NYC Ferry vs Mesa
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
NYC Ferry
This app offers a comfortable and enjoyable way to commute and explore New York City. It provides paperless ticketing, live scheduling with real-time updates, and a trip planner to discover new routes. Receive personalized notifications and consider an unlimited pass for frequent travel.
- Paperless ticketing
- Live scheduling
- Real-time updates
- End-to-end trip planner
- Push notifications
- 30-day Unlimited Pass
Read full descriptionHide full description
Commuting made comfortable with NYC Ferry. Come see just how easy (and enjoyable) your journey can be. Here are 5 great things you can expect from the NYC Ferry app: Help NYC “go green” with paperless ticketing! Buy and use tickets directly from your phone. Take the stress out of your commute with live scheduling and real-time updates. Get ready for an adventure! Explore NYC with our end-to-end trip planner. Stay ahead of the game with push notifications for the routes that matter to YOU. Love to ride? Take advantage of our 30-day Unlimited Pass! Available in-app only. NYC Ferry (operated by Hornblower) proudly serves New Yorkers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and The Bronx along the East River. Our state-of-the-art vessels offer you a better commuting experience—all for the same price as a subway ride!
Mesa
Discover and share favorite locations with friends. Create and share lists of places, import from other platforms, or identify spots from photos. Find nearby recommendations from your trusted circle on the map.
- Discover and share favorite places
- Create and share place lists
- Import places from TikTok
- Identify locations from photos
- View nearby friend recommendations on map
Read full descriptionHide full description
Discover and share your favorite places with friends on Mesa! Trustworthy recommendations from your inner circle beat random online reviews. Easily create and share spots, import places from TikTok, or let Mesa identify locations from your photos. Wherever you are, check the map to find nearby recommendations from friends you trust.
Screenshots
Verdict
NYC Ferry and Mesa both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Mesa's written reviews are positive against 58% of NYC Ferry's. Mesa also leads on update cadence (every 3 days vs every 6 weeks) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). NYC Ferry's advantage is ratings volume (55K vs 5) and device support (3 vs 1). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for NYC Ferry against 4.8 for Mesa. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NYC Ferry has 55K ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 58% of NYC Ferry's written reviews are positive against 100% of Mesa's.
NYC Ferry ships an update every 6 weeks, Mesa every 3 days. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 4, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | NYC Ferry | Mesa |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.9 (55K ratings) — better | 4.8 (5 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 58.4% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 55K — better | 5 |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Every 3 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.5 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 121 MB | 56 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Hornblower Cruises & Events | InkHart |
Customer experience
NYC Ferry
Mesa
Bugs and requests
NYC Ferry
Reported bugs
5 issues- App freezing and crashing
- Inaccurate schedules and route information
- Payment processing errors
- Compatibility issues with newer devices
- Login and account management problems
Requested features
5 requests- Improved trip planning and route optimization
- Real-time service updates and delay notifications
- Ability to change account information
- More ferry routes and increased frequency
- Better integration with other transportation apps
Mesa
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
NYC Ferry
No in-app purchases
Mesa
No in-app purchases
