Notify NYC vs NYC Block Check
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
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.
- Official emergency communications
- Location-based alerts
- Information on emergency events
- Updates on City services
- Privacy-focused location tracking
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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.
NYC Block Check
Access real-time New York City data on crime, parking, violations, and local government activity. Explore interactive maps and receive smart notifications about neighborhood changes. Get detailed reports for any address to understand your block better.
- Live NYC map with 9 data layers
- Address reports with crime trends and violations
- Smart notifications for neighborhood activity
- Restaurant grade and school information
- Local government and city updates
- Export and share reports
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NYC Block Check is an independent guide to public information around a New York City address. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by the City of New York, NYPD, MTA, New York State, or any government agency. It does not provide official government services or emergency dispatch. Check parking rules and street-cleaning schedules, subway and bus service, trash and recycling collection, 311 service requests, building and housing records, inspections, crashes, local events, and other neighborhood information in one place. Save the places that matter to you and choose which alerts you want to receive. The map and address reports organize records from NYC Open Data and responsible agencies, including NYC 311, DOT, DOF, NYPD, HPD, DOB, DOHMH, DSNY, NYC Public Schools, and NYC Emergency Management. Transit information comes from MTA; traffic and camera information comes from 511NY. Other identified sources include Citi Bike/Lyft, OpenStreetMap, and the National Weather Service. News cards identify their publisher and link to the original article. NYC Block Check creates its own summaries, categories, comparisons, and countdowns from cited records. These are informational estimates, not official government findings. Public data can be delayed, incomplete, or revised; a complaint or request does not prove an outcome. Check time-sensitive details with the linked original source. Call 911 for emergencies and 311 for official NYC services. Full source links are available in Settings → Sources & Independence. Privacy Policy: https://nycintel.app/app-privacy Terms of Use: https://nycintel.app/app-terms APPLE WATCH Block scores, subway arrivals and MTA alerts from your paired iPhone. Uses your existing full access or trial.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: NYC Block Check at 100% against Notify NYC's 25%. NYC Block Check also leads on rating (4.6 vs 3.3) and update cadence (every 4 days vs every 2 months). Notify NYC's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (99 vs 27). On price, 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. NYC Block Check sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $2.99 per month. Notify NYC asks for nothing beyond the download.
NYC Block Check holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 3.3. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 99 and 27 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Notify NYC's written reviews are positive against 100% of NYC Block Check's.
Notify NYC ships an update every 2 months, NYC Block Check every 4 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Notify NYC | NYC Block Check |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.3 (99 ratings) | 4.6 (27 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 25.5% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 99 — better | 27 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Every 4 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Free — better | Free with in-app purchases |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 13 MB | 154 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Department of Information Technology And Telecomm | Dmytro Polokhalo |
Customer experience
Notify NYC
NYC Block Check
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 moreShow fewer
- 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 moreShow fewer
- 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
NYC Block Check
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Notify NYC
No in-app purchases
NYC Block Check
- NYC Intel Pro – Monthly7 Days trial$2.991 Month
- NYC Intel Pro – Yearly7 Days trial$19.991 Year
Questions
Is Notify NYC free?
Is NYC Block Check free?
Which has better reviews, Notify NYC or NYC Block Check?
Do Notify NYC or NYC Block Check have ads?
Which is updated more often, Notify NYC or NYC Block Check?
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