Comparison

BART Watch vs ACE Rail Tickets

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

Head to head
About

BART Watch

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
Read full description

BART Watch: Free Security App for Riders. The BART Watch App offers the public a quick and discreet method for reporting suspicious activity directly to BART Police. The app can send pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious people or activities. From the home screen, users have two easy options for contacting BART Police: * The “Report a Problem” button allows users to send text or photos directly to BART Police. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. When reporting an issue, users can select locations and report categories to assist BART Police. Riders can also send reports anonymously if they chose. * The “Call BART Police” button will connect customers directly to BART Police. The application is designed for BART. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also designed to send text messages before pictures so that BART Police can get app reports as quickly as possible. Additional Features BOLO (Be On the Look Out) Alerts. BOLO Alerts on the BART Watch App may display alerts from BART Police about specific persons of interest. For example, BART Watch may display information about a missing person or child, such as where they were last seen. If you see a person from a BOLO, immediately call 911 and send an app report to BART Police discreetly. Help keep BART safe, "See something, Say something."

About

ACE Rail Tickets

Purchase and manage train tickets, view schedules, and get rider support. Plan your trips with step-by-step navigation and store payment methods for easy purchasing. Enjoy a more convenient and sustainable travel experience.

Highlights
  • Mobile ticketing
  • Manage tickets
  • View schedules
  • Trip planning
  • Digital wallet
  • Rider support
Features
Read full description

Discover the new ACE Rail app for tickets, schedules, and more! Buy and manage tickets, view schedules, and access rider support — all from your phone. Whether you ride daily or occasionally, ACE Rail is making your journey more convenient, sustainable, and rider-friendly. Features include: - Mobile ticketing which allows you to purchase passes and store them for up to 90 days. - Trip planning with step-by-step navigation. - Digital Wallet allowing you to store multiple credit cards or utilize Apple Pay for convenient purchasing. - Ability to send feedback directly from the app.

Screenshots

BART Watch3 screens
ACE Rail Tickets4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: ACE Rail Tickets at 4.7 against BART Watch's 4.4. BART Watch's advantage is review sentiment (35% vs 18%) and update cadence (every 3 months vs every 6 months). On price, ratings volume, ads 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

ACE Rail Tickets holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.4. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 2.9K and 2.1K respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 35% of BART Watch's written reviews are positive against 18% of ACE Rail Tickets's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, ACE Rail Tickets every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
BART Watch versus ACE Rail Tickets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterBART WatchACE Rail Tickets
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (2.9K ratings)4.7 (2.1K ratings) — better
Positive reviews34.8% of reviews — better18.2% of reviews
Number of ratings2.9K — better2.1K
Update frequencyEvery 3 months — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS13.0 — better16.6
Further details — not scored
Size20 MB122 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperELERTS CorpSan Joaquin Regional Rail Commission

Customer experience

BART Watch

All ratings2,797 ratings
Positive85.7%
Neutral4.4%
Negative9.9%
Written reviews89 reviews
Positive34.8%
Neutral7.9%
Negative57.3%

ACE Rail Tickets

All ratings1,782 ratings
Positive91.6%
Neutral2.3%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews44 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral9.1%
Negative72.7%

User reviews

BART Watch

From 2.9K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

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

ACE Rail Tickets

From 2.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Train location

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Apple Pay fails consistently
  • 🐛 Amex not accepted
  • 🐛 Login doesn't work
  • 🐛 Missing important features like train status and schedule
  • 🐛 New app is worse than old app

Bugs and requests

BART Watch

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • 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

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

ACE Rail Tickets

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Apple Pay fails consistently
  • Amex not accepted
  • Login doesn't work
  • Missing important features like train status and schedule

Requested features

2 requests
  • Bring back train status with map and train numbers
  • Include Caltrain as a ride option in trip planning

In-app purchases

None

BART Watch

No in-app purchases

None

ACE Rail Tickets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is BART Watch free?
BART Watch is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is ACE Rail Tickets free?
ACE Rail Tickets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, BART Watch or ACE Rail Tickets?
ACE Rail Tickets is rated higher. BART Watch averages 4.4 out of 5 from 2.9K ratings, while ACE Rail Tickets averages 4.7 from 2.1K ratings.
Do BART Watch or ACE Rail Tickets have ads?
Neither BART Watch nor ACE Rail Tickets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, BART Watch or ACE Rail Tickets?
BART Watch ships an update every 3 months, and ACE Rail Tickets every 6 months. Most recently, BART Watch was updated on October 24, 2026 and ACE Rail Tickets on October 25, 2026.

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