-time train departures, End-to-end trip planner, Step-by-step navigation, Customized service alerts, Contactless parking payment, Service disruption information

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Convenient in-app parking payment
- 👍 Accurate real-time train information
- 🚀 Easy to use app
- 👍 Helpful for planning trips

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Unreliable real-time information
- 🔍 Confusing parking payment process
- 🔍 Lack of key features like checking Clipper card balance
- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🔍 Not intuitive for first-time users

**Reported bugs**

- Real-time departure times not updating accurately
- Trip planning providing incorrect/nonsensical routes
- Login and password issues causing frequent logouts
- Parking payment not working as expected

**Requested features**

- Ability to check Clipper card balance
- Automatic license plate recognition for parking
- Offline mode for schedules and trip planning
- Better notifications for service advisories and delays
- More customization options for favorite stations


## Frequently asked questions

### Is BART Watch free?

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

### Is BART (Official) free?

BART (Official) is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, BART Watch or BART (Official)?

BART (Official) is rated higher. BART Watch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.8K ratings, while BART (Official) averages 4.6 from 26K ratings.

### Do BART Watch or BART (Official) have ads?

Neither BART Watch nor BART (Official) shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, BART Watch or BART (Official)?

BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, and BART (Official) every 2 months. Most recently, BART Watch was updated on September 17, 2026 and BART (Official) on September 24, 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.*