# NorthStarVIP vs Crowded NYC

The clearest difference is rating: Crowded NYC at 5.0 against NorthStarVIP's 4.3. Crowded NYC also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly). NorthStarVIP's advantage is ratings volume (11 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

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

Crowded NYC holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NorthStarVIP has 11 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

NorthStarVIP ships an update monthly, Crowded NYC every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 21, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NorthStarVIP | Crowded NYC |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | [4.3 (11 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northstarvip/id1612692983/reviews) | **[5.0 (1 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crowded-nyc/id6798526122/reviews)** |
| Number of ratings | **11** | 1 |
| Positive reviews | 80.0% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 5 days** |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 50 MB | 77 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.0** | 18.0 |
| Devices | **iPhone, iPod** | iPhone |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [John L Merriweather](https://appshunter.io/developer/1129846578) | [ARKA VAHAN KHORCHIDIAN](https://appshunter.io/developer/6798526124) |

## What reviewers say

### NorthStarVIP

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/northstarvip/id1612692983)

This app provides comprehensive guides for new residents, covering city overviews, local news, weather, real estate markets, schools, and attractions. It aims to help people quickly settle into their new surroundings by offering essential local information.

**Highlights:** Area guides, Local news and weather, Real estate market info, School information, Things to do, Restaurant listings

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


### Crowded NYC

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/crowded-nyc/id6798526122)

Discover how busy popular New York City locations are in real-time before you go. See crowd levels, user-submitted vibes, and photos to make informed decisions about where to spend your time. Earn rewards for contributing accurate crowd reports.

**Highlights:** Real-time crowd level indicators (Empty, Moderate, Crowded), User-submitted vibe reports with descriptive phrases, Live photos from venues, Bounty system for requesting crowd information, Typical crowd data for planning, Gamified user contributions with 'Cred' and badges

**Features:** Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NorthStarVIP free?

NorthStarVIP is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Crowded NYC free?

Crowded NYC is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, NorthStarVIP or Crowded NYC?

Crowded NYC is rated higher. NorthStarVIP averages 4.3 out of 5 from 11 ratings, while Crowded NYC averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.

### Do NorthStarVIP or Crowded NYC have ads?

Neither NorthStarVIP nor Crowded NYC shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NorthStarVIP or Crowded NYC?

NorthStarVIP ships an update monthly, and Crowded NYC every 5 days. Most recently, NorthStarVIP was updated on October 21, 2026 and Crowded NYC on October 10, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*