BOS vs National Grid
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
BOS
Report non-emergency neighborhood issues in Boston, such as potholes and graffiti. Track the status of your reports and view active issues on a city map. This app helps residents improve their communities by streamlining communication with city services.
- Report neighborhood issues
- Track report status
- View active reports on map
- Submit non-emergency requests
- Community improvement tool
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BOS:311 enables Boston's residents to improve their neighborhoods by reporting non-emergency issues in their communities, like potholes and graffiti. Reports are automatically fed into the City of Boston’s work order system to track and assign them to City staff. Through the app, you can follow the status of your request, as well as the statuses of other reports in the City. There’s even a map to get an easy overview of active reports in Boston.
National Grid
Securely manage your utility account on the go. Access billing, schedule payments, and report outages with ease. Biometric login provides quick and secure access to your account information and support.
- Biometric account access
- View account and billing information
- Schedule payments
- Report power outages and gas emergencies
- View outage map
- Enroll in paperless billing
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The National Grid mobile app makes it easier to securely manage your account from anywhere. Set up biometrics so you can access your account quickly and securely. With biometrics, you can sign in without having to enter your username and password again. Once you’re signed in, you can easily: • View essential account and billing information • Enroll in paperless billing • View and download a PDF of your current bill • Schedule a payment in-app or via Speedpay • Find nearby payment locations • Report a power outage or gas emergency • View the outage map • Explore your usage Now you can schedule a payment with your bank account, without having to leave the app. Use a new or saved bank account to pay your current bill, account balance or any other amount, just like you would on our website. We’ve also made it easier to report power outages and gas emergencies — with our mobile app, you’ve got access to emergency support right at your fingertips.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: National Grid at 4.8 against BOS's 2.5. National Grid also leads on ratings volume (15K vs 86) and update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 4 months). BOS's advantage is review sentiment (36% vs 25%) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 15.0). 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
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
National Grid holds the better App Store score, 4.8 against 2.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: National Grid has 15K ratings behind it against 86, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 36% of BOS's written reviews are positive against 25% of National Grid's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
BOS ships an update every 4 months, National Grid every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 6, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | BOS | National Grid |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.5 (86 ratings) | 4.8 (15K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews — better | 24.5% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 86 | 15K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 — better | 15.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 60 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Boston | National Grid plc |
Customer experience
BOS
National Grid
User reviews
BOS
From 86 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 User-friendly interface
- ✅ App functions flawlessly
- 💡 Innovative technology adoption
- 🚀 Efficient reporting process
- 🗺️ Useful map feature
Room to improve
- 😞 Reports opened for months
- 😞 City doesn’t do anything
- 😞 Caused more frustration
- 😞 App doesn’t do its job
- 😞 City doesn’t hold themselves accountable
National Grid
From 15K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Smooth payments
- 🔒 Secure login process
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login issues
- 🔍 Lack of account details
- 💰 Confusing payment process with extra fees
Bugs and requests
BOS
Reported bugs
20 issues- Reports opened for months with no action
- App doesn't do its job or city departments don't
- Reports go unanswered for months
- App doesn't recognize certain areas
- New version is slower and less effective
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- Map feature is broken or unreliable
- Cases never close or are not resolved
- App is clunky and difficult to use
- App crashes upon opening
- App stops working after iOS updates
- App shows 'updates failed'
- App button for creating new requests not working
- App opens multiple reports at once
- Clicking on map pins opens an unclosable banner
- App stops showing correct trash pickup days
- App is broken when trying to attach a picture
- App is broken after new update
- Impossible to create a new report for months
- Server registration fails
- App crashes on older iOS versions
Requested features
13 requests- Allow users to comment on or corroborate reports
- Add ability to delete a report
- Add feature to report speeding
- Make 'recent reports' tab accessible for voiceover users
- Add more categories for reporting (e.g., cyclists, bike lanes)
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Increase app awareness through ads, especially in underserved communities
- Improve filtering options for reports on the map
- Allow users to see if an issue has already been reported
- Revert to previous app version
- Fix bugs and add new features instead of completely changing everything
- Add dark mode option
- Improve map accuracy for address location
- Add option to report crimes (currently only for non-crimes)
National Grid
Reported bugs
3 issues- Unexpected account data errors
- App crashes and freezes
- Payment processing failures
Requested features
3 requests- Ability to view billing history and usage details
- Seamless integration with existing online accounts
- Biometric login options
In-app purchases
BOS
No in-app purchases
National Grid
No in-app purchases








