Verithiathe honest score on any app
Updated July 2026 · real, multi-region App Store reviews
Head-to-head

Regal vs Atom

Regal 4.6★ · Free to download 40
Winner Atom
Atom 4.9★ · Free to download 75

Atom is the better choice for movie ticket booking due to its higher reliability in core functionalities and superior customer service, despite some payment processing issues.

Full reviews: Regal · Atom

Atom generally offers a smoother experience for buying movie tickets and managing reservations, with users praising its ease of use and flexible cancellation policy. Regal, while functional for some, is plagued by widespread login issues, payment problems, and a lack of support for its loyalty programs within the app.

Head to head

Ease of Use & Reliability (Core Functionality) edge: AtomR1R4R7R8
Regal Many Regal users report significant issues with basic app functions, including logging in, resetting passwords, and purchasing tickets R1R4R7R8. The app is described as slow and buggy, with some users unable to view purchased tickets or redeem points R4R18. Some also report the app crashing or overheating their phone .
Atom Atom is generally praised for being easy to use and efficient for buying tickets and selecting seats R68. However, some users experience issues with incorrect movie times, payment processing failures, and login difficulties R64R66.
Features & Rewards Programs tieR3R6R9R12
Regal Regal users appreciate the app for tracking rewards points and seeing redemption options . However, many Unlimited subscribers feel the app downgrades their experience by stripping gem status and not referencing the separate Unlimited rewards program R3. Users also wish the app tracked movies watched and offered more rewards for subscribers R9. There are frequent complaints about points not being added from purchases or visits, and difficulty redeeming them R6R12. The app also charges service fees for ticket purchases R23R25R31.
Atom Atom users enjoy the app's ability to buy tickets ahead of time and its flexibility with cancellations and refunds, often allowing promo codes to be reapplied R68R77R97R119. Some users utilize it for T-Mobile Tuesday deals . However, the app has issues displaying all open theaters or showtimes , and some users cannot add their Regal Crown Club card to earn points . The app also has high service fees R66 and some users find it cluttered with ads .
Customer Support edge: AtomR6R29R42R64
Regal Regal's customer service is widely criticized for being unresponsive, with emails not going through and no way to manually add receipt numbers for points R6. Users report long delays in managing subscriptions and receiving copy-pasted responses R29. There's a lack of live support, which is a major pain point for users with login or membership issues R42.
Atom Atom's customer support receives mixed reviews. Some users praise it as amazing and helpful, especially for accidental cancellations or issues with T-Mobile perks R119. However, many others report significant frustration with the support system, citing unresponsive bots, agents who never appear in chat, and no way to contact a human R64.
User Interface & Experience edge: AtomR15R18R26R27
Regal Regal's app is described as outdated and messy, with unclear displays of points and unorganized redemption options R15. Users also point out issues like not being able to see movie poster ticket stubs R26, inability to download the Regal card to Apple Wallet R27, and lack of accessibility for visually impaired users . Some find the OS not as good as competitors R18.
Atom Atom's UI is generally liked for its ease of navigation . However, some users are annoyed by auto-playing trailers that interrupt music and find the app cluttered with ads, making it hard to distinguish movie times . There are also complaints about the app not listing movie genres or external critic reviews .
Pick Regal if

You are a frequent Regal theater-goer who primarily uses the app for basic showtime lookup and occasionally for rewards tracking, and you are willing to tolerate significant technical glitches and poor customer support .

Pick Atom if

You prioritize an app that is generally easy to use for booking tickets and offers flexibility for cancellations and changes, even if you might encounter occasional payment or login issues R68R77.

Evidence note: Both apps have a significant number of negative reviews, especially regarding login and payment issues. Regal's negative reviews are more consistently about core app functionality failures and poor loyalty program integration. Atom's negative reviews, while present, are often balanced by positive feedback on its ease of use and flexibility. Regal's lifetime rating is significantly lower (4.57) than Atom's (4.87), which aligns with the higher volume of critical reviews for Regal's core functionality.

Frequently asked

Does Regal's app support its Unlimited membership?
Regal's app currently has significant issues supporting its Unlimited membership, with subscribers reporting that the app strips away gem status levels and does not reference the separate Unlimited rewards program R3R42.
Can I get a refund or exchange tickets with Atom?
Yes, Atom offers flexibility for refunds and exchanges, allowing users to easily change seats and dates, and often provides full credit or partial refunds, sometimes even allowing promo codes to be reused R68R77R97R119.
Are there booking fees when purchasing tickets through these apps?
Yes, Regal charges a service fee for purchasing tickets through its app R23R25R31, and Atom also has service fees that some users find high R66.
Do these apps have reliable customer support?
Regal's customer support is widely criticized for being unresponsive with no live support R6R29R42, while Atom's support receives mixed reviews, with some praising it but many others reporting issues with unresponsive bots and agents R64.

What reviewers actually said

Built only from these 120 real reviews (foreign ones translated). Superscripts jump to the quote here. Apple has no per-review links, so [ref] opens that app's reviews on the App Store.

