Comparison

Notify NYC vs DSNY Pickup

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

Head to head
About

Notify NYC

Receive official emergency alerts and information about important City services directly from New York City. This app provides location-based updates to keep you informed about emergency events.

Highlights
  • Official emergency communications
  • Location-based alerts
  • Information on emergency events
  • Updates on City services
  • Privacy-focused location tracking
Features
Read full description

Notify NYC is New York City's official emergency communications program. Get the Notify NYC app to get information about emergency events and important City services, based on your location. New York City will never track or share your precise location with anyone.

About

DSNY Pickup

This unofficial application provides New York City residents with essential information regarding sanitation services. Access your trash and recycling pickup schedule, receive timely reminders, and find other relevant details about the Department of Sanitation's operations.

Highlights
  • Service schedule lookup
  • Pickup reminders
  • Department of Sanitation information
  • Unofficial NYC service app
Features
Read full description

Never miss trash day again. DSNY Pickup shows your trash, recycling, compost and bulk collection days for any address in New York City, reminds you when to set out your bins, and warns you when holidays or weather change the schedule. WHAT GOES OUT, AND WHEN • Your next pickup at a glance: "Tomorrow: Trash and Recycling" • The full week for every collection type • DSNY's set-out rules, so you know when bins can go to the curb • Save several addresses: home, work, or a family member's building (Pro) HOLIDAYS AND SERVICE CHANGES • See when DSNY suspends or delays collection for holidays and weather • Get alerts before holidays and when snow delays collection (Pro) • Reminders adjust automatically: on a holiday, you'll be told to keep your bins in REMINDERS • A notification the night before or the morning of each pickup • Pick the time and which collections you want to hear about (Pro) WIDGETS • Next Pickup for your Home Screen and Lock Screen • Week at a Glance, All Addresses, and a Lock Screen countdown (Pro) • A Control Center control (Pro) SIRI AND SHORTCUTS • "When is my next pickup?" • "When is recycling?" • "What goes out tonight?" • "How do I get rid of a mattress?" GET RID OF ANYTHING • Search DSNY's guide to learn how to dispose of furniture, electronics, batteries, paint and more • Find special waste, electronics and food scrap drop-off sites near you DSNY PICKUP PRO A one-time purchase, with no subscription, that adds unlimited addresses, every widget, alerts for holidays and snow delays, custom reminders, and Siri actions. Next-pickup information, the Next Pickup widget, Siri questions and holiday-aware reminders are free. Pro supports Family Sharing. Supports the largest accessibility text sizes. DSNY Pickup is an independent app and is not affiliated with the NYC Department of Sanitation. Schedules come from DSNY and service changes from NYC 311. Always check nyc.gov/dsny for official information.

Screenshots

Notify NYC4 screens
DSNY Pickup4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: DSNY Pickup at 3.8 against Notify NYC's 3.3. Notify NYC's advantage is update cadence (every 2 months vs every 21 months) and ratings volume (88 vs 4). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model 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

DSNY Pickup holds the better App Store score, 3.8 against 3.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Notify NYC has 88 ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Notify NYC ships an update every 2 months, DSNY Pickup every 21 months. The most recent releases landed on October 15, 2026 and October 12, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
Notify NYC versus DSNY Pickup: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNotify NYCDSNY Pickup
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.3 (88 ratings)3.8 (4 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.5% of reviews—
Number of ratings88 — better4
Update frequencyEvery 2 months — betterEvery 21 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13 — better26.0
Further details — not scored
Size13 MB9 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperDepartment of Information Technology And Telecommthomas prezioso

Customer experience

Notify NYC

All ratings88 ratings
Positive52.3%
Neutral5.7%
Negative42.0%
Written reviews51 reviews
Positive25.5%
Neutral2.0%
Negative72.5%

DSNY Pickup

All ratings4 ratings
Positive75.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative25.0%

Bugs and requests

Notify NYC

Reported bugs

13 issues
  • Pop-up notifications repeat endlessly and cannot be dismissed
  • Notification preferences cannot be saved
  • App randomly closes when in use
  • Cannot get past the Terms of Use agreement
  • No accept button to press on terms of service
Show 8 more
  • Repeatedly popping up old notifications
  • Alerts keep popping up incessantly
  • Parking reform pop up won’t stop popping up
  • Old notifications upon opening app
  • Ignores notification settings on iPhone
  • Cannot navigate app when open
  • Required missing person alerts cannot be deactivated
  • Missing pictures in missing person alerts

Requested features

13 requests
  • Allow deactivation of missing person alerts
  • Include pictures in missing person alerts
  • Add a share button for alerts
  • Allow users to choose which alerts they receive (without mandatory ones)
  • More granular alert controls
Show 8 more
  • Option to receive amber/grey alerts
  • Ability to set neighborhood for localized alerts
  • Dismiss All button for pop-up notifications
  • Eliminate pop-ups and rely on banner notifications
  • Fix inability to navigate app when open
  • Update the app regularly
  • Improve alert detail and specificity
  • Allow users to toggle off ALL categories of alerts

DSNY Pickup

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Notify NYC

No in-app purchases

None

DSNY Pickup

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Notify NYC free?
Notify NYC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is DSNY Pickup free?
DSNY Pickup is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Notify NYC or DSNY Pickup?
DSNY Pickup is rated higher. Notify NYC averages 3.3 out of 5 from 88 ratings, while DSNY Pickup averages 3.8 from 4 ratings.
Do Notify NYC or DSNY Pickup have ads?
Neither Notify NYC nor DSNY Pickup shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Notify NYC or DSNY Pickup?
Notify NYC ships an update every 2 months, and DSNY Pickup every 21 months. Most recently, Notify NYC was updated on October 15, 2026 and DSNY Pickup on October 12, 2026.

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