Best Voi alternatives in 2026 (we compared 7)
You walk to the usual stand and the orange scooters are gone. Voi’s coverage map has been shrinking, with the company quietly exiting cities where the council renewed someone else’s contract. If the app sat unused for a fortnight you are not alone, and you are not stuck. There is a real choice of e-scooter and e-bike operators across Europe now, each with different geography, vehicle mix, and pricing. Below we compare seven Voi alternatives on coverage, vehicle quality, and what they cost when you unlock and ride for ten minutes.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Free to try | Standout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lime | the widest global network | Free app | Operates in 280+ cities across five continents |
| TIER | European cities with strong e-bike supply | Free app | E-scooter, e-bike, and e-moped fleet on one account |
| Dott | Paris, Brussels, and Italian cities | Free app | Single account spans Dott and the merged TIER fleet |
| Bird | casual occasional rides in the US and southern Europe | Free app | Recognisable global brand with simple per-minute pricing |
| Bolt | combining e-scooters with taxi rides on one account | Free app | Single account for scooters, e-bikes, food delivery, and ride-hail |
| Beryl | UK e-bike hire with proper bike-share stations | Free app | Docked e-bike network across UK towns and cities |
| Citymapper | comparing every micromobility option before unlocking | Free app, premium tier optional | Shows live availability across Lime, TIER, Dott, Voi, and city bike-share schemes |
Why people look for Voi alternatives
Cities keep losing Voi. Tender cycles favour whichever operator can promise the deepest fleet, and Voi has been on the wrong side of a string of council decisions across the UK and Europe.
Unlock fees outpace the ride. A two-minute hop now costs more in the unlock than in the per-minute charge unless you buy a pass. Pass economics only work if you ride most days.
Helmet rules and speed caps. Beginner mode is conservative, and some cities cap top speed to 15 km/h in pedestrian zones, which makes the scooter slower than walking once you factor in unlock time.
Geofenced parking that punishes you. Park outside an approved zone and the fee tacks on automatically, even if the parking area was full when you arrived.
The 7 best Voi alternatives
1. Lime: best for the widest global network
Lime is the operator most likely to be in the next city you visit. The e-bike fleet is fresher than most competitors, with hub motors that handle hills the old Voi scooters struggled with. The app’s ride history exports as PDF for expense reports, useful if you bill mileage.
Where it falls short: Surge pricing kicks in at peak times and on weekends. A weekday commute is fine; a Saturday night ride home can land at double the displayed rate.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go starts at around £1 unlock plus 22p per minute, varying by city. LimePass cuts the unlock fee for a monthly fee.
Switching from Voi: No data to move. Lime accepts the same payment methods as Voi and adds Apple Pay and Google Pay everywhere.
Bottom line: The closest like-for-like swap. If Voi has left your city, Lime is the first app to install.
2. TIER: best for European cities with strong e-bike supply
TIER (now operating as Dott in many markets after the merger) covers a long list of European cities where Voi never won the tender. The vehicle mix matters: TIER’s e-bike fleet has held up better through winter than most competitors, and the e-mopeds are useful for longer cross-town rides.
Where it falls short: Coverage is thinner in the UK than mainland Europe; outside London the fleet is sparse.
Pricing: Roughly £1 unlock plus 20p per minute on the scooter. Day and week passes available in most cities.
Switching from Voi: Quick sign-up, no link to your Voi history needed. The app surfaces a fleet map on first launch so you can see whether your area is covered before you commit a card.
Bottom line: Strong fit for European travel. Less compelling if your weekly riding is UK-only.
3. Dott: best for Paris, Brussels, and Italian cities
Dott merged with TIER and runs the combined fleet under a shared backend. For riders, that means one account works in cities where the brand on the scooter still reads TIER and others where it has switched to Dott. Coverage is strongest in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and northern Italy.
Where it falls short: Onboarding still asks for a fresh ID upload even if you signed up with TIER. App can be sluggish near tournament-style events with many concurrent unlocks.
Pricing: About €1 unlock plus €0.20 per minute in most European cities. Pass pricing varies by market.
Switching from Voi: One account, one app, two brand names on the vehicles. Add a card once and you ride across the merged network.
Bottom line: Best pick for regular travel in mainland Europe. Treat it as the European equivalent of Lime.
