Comparison

CrossWalk NYC Lite vs Open Borders

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

CrossWalk NYC Lite

Navigate NYC's subway system with an interactive map, transit guide, and cross-street calculator. Get real-time service advisories and easily find addresses with this one-handed, user-friendly app.

Highlights
  • Interactive MTA subway map
  • Cross-street calculator
  • MTA service advisories
  • Offline advisory access
  • Geographically accurate maps
  • One-handed usability
Features
Read full description

This Lite edition is an ad-supported FREE version of our popular iOS app, CrossWalk HD. ----------------------- CrossWalk is an interactive MTA subway map, transit guide & cross-street calculator for NYC commuters. Lets face it: there are multiple New York "map apps" on the appstore - why choose ours? A) Ever gotten an address like 555 5th ave and been left wondering what the cross street was? We certainly have. We've got the solution with our built-in CROSS-STREET CALCULATOR. B) Felt utterly helpless when your subway line suddenly stops unexpectedly on the weekend and you have to switch to a shuttle bus? This won't be such a surprise with our support for MTA SERVICE ADVISORIES - and we even cache them so they are available when you are underground. C) We have great looking, geographically ACCURATE MAPS of the MTA subway system in all 5 boroughs. Did we mention that our maps LOOK GREAT? :) D) You can use this app with one hand - all controls are accessible with the thumb alone. Double-tapping zooms you in -- or you can use two fingers to pinch for even closer viewing! E) We are New Yorkers ourselves, we use this app EVERY DAY.

About

Open Borders

This app provides a free, automated assessment of your immigration options. It simplifies complex immigration laws and helps you explore pathways to legal status in the U.S. It covers various visa types, green cards, asylum, and more.

Highlights
  • Automated immigration case assessment
  • Simplified explanation of immigration laws
  • Exploration of U.S. residency options
  • Covers family and employment-based green cards
  • Information on temporary visas and asylum
  • Guidance on deportation proceedings
Features
Read full description

Open Borders is a free immigration guide written by an immigration attorney. Answer plain-language questions about your situation and read authored information about the paths that may apply to you — family-based green cards, asylum, cancellation of removal, waivers, TPS, DACA, U and T visas, naturalization and more. No account, no ads, no tracking. GUIDED REVIEW • Start from the beginning or use Quick Start to record facts you already know. • The guide asks only for the context it needs and explains each answer in plain language. • Focused tools for Family-Based Options and Removal Relief when you want one topic at a time. • Case Snapshot shows your progress; Case Notes collects what matters. Export your notes as a PDF and share them with an attorney. IMMIGRATION COURT INSIGHTS • How every sitting immigration judge and court has decided cases since 2021, from the government's own records: asylum grant rates, bond outcomes, relief by type, time to decision, and appeals. • A map of who appointed each state's judges, the Board of Immigration Appeals roster, and notable numbers across the system. • Past decisions, not predictions — and never a tool for choosing a judge. PROCESSING TIMES • Current USCIS processing times by form and office, with a personalized estimate for a pending case. • The State Department's Visa Bulletin, read as a waiting line: which filing dates are being decided now, and how far the line moved in the last year. • Department of Labor queues for employment-based cases. ALERTS AND DISPATCH • Firm-authored alerts when a rule, fee or court decision changes what you should do — with who is affected and what to do next. • A curated archive of reporting, broadcasts, public records and commentary on immigration law, civil rights and Montana's immigration history. • An emergency guide for families after an ICE detention in Montana. WHEN YOU WANT A LAWYER • Schedule a phone or video consultation with the attorney who wrote the guide, from inside the app. • Clear flat fees, with monthly payment options, for the services the firm offers. ENGLISH AND SPANISH • The guide, the tools and the alerts are available in both languages, with authored Spanish — not machine translation. • Read Aloud, text scaling and other accessibility support. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Open Borders is written and maintained by Shahid Haque, founder of Border Crossing Law Firm and a former law professor, who has represented thousands of people in the U.S. immigration system since 2008. IMPORTANT Open Borders is intended for adults 18 and older. It provides general educational information that may be incomplete and may not reflect current law or every fact, exception or option in your situation. It does not provide legal advice, determine eligibility, recommend a filing strategy or create an attorney-client relationship, and it is not affiliated with USCIS, ICE, CBP, EOIR, the BIA or any government agency. Have a qualified immigration attorney review your case before acting or filing anything.

Screenshots

CrossWalk NYC Lite4 screens
Open Borders4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Open Borders at 4.6 against CrossWalk NYC Lite's 4.0. Open Borders also leads on update cadence (every 6 weeks vs every 7 months). CrossWalk NYC Lite's advantage is review sentiment (25% vs 0%) and iOS requirement (9.0 vs 15.0). On price, ratings volume, 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

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

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Open Borders holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 4.0. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 5 and 10 respectively. Written reviews complicate that: 25% of CrossWalk NYC Lite's written reviews are positive against 0% of Open Borders's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

CrossWalk NYC Lite ships an update every 7 months, Open Borders every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 1, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
CrossWalk NYC Lite versus Open Borders: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCrossWalk NYC LiteOpen Borders
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.0 (5 ratings)4.6 (10 ratings) — better
Positive reviews25.0% of reviews — better0.0% of reviews
Number of ratings510 — better
Update frequencyEvery 7 monthsEvery 6 weeks — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac — better
Requires iOS9.0 — better15.0
Further details — not scored
Size14 MB67 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperEric RedlingerBorder Crossing Law Firm

Customer experience

CrossWalk NYC Lite

All ratings5 ratings
Positive60.0%
Neutral20.0%
Negative20.0%
Written reviews8 reviews
Positive25.0%
Neutral25.0%
Negative50.0%

Open Borders

All ratings10 ratings
Positive90.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative10.0%
Written reviews1 reviews
Positive0.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative100.0%

In-app purchases

None

CrossWalk NYC Lite

No in-app purchases

None

Open Borders

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is CrossWalk NYC Lite free?
CrossWalk NYC Lite is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Open Borders free?
Open Borders is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, CrossWalk NYC Lite or Open Borders?
Open Borders is rated higher. CrossWalk NYC Lite averages 4.0 out of 5 from 5 ratings, while Open Borders averages 4.6 from 10 ratings.
Do CrossWalk NYC Lite or Open Borders have ads?
Neither CrossWalk NYC Lite nor Open Borders shows ads.
Which is updated more often, CrossWalk NYC Lite or Open Borders?
CrossWalk NYC Lite ships an update every 7 months, and Open Borders every 6 weeks. Most recently, CrossWalk NYC Lite was updated on October 1, 2026 and Open Borders on September 23, 2026.

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