Ruter vs HSL
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Ruter
Plan your journeys and purchase tickets for public transport in Oslo and Akershus. This app provides real-time departure information, route planning, and allows you to see vehicle locations and crowding levels. It also offers options for renting e-scooters, e-bikes, and city bikes.
- Plan journeys from A to B
- Buy tickets for public transport
- Real-time departure times
- Live vehicle tracking
- See crowding information
- Rent e-scooters and bikes
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The Ruter app gives you full mobility in Oslo and Akershus. Find all departures and get around with public transport such as trams, metro, buses and ferries. Select your preferred modes of transport, find the best routes and buy your tickets – all in one app. Top features in the Ruter app: • Buy tickets for public transport – for yourself and others • Plan journeys from A to B • See all departure times, and use the map to see where your mode of transportation is in real time • See how crowded the bus or tram is • Get relevant service disruption information • Add favourites to save places you visit often • See accessibility information for stops • Pay by card, Vipps or Apple Pay Unlock more features by creating a personal profile: • Find, ride and pay for e-scooters, e-bikes and city bikes • Save your journeys for later • Store tickets, history and favourites – even if you change phones • Get access to new concepts and products With a Ruter profile you’ll also get quicker and more convenient customer service. We’re always happy to hear from you if you need help, have feedback or suggestions for improvement. Tips to get even more out of the Ruter app: • If you share your location, the app will show you nearby stops and give you more accurate and relevant travel suggestions. • Use smart widgets to buy tickets or see departures from your favourite stops. Keep an eye out for more features in the future – and thank you for travelling with us!
HSL
Plan your public transport journeys in the Helsinki region, buy tickets, and get real-time updates. Access buses, trains, metro, trams, and ferries all in one place.
- Public transport ticket purchase
- Journey planner
- Real-time timetables
- Vehicle tracking
- Service disruption alerts
- Multiple payment options
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Buses, trains, the Metro, trams and ferry – all in one app. The HSL app allows you to buy public transport tickets for the Helsinki region, find the best routes using the Journey Planner, view all timetables, and receive personalized transport information. You can buy single, day and season tickets for both adults and children via the HSL app. Adult multi-journey tickets and discounted tickets for students and passengers aged 70 and over are also available via the app. You can pay using the most popular payment methods, including debit/credit cards, MobilePay, phone bill and commuter benefits. The HSL app's Journey Planner helps you find routes and informs you about the ticket needed for your journey. You can view real-time stop-specific departure and arrival times and track vehicles in real time. The app also displays any service changes and disruptions, and you can choose to receive notifications about these updates directly on your phone. More information about Helsinki region public transport: hsl.fi
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Ruter at 4.8 against HSL's 3.9. Ruter also leads on review sentiment (51% vs 14%) and ads (none vs shown). HSL's advantage is iOS requirement (13.4 vs 16.4). On price, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
Ruter holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 3.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Ruter has 3.8K ratings behind it against 481, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 51% of Ruter's written reviews are positive against 14% of HSL's.
Ruter ships an update weekly, HSL monthly. The most recent releases landed on September 23, 2026 and September 22, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Ruter | HSL |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.8 (3.8K ratings) — better | 3.9 (481 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 51.4% of reviews — better | 14.1% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 3.8K — better | 481 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Monthly |
| Ads | No — better | Yes |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 13.4 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 87 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Ruter As | Helsingin seudun liikenne |
Customer experience
Ruter
HSL
User reviews
Ruter
From 3.8K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Smooth and easy to use
- 🚀 Helpful for navigating public transport
- 🚀 Provides real-time updates on bus/train arrivals
- 💡 Allows purchasing tickets within the app
Room to improve
- 🐛 Issues with account registration, especially for non-Norwegian phone numbers
- 🐛 Unreliable real-time arrival information
- 🔍 Lack of support for train and ferry travel
- 🤔 Confusing to determine the right ticket to purchase
HSL
From 481 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Excellent app for travel in Helsinki
- 👍 Convenient and worked very well
- 🚀 Great experience, nice UI
Room to improve
- 🐛 Buggy and annoying
- 🐛 Doesn't work with international numbers
- 🐛 Kept coming with error triangle or claiming no internet connection
- 🐛 App doesn't function, unable to purchase tickets
Bugs and requests
Ruter
Reported bugs
3 issues- Tickets disappearing after phone restart
- Verification codes not being received
- App crashing or freezing on older devices
Requested features
4 requests- Ability to manually reorder shortcut stations
- Offline support for proof of fare
- Improved walking directions between connections
- Support for international credit cards and Apple Pay
HSL
Reported bugs
4 issues- Version 4.2.0 does not work on iPhone6 (iOS 12.5.5)
- Routes go blank, nothing to go back
- Login problems, like a scam
- Unable to create account, login, or purchase tickets
Requested features
3 requests- Allow buying multiple tickets in a single purchase
- Add maps showing all routes
- Provide email verification option instead of just SMS
In-app purchases
Ruter
No in-app purchases
HSL
No in-app purchases