4. Bird: best for casual occasional rides in the US and southern Europe
Bird took the worst beating of any micromobility name post-pandemic, but the brand survived and the fleet is still on the streets in a meaningful number of US and southern European cities. Pricing is straightforward and the app is the simplest of the bunch.
Where it falls short: European coverage has shrunk dramatically and is now patchy outside Spain, Italy, and a few tourist cities.
Pricing: $1 unlock plus 25 to 39 cents per minute in the US; similar in euros across Europe.
Switching from Voi: Standalone account. Worth installing only if you have spotted Birds in your city recently.
Bottom line: Useful as a backup for travel, weak as a daily app outside the US.
5. Bolt: best for combining e-scooters with taxi rides on one account
Bolt’s appeal is account consolidation. The same app and card cover the scooter ride to the station, the taxi when it rains, and dinner delivered when you stay in. The micromobility fleet is real but narrower than Lime’s, weighted toward eastern and southern European cities.
Where it falls short: Scooter availability in any given city is usually below Lime’s. Coverage is also thin in much of western Europe.
Pricing: About €1 unlock plus €0.15 to €0.20 per minute. Bolt Plus subscription drops the unlock fee and discounts rides.
Switching from Voi: If you already use Bolt for taxis, scooters are unlocked through the same account with no new sign-up.
Bottom line: Pick this if you already live in the Bolt ecosystem. The convenience of one card and one app outweighs marginal coverage gaps.
6. Beryl: best for UK e-bike hire with proper bike-share stations
Beryl runs the bike-share contracts for Bournemouth, Cornwall, Norwich, Watford, the West Midlands, and the Isle of Wight, among others. The vehicles dock at proper bays, which sidesteps the parking fee problem Voi riders complain about, and the bikes themselves are heavier and more stable than shared scooters.
Where it falls short: No e-scooters; bikes only. London coverage is limited to specific schemes rather than blanket.
Pricing: Pay-as-you-go starts around £1 unlock plus 5p per minute for standard bikes, more for e-bikes. Minute bundles and monthly passes available.
Switching from Voi: Set up a fresh account; payment by card or in-app top-up bundles.
Bottom line: Best UK bike-share option outside London. Pair with another app for short scooter hops.
7. Citymapper: best for comparing every micromobility option before unlocking
Citymapper does not run any scooters or bikes itself, but it knows which ones are parked nearby and how the cost works out for your route compared with bus, tube, taxi, or walking. Use it as the decision layer before opening whichever operator app actually unlocks the vehicle.
Where it falls short: Pricing estimates can lag operator changes by a day or two. Some cities show more accurate vehicle counts than others.
Pricing: Free for core routing. Citymapper Club subscription adds offline maps and richer alerts.
Switching from Voi: Already installed for many city commuters. Switch on the micromobility layer in settings.
Bottom line: The smart first tap when you do not care which brand you ride, only that you get there.
How to choose
Pick Lime first. Widest coverage globally and the strongest e-bike fleet outside docked schemes.
Add Dott (or TIER, same backend) if you ride in mainland Europe. Coverage is broader than Lime in France, Benelux, and northern Italy.
Add Beryl if you ride in the UK regularly. Their docked e-bike contracts cover towns the big operators skip.
Use Bolt or Citymapper to consolidate. Bolt if you want one card for everything; Citymapper if you want to see all options ranked before you unlock.
Stay on Voi only in the specific cities where they hold the current contract and the alternatives have thin supply. That list is short and getting shorter.
FAQ
Why is Voi pulling out of cities?
Council micromobility contracts run on multi-year tenders. Each renewal is competitive, and Voi has lost several recent UK tenders to TIER, Dott, or Lime. The exit is contractual, not a sign the company is failing.
Is there a cheaper alternative to Voi passes?
TIER and Dott often undercut on per-minute price; Lime’s pass usually beats Voi’s once you ride more than three times a week. The cheapest single ride is whichever app offers a first-ride credit.
Can I use my Voi account on another scooter app?
No. Each operator keeps a separate account, payment method, and ID verification. Plan to spend ten minutes signing up to a new app the first time you use it.
Which e-scooter app has the best UK coverage?
Outside London, Voi, Dott, and Lime each lead in different cities depending on who won the local tender. Open Citymapper in your area to see which fleet has the most vehicles right now.
Are e-bikes a better alternative to e-scooters?
For longer rides, yes. E-bikes are more stable in rain and faster across distances above two kilometres. For short hops in dense city centres, scooters remain quicker to unlock and easier to park.
