BOS vs CellAlert
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.
CellAlert
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CellAlert is the companion app for the CellAlert deadline-monitoring service. A CellAlert account is required to use this app (free to create at cellalert.app). Important deadlines often slumber in a spreadsheet and only surface once it's too late: a missed inspection, an expired certificate, a forgotten contract renewal. CellAlert turns those dates into monitored deadlines and reminds you in time — by email, in your calendar and in this app. With the app your deadlines are always with you, on the go. How the app works with CellAlert: • Deadlines are created in the CellAlert service from your spreadsheets (Excel, LibreOffice, FileMaker). • This app shows them on mobile: today, this week, overdue — and reminds you in time. • Acknowledge and review the history — audit-ready. WHAT CELLALERT IS MADE FOR • Inspections & maintenance: safety checks, servicing, equipment tests, maintenance plans. • Certificates & licenses: keep expiry dates in view before they lapse. • Contracts: renewal and cancellation deadlines on your radar in time. • Compliance & audit: re-certification, calibration cycles, proof obligations. APP FEATURES • Reminders & calendar — push/email plus calendar subscription for Outlook, Google and Apple. • Priority & escalation — critical deadlines remind daily until someone acknowledges. • Recurring deadlines, filters (today, this week, overdue) and a matrix view. • Team — deadlines belong to the organization, with assigned responsibilities. Hosted in Germany, GDPR-compliant. Only the deadline is stored — never your file. Sign in with your CellAlert account — never miss a deadline again.
Screenshots
Verdict
BOS and CellAlert are too close to call on the numbers: across 5 compared parameters — price, ads, in-app purchases and device support among them — neither pulls far enough ahead to decide it. What separates them is feature set and interface, not measurable difference.
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.
| Parameter | BOS | CellAlert |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.6 (85 ratings) — better | — |
| Positive reviews | 36.2% of reviews | — |
| Number of ratings | 85 — better | — |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | — |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13.4 | 13.0 — better |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 26 MB | 23 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Boston | Jonas Hoettler |
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)
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- 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)
CellAlert
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
BOS
No in-app purchases
CellAlert
No in-app purchases