  1. [R1] Regal 1/5 · US App doesn’t work: App doesn’t even work what a joke. Can’t reset password or create a new account
  2. [R4] Regal 1/5 · US Slow app: Cannot sign into the app multiple times and it is very slow
  3. [R7] Regal 1/5 · US Recent update borked things: The recent update gave incorrect movie times for the theater I gone to and it will not allow me to log into my account. I had to use my mobile browser to use my rewards and earn rewards. This update was clearly not properly tested.
  4. [R8] Regal 4/5 · US Password: Good app once your on. But I seem to have forgotten my password. Tried to reset it and you cannot do it from the app. Will not let you hit the send button for the link. Then I reset it and it is now telling me it’s wrong.
  5. [R3] Regal 3/5 · US Great app, but Regal Unlimited subscribers are left in the dark: Pretty great app, and I’ve used it for years! But once I upgraded to Regal Unlimited, the experience actually downgraded. The app completely strips away your gem status levels with no way to participate in them anymore. While there is a separate rewards program for Unlimited subscribers, the app doesn't reference it at all. As an Unl
  6. [R6] Regal 3/5 · US Fails to upload points: I want to love app but it continuously miss adding points from purchases of tickets and concession food on the app. And the email does not go through to customer service. There is no way to add an app receipt number to manually upload either.
  7. [R9] Regal 3/5 · US Needs improvements: I love the unlimited subscription pass, but i wish the app actually kept track of all the movies you watch throughout the year! Also there needs to be more rewards for subscription members. Maybe first access to buy tickets for movies coming out. I also, would love to be able to update my picture!
  8. [R12] Regal 3/5 · US Ruby/Diamond visit issues: The app continuously erases some of my visits towards diamond status. It’s annoying. Other than that it’s great.
  9. [R29] Regal 5/5 · US AMC A List, their app, and customer service are better: At Regal they believe it is a better use of company resources to pay multiple people to not read customer support emails before responding to them with copy pasted messages than to have kept an app programmer on board to make sure their app works for their patrons. As such you cannot manage your own subscriptions without 24-48 hour delays at
  10. [R42] Regal 1/5 · US App doesn’t show my regal unlimited membership: App doesn’t show my regal unlimited membership I was able to purchase one ticket through the app without a problem when I went to go and pick another movie for a different day. It wasn’t showing my Regal Unlimited membership. There’s no live support for this app which is another thing and it runs extremely slow. You guys need to get a live person to
  11. [R64] Atom 1/5 · US What happened to Atom: I have used Atom for years and have always loved it. Recently though they have become garbage. I try to purchase movie tickets and the transaction just sits “pending” for days until it’s finally just canceled. The generic email I get passed blame and says to try another card or something. I have multiple time, no difference. When I try to use their in-app chat it doesn’t kno
  12. [R15] Regal 3/5 · US The app is a mess: This whole app needs to be fixed. It’s easy to use but needs some serious reconstruction. Whoever they used as a designer did a terrible job. Looks so outdated, when you go to your points there’s no clear way of telling how many points you currently have because of the lifetime points they added in large which is not useful. When you redeem your points, it’s all unorganized. Doe
  13. [R18] Regal 3/5 · US Can’t See Purchased Tickets: Overall the app works fine, but for nearly a year now I have been unable to view my purchase tickets. I’ve tried updating the app, deleting a redownloading, signing out, but nothing works (my wife has the same issue with hers). Just annoying to have to pull up an email every time we go to the theater. I also think the OS isn’t as good as Cinemark’s app, which easily al
  14. [R26] Regal 4/5 · US Great app but New update needs work: Great app but new update doesn’t let you see movie poster ticket stubs in past purchases section like before. Regal please update app and fix this asap. Other great app for movie fans alike.
  15. [R27] Regal 3/5 · US Cannot Download Regal Rewards Card: App overall works well. However, I cannot download regal card to apple wallet. Please fix.
  16. [R68] Atom 5/5 · US App UI: I like being able to buy tickets ahead of time using the app and if you have to cancel, the app offers you a choice between full credit or a partial refund (makes sense so you don’t abuse it). App is overall very convenient to use
  17. [R77] Atom 5/5 · US Great Flexibility: I was able to easily refund to change my seats and dates based on my guests. Maybe the smoothest change processs I’ve ever had
  18. [R97] Atom 5/5 · US Amazing app: I ran into a situation where I couldn’t make it at my initial Showtime and I had used a deal to get tickets at a lower price Long story short I ended up having to cancel my initial purchase and re-purchased the tickets at a later Showtime and the deal still worked 10 out of 10
  19. [R119] Atom 5/5 · US amazing: i had to cancel the movie last minute and had used a promo code. i needed to get my dog to the vet but even though it was very last minute i still got a full refund as well as was able to use the promo code for the movie.
  20. [R23] Regal 4/5 · US It’s fine, could be better: Functionality is fine, easy to find locations, movies and seats with all important information. As a Regal club member I am disappointed with the .50 user charge as I already pay a monthly fee. Some updates I would love to see: When I purchase a friend or family ticket using their regal club number , the ticket should show in their app as well. When purchasing a ticket
  21. [R25] Regal 2/5 · US Unnecessary Fees: They charge a service fee for purchasing tickets through the app. I’ll just buy my tickets at the theater.
  22. [R31] Regal 2/5 · US Booking Fees?: App is fine. Functions like any app should in 2026. But you’re charging me a booking fee to purchase tickets on your own platform? Come on.
  23. [R66] Atom 3/5 · US Service fee is way to high: I find the cost of service fees to be abhorrent.

Synthesized from 120 recent App Store reviews · updated July 2026 · View on the App Store