Comparison

MTA TrainTime vs NYC Transit

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

MTA TrainTime

This app allows railroad customers to buy and use tickets, plan journeys, and track trains in real-time. It offers features like split payments, multi-station trip planning, and real-time GPS tracking for a seamless travel experience.

Highlights
  • Buy and use railroad tickets
  • Plan trips with departure times
  • Real-time GPS train tracking
  • View train car layouts and crowding
  • Split ticket payments
  • Share trip details
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

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

About

NYC Transit

Get real-time transit updates for NYC buses and subways, including Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North. Plan your trips, find nearby stops, and favorite your routes for quick access across devices.

Highlights
  • Real-time vehicle updates
  • Cross-platform favorite stops
  • Nearby stop finder
  • Trip planner
  • Interactive map with routes
  • Auto-refreshing schedules
Features
Read full description

Providing transit information from MTA agency for - NYC Transit Bus & Subway, Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad, Bus Company. Features: - Favourite your transit stops once and access them across multiple devices. Cross platform favourite stops feature. - Receive real-time updates on transit vehicles schedule & position. - Find stops nearby you in just one click. - Search your transit by stop name, stop number, or vehicle route number. - Our schedule auto refreshes every 30 seconds so that you don't miss your ride. - Interact with transit stops directly from the map itself. - Maps are resizable to give you more control over the view. - Transit routes are available on the map along with the transit vehicle driving direction. - Plan your trips (city or inter-cities) using trip planner. - See all the stops between stops when using trip planner.

Screenshots

MTA TrainTime4 screens
NYC Transit4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is review sentiment: MTA TrainTime at 53% against NYC Transit's 0%. MTA TrainTime also leads on rating (4.9 vs 4.2) and ads (none vs shown). NYC Transit's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.4). On price, in-app purchases 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

MTA TrainTime holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.2. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTA TrainTime has 211K ratings behind it against 155, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 53% of MTA TrainTime's written reviews are positive against 0% of NYC Transit's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MTA TrainTime ships an update every 9 days, NYC Transit every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on September 25, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard8 real differences · 3 level
MTA TrainTime versus NYC Transit: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMTA TrainTimeNYC Transit
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (211K ratings) — better4.2 (155 ratings)
Positive reviews52.7% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings211K — better155
Update frequencyEvery 9 days — betterEvery 6 months
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#14 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.412.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size129 MB18 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperMetropolitan Transportation AuthorityBhanu Munjal

Customer experience

MTA TrainTime

All ratings211,096 ratings
Positive97.6%
Neutral1.0%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews438 reviews
Positive52.7%
Neutral3.7%
Negative43.6%

NYC Transit

All ratings155 ratings
Positive79.4%
Neutral5.8%
Negative14.8%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

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

NYC Transit

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MTA TrainTime

No in-app purchases

None

NYC Transit

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MTA TrainTime free?
MTA TrainTime is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is NYC Transit free?
NYC Transit is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MTA TrainTime or NYC Transit?
MTA TrainTime is rated higher. MTA TrainTime averages 4.9 out of 5 from 211K ratings, while NYC Transit averages 4.2 from 155 ratings.
Do MTA TrainTime or NYC Transit have ads?
NYC Transit shows ads; MTA TrainTime does not.
Which is updated more often, MTA TrainTime or NYC Transit?
MTA TrainTime ships an update every 9 days, and NYC Transit every 6 months. Most recently, MTA TrainTime was updated on September 25, 2026 and NYC Transit on September 21, 2026.

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