NYC Subway Widget User Reviews

What users say

Top reviews

Greedy greedy

Has recently put a ton of basic features behind a paywall, completely ruining the user experience. The entire idea of this app was to offer convenience and they took that away from us.

Not only is this app great, but the developer will fix issues QUICK.

This is the best. ❤️

Great app and support

Fantastic app. After some initial friction the developer was quick to implement an efficient fix and very responsive.

I love this app

I love this app!! Easy to use and always accurate. The widget is the only reason I’m ever on time to work in the mornings. 10/10!!!

Pay to Use is frustrating

I have used this app for a long time and it’s very useful for trains. However, I used to be able to see bus arrival times as well, and this feature has now been moved to “pro” so I cannot have another tab for buses without paying. Super frustrating for a feature to be revoked in an update.

Response from developer

Thanks for reporting this. You’re right, and we’re sorry. The cause was a tab-system update on February 21, 2026 that incorrectly applied the new-user tab rule because installation-date detection was flawed. The fix is in version 1.7.8 (releasing February 26, 2026). Full details are here: https://subway-widget.com/status. If anything like this happens again, please email hello@subway-widget.com, reviews can take days to reach us but email is immediate.

Equally bad as Google Maps

Frequently told me a train is 1-2 minutes away - only to then increase it back to 7-8 mins. Honestly, it’s equally unreliable as Google Maps (and the MTA in general). However, at least Google Maps flags general delays even though it cannot pinpoint the impacts on your ride

Exactly what NYC Subway users need

Love the app. Looks great, works better than most other apps I’ve tried, and is easy to use. Also love the widgets and accuracy of information. Would love to see a Mac version in the future (but the iPhone one seems to work fine on my MBP for now, anyway).

🚇 Essential NYC App Built by Someone Who Actually Cares

This is hands down one of the best NYC-specific apps you can have on your phone. The app is fast, clear, and genuinely useful whether you live here or you’re just visiting. I use it constantly when I’m out and about. Honestly, it’s up there with Messages and email in terms of how often I open it.

Nick, the developer, is incredibly responsive. You can tell there’s real care behind this app, not just in fixing bugs but in actively making it better. As a fellow developer, I know how much time, effort, and emotional energy goes into building and maintaining something like this, and it shows in every part of the experience.

The interface is clean and intuitive, the widgets are genuinely useful, and the live updates make a real difference. I have widgets placed in multiple spots on my phone, and they’ve become part of my daily flow moving around the city.

If you’re in NYC, you should have this installed. If you’re visiting, install it before you arrive. There’s a paid option, buy it. Supporting a developer who clearly gives a damn is always worth it.
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The developers actually reads your feedback

Great & easy app to use, a lot of customization options.

He takes all suggestions in consideration & actually reads your feedback!

Just perfect

I don’t think there’s a better way to find out when the train gets here! I used to use Google maps but for Google maps to load and me to find the right station and see the upcoming trains. It just takes a second and there’s nothing faster than this widget. I love it !

Time saver!

Love being able to quickly check the widget to see how far the next train is from whatever stop I'm nearby. No need to search or type anything which is especially handy during cold months wearing gloves!

Problem

Doesn’t work today , I did update it says no internet connection

Response from developer

We were unfortunately affected by the Cloudflare outage, causing ~30min of downtime. I've since removed cloudflare from this app's server, so this should not happen again! Our servers are going strong at 12 months without a single minute of downtime so now that Cloudflare is gone we should hopefully be good. Thanks to all premium subscribers for keeping the lights on and the server bills paid :)

Feedback

The developer is very kind and responded to my feedback with an explanation and a fix, respectively, for my two issues with this app - thank you!! Would still prefer an alternative to “mail” app feedback (ie support for Gmail instead) but otherwise 10/10 thanks for this convenient app.

Response from developer

Hello, Nikki. Thank you so much for providing feedback, it sounds like I've definitely dropped the ball here. It's usually a good idea to be able to have a back and forth for issues and concerns, which is why I chose email as the channel for feedback. I understand that that's not convenient for you. I will certainly take this into account. Secondly, it sounds a lot like you might have accidentally added the bus widget instead of the subway widget to your home screen. When you open the customization screen on the iOS home screen edit section, the widgets that are shown to you by Apple are random. There is a detailed video that's linked in the app that explains how you can deliberately choose which widget gets added and the subway one is the very first one in that list. There's also a convenient shortcut to add the subway widget without even needing to open the customization screen, which is also shown in that video. Unfortunately, the fact that Apple sometimes randomizes the recommended widgets and that some users think there's only one widget for all the six different transit systems & end up with the wrong one is a known limitation that I've raised with Apple and have so far not gotten a response for. I can happily explain more and help clear up this confusion over email if you have further questions. The address is nyc-subway@spreen.co Thank you so much!

Feedback

I am making this review because the only way to send feedback through the app opens the “mail” default app which I have deleted and don’t use. It is too much overhead to download and set up the mail app just to send feedback for this app. That is feedback #1 please have a better UI for sending feedback. Feedback #2 is the widget is kept from being useful because there is no way to stop buses from showing up and only show exclusively subways in the widget, even if I have that configured in the app itself. Totally useless I never take the bus and yet the prevalence of bus stops compared to subway means the widget always ONLY shows buses. Keeps this app from being great. Sad.
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Response from developer

Hello, Nikki. Thank you so much for providing feedback, it sounds like I've definitely dropped the ball here. It's usually a good idea to be able to have a back and forth for issues and concerns, which is why I chose email as the channel for feedback. I understand that that's not convenient for you. I will certainly take this into account. Secondly, it sounds a lot like you might have accidentally added the bus widget instead of the subway widget to your home screen. When you open the customization screen on the iOS home screen edit section, the widgets that are shown to you by Apple are random. There is a detailed video that's linked in the app that explains how you can deliberately choose which widget gets added and the subway one is the very first one in that list. There's also a convenient shortcut to add the subway widget without even needing to open the customization screen, which is also shown in that video. Unfortunately, the fact that Apple sometimes randomizes the recommended widgets and that some users think there's only one widget for all the six different transit systems & end up with the wrong one is a known limitation that I've raised with Apple and have so far not gotten a response for. I can happily explain more and help clear up this confusion over email if you have further questions. The address is nyc-subway@spreen.co Thank you so much!

Amazing

Incredible app. Super useful. More accurate and convenient than Apple and Google Maps.

MUST recommend

I generally do not review apps but I literally use this for my commute every day and when traveling anywhere in the city. It will change your life I’m not joking

Response from developer

Thank you that means a lot!

Perfect

So convenient. Worth every penny!

Great App and Great Support

This app is well designed and very useful for NYC commuting! Custer support is also great, very responsive and helpful.

more reliable than the MTA

the best and simplest app for train times in nyc. I use it daily as a resident but I recommend it to all my friends visiting as well.

love it

such a great app! i use it every morning before going to work, so helpful!