Comparison

OpenKey vs BART (Official)

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

Head to head
About

OpenKey

Unlock hotel rooms worldwide using your smartphone as a secure digital key. Access your room instantly, share keys with companions, and manage your stay with features like check-out details and hotel information.

Highlights
  • Instant room access
  • Digital key sharing
  • Contact hotel operations
  • View check-out details
  • Room number displayed
  • Explore hotel amenities
  • Request check-out
Features
Read full description

Introducing the latest release of the OpenKey Guest mobile app! Access hotel rooms worldwide with a secure and convenient digital key directly on your smartphone. With the OpenKey app, you can enjoy the following features: - Instant Room Access: Easily unlock your guest room with a simple touch of a button. No more fumbling with keycards or waiting in line at the front desk. - Key Sharing: Share your digital key with up to 4 other guests, making it easier for your travel companions to access the room. - Contact Hotel: Contact the hotel operations team for any additional needs during your stay, like extra pillows or towels, potential reservation details, and questions that may arise. - Check-Out Details: View your check-out date and time on the mobile key, helping you stay organized and plan your departure effortlessly. - Room Number on Mobile Key: Say goodbye to the hassle of carrying a keycard jacket. Your room number is conveniently displayed on the mobile key, allowing for a streamlined and hassle-free experience. - Hotel Exploration: Discover hotel amenities, dining options, and other features through the app. Get a comprehensive overview of everything your hotel has to offer. - Check-Out Request: Send a check-out request directly from your mobile key screen. Simplify the check-out process and save valuable time.

About

BART (Official)

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
Read full description

The official Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) app has arrived. It’s the easiest way to plan your trip and get accurate real time train departures with data straight from BART, along with official service alerts. The BART app offers exclusive features for hassle free travel for daily commuters, infrequent users and tourists alike: -Plan your entire end to end trip with BART’s exclusive Trip Planner giving you the fastest route from your starting point to your destination using BART and multiple modes of transportation, including connecting transit, biking, walking and driving. -Step by step navigation with personalized preferences and saved favorite stations and trips. -Real time departures and schedule timetable. -Customized in-app notifications about BART service and announcements. -Contactless in-app Daily Fee parking payment -Service disruption information linked to your trip itinerary. -Report a Biohazard that needs addressing and access our BART Watch App for reporting crimes. -Escalator and Elevator advisories. -Fleet of the Future train tracker. -Cancelled trip notices. -Easily see the last train of the evening by station when you’re planning your night out or your trip home from the airport. -Station information (including if it offers a parking lot and secured bike parking). -Seamless connection to bart.gov and BARTable for deals, events, and fun. -It’s ad free; who wants to be distracted when looking how far away your train is? BART is working on future features of the app to enhance your BART experience... Tell us about the features you want.

Screenshots

OpenKey4 screens
BART (Official)4 screens

Verdict

The call

OpenKey and BART (Official) both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 73% of OpenKey's written reviews are positive against 30% of BART (Official)'s. OpenKey also leads on iOS requirement (14.0 vs 17.6). BART (Official)'s advantage is ratings volume (26K vs 3.1K). On price, rating, update cadence and ads 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.7 for OpenKey against 4.6 for BART (Official). That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: BART (Official) has 26K ratings behind it against 3.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 73% of OpenKey's written reviews are positive against 30% of BART (Official)'s.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 2, 2026 and October 3, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
OpenKey versus BART (Official): the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterOpenKeyBART (Official)
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (3.1K ratings) — better4.6 (26K ratings)
Positive reviews72.6% of reviews — better30.2% of reviews
Number of ratings3.1K26K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS14.0 — better17.6
Further details — not scored
Size107 MB81 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperOPENKEY, INC.San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District

Customer experience

OpenKey

All ratings3,083 ratings
Positive92.3%
Neutral1.6%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews113 reviews
Positive72.6%
Neutral3.5%
Negative23.9%

BART (Official)

All ratings21,736 ratings
Positive91.1%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.1%
Written reviews222 reviews
Positive30.2%
Neutral9.0%
Negative60.8%

User reviews

OpenKey

From 3.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Seamless experience
  • 🔑 Convenient keyless entry
  • 💡 Sharing keys with others
  • 👍 Easy to use
  • 🔒 Secure access

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Connectivity issues
  • 🔍 Needs better instructions
  • 🔋 Drains phone battery
  • 🤔 Doesn't work consistently

BART (Official)

From 26K App Store ratings

What we love

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

Room to improve

  • 🐛 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

Bugs and requests

OpenKey

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App crashes frequently
  • Fails to unlock doors sometimes
  • Issues with updating and reinstalling

Requested features

2 requests
  • Apple Watch app integration
  • Improved error handling and troubleshooting

BART (Official)

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • 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

5 requests
  • 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

In-app purchases

None

OpenKey

No in-app purchases

None

BART (Official)

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is OpenKey free?
OpenKey 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, OpenKey or BART (Official)?
OpenKey is rated higher. OpenKey averages 4.7 out of 5 from 3.1K ratings, while BART (Official) averages 4.6 from 26K ratings.
Do OpenKey or BART (Official) have ads?
Neither OpenKey nor BART (Official) shows ads.
Which is updated more often, OpenKey or BART (Official)?
OpenKey ships an update every 2 months, and BART (Official) every 2 months. Most recently, OpenKey was updated on October 2, 2026 and BART (Official) on October 3, 2026.

Other comparisons