MTA TrainTime vs Underway
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MTA TrainTime
This app allows Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers to buy and use tickets, plan trips with real-time tracking, and view train car occupancy. It offers features like split payments and trip sharing for a comprehensive travel experience.
- Buy and use railroad tickets
- Plan trips with departure times
- Real-time GPS train tracking
- View train car occupancy
- Split payment options
- Share trip details
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The TrainTime app provides a one-stop shop for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers, where riders can buy and use tickets, plan their trips, track their trains, and more. • Buy tickets with Apple Pay or credit/debit card. Split payment between two cards. • Plan trips with departure times and transfer details before you travel. You can also search for two origin and/or two destination stations at once. • Save your frequent trains for easy access • Share trips with family and friends so they know when to expect you • Follow your trip with real-time GPS tracking, updated every few seconds • See the layout of your train and how crowded each car is • Chat with a customer service representative for either LIRR or Metro-North within the app
Underway
This app provides real-time NYC subway train arrivals and service status directly on an interactive map. Tap any station to see incoming trains and compare options, with an optimized offline experience for underground use.
- Real-time train arrivals
- Interactive subway map
- Service status updates
- Offline map access
- Station location
- Share train links
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The subway app for on-the-go: real-time train arrivals & service status at your fingertips. Tap a station directly on an official MTA subway map to see next trains & their real-time arrival info. Underway is optimized for offline experience, helpful during long subway rides underground: map is always available for browsing, as well as the most recent data loaded from the server. Fastest map to use. Period. Underway is a home-grown, independent project. We believe that public transportation should be user-friendly. Underway is supported by ad revenue and by in-app purchases. FEATURES - View arrivals for any subway station in real-time, mapped onto the latest published map by MTA - Tap on any station on the map to instantly see incoming trains - Compare train options using real-time data - Find out service disruptions affecting subway lines - Closed station indicators - Doesn’t require GPS, which dramatically decreases battery life - Locate nearby stations instantly upon launch, optional with GPS - Share links to specific trains with friends so they can track your arrival in real-time! PRESS REVIEWS Makespace - “Let’s face it: Google Maps can only get you so far. Made specifically with busy New Yorkers in mind, it’s an all-in-one commute compendium." Brokelyn - ”In addition to the MTA’s online Subway Times, which offers the current arrival times by line & station and is accessible from the internet even beyond the subway’s hallowed platforms, Underway NYC now offers the same information but in app form & plotted to a subway map." Viewing NYC - “[Underway] removes all the extra features & bloat of the transit apps and simply shows you how many minutes it is until the next train at your station." WHAT OUR USERS SAY - “For all its utility and minimalism, Underway also betrays the meticulousness of its creators“ - “I’ve been downloading various MTA apps for years, this is the one that made me say ‘finally!’” - “No nonsense app. Subway essentials … packed in most logical & simple way.” - ”Enjoy having the app in the daily toolbox. Use it when calculating how long I can stay at the concluding applause of a Lincoln Center event & still get line 1 to Times Square for shuttle to Grand Central. Does come in handy. Continued success." - “It's perfect for night owls like me, who must often wait up to 15 minutes for the next train.” - ”Underway matches my mental model of the subway.” - ”Your team has built a totally indispensable app and it’s saved me countless minutes.” PLEASE NOTE We get our data live from the MTA, so when their feed has inaccuracies, so does ours. SUBSCRIPTION INFO Underway is supported by ads. You may remove ads by subscribing to “Underway Ad-Free,” available as an in-app purchase. The current price of “Underway Ad-Free” is 99-cents per month. Payment will be charged to your iTunes account at confirmation of purchase, then charged for renewal 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, at the standard monthly rate of 99-cents. Auto-renewal may be turned off by going to your settings in the iTunes Store at any time, after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable. END STUFF Underway is officially licensed from the MTA. maps: © Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Used with permission. symbols: ® or TM as applicable. Used with permission of Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Terms of Use: https://www.underway.nyc/terms-of-use Privacy Policy: https://www.underway.nyc/privacy-policy
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is in-app purchases: MTA TrainTime at none against Underway's 2. MTA TrainTime also leads on ratings volume (211K vs 203) and rating (4.9 vs 4.6). Underway's advantage is review sentiment (81% vs 51%). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Underway sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $0.99 per month. MTA TrainTime asks for nothing beyond the download.
MTA TrainTime holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTA TrainTime has 211K ratings behind it against 203, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 51% of MTA TrainTime's written reviews are positive against 81% of Underway's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MTA TrainTime ships an update weekly, Underway every 10 days. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MTA TrainTime | Underway |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (211K ratings) — better | 4.6 (203 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 51.3% of reviews | 81.4% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 211K — better | 203 |
| Update frequency | Weekly — better | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Best chart rank | #10 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.4 | 16.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 116 MB | 86 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Metropolitan Transportation Authority | Sincere Labs NYC |
Customer experience
MTA TrainTime
Underway
User reviews
MTA TrainTime
From 211K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
- 👍 Consolidated app with all features
- 🚅 Accurate real-time train tracking
- 💳 Seamless ticket purchasing
- 📆 Helpful calendar integration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🕰️ Inconsistent train arrival/departure times
- 🔍 Difficult to find older tickets
- 🔀 Confusing ticket type selection
Underway
From 203 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and reliable
- 👍 Accurate train times
- 👍 Easy to use interface
- 👍 Clean design
- 👍 Uses official subway map
Room to improve
- 💸 Expensive subscription
- 🐌 Long load times
- ❓ Confusing service changes
- ⚠️ Inaccurate timing for some trains
- ❓ Some features behind paywall
Bugs and requests
MTA TrainTime
Reported bugs
3 issues- Ticket purchase failures
- Device blocked from purchasing tickets
- Incorrect track information displayed
Requested features
4 requests- Apple Watch support
- Ability to plan trips for future dates
- More detailed crowding/capacity information
- Improved search and filtering options
Underway
Reported bugs
5 issues- New ad slows loading
- Crashes on favorites
- Map sometimes selects wrong station
- Q train and 7 train timing changes
- Constant update alerts
Requested features
8 requests- One-time payment option
- Bus schedules
- Manhattan bus map
- Widgets
- Favorites/shortcuts
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- Service change notifications
- Add buses
- Family sharing for Pro
In-app purchases
MTA TrainTime
No in-app purchases
Underway
- Underway Ad-Free (Monthly)$0.991 Month
- Underway Pro (Monthly)$0.991 Month
Questions
Is MTA TrainTime free?
Is Underway free?
Which has better reviews, MTA TrainTime or Underway?
Do MTA TrainTime or Underway have ads?
Which is updated more often, MTA TrainTime or Underway?
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