WSDOT vs NW Ferry
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
WSDOT
Access real-time traffic conditions, ferry schedules, and mountain pass reports for Washington State. Stay informed about travel alerts, toll rates, and border wait times to plan your journeys efficiently.
- Statewide traffic map
- Live traffic cameras
- Ferry schedules and locations
- Mountain pass conditions
- Toll rates
- Border wait times
- Train schedules
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Washington State Traveler information provided by The Washington State Department of Transportation. Features • Traffic Map with statewide traffic cameras and travel alerts. • Ferry schedules, alerts, and real-time ferry locations. • Mountain pass conditions and weather reports. • Washington State toll rates. • Northbound Canadian Border Waits. • Amtrak Cascades Train Schedules.
NW Ferry
Plan your Washington State Ferry trips with real-time schedules, live vessel tracking, and service alerts. This app provides terminal cameras and drive-up space estimates to help you stay informed and ahead of delays.
- Real-time schedules & fares
- Live vessel tracking
- Service alerts
- Terminal cameras
- Drive-up space estimates
- Favorites & recents
- Apple Watch app & widgets
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Plan your Washington State Ferry trip in seconds. NW Ferry gives you real-time schedules, live vessel tracking, service alerts, terminal cameras, and drive-up space estimates — everything you need, in one fast app. Whether you're a daily commuter or heading to the San Juan Islands for the weekend, NW Ferry keeps you one step ahead at the dock. What you get with NW Ferry: - Real-time schedules & fares: Check upcoming departures, fares, and seasonal schedule changes for every WSF route - Live vessel tracking: Watch ferries cross Puget Sound in real time - Service alerts: Know about delays, cancellations, and route changes before you leave - Terminal cameras: See dock conditions before you drive there - Drive-up space: View estimated vehicle space remaining for upcoming sailings - Favorites & recents: Save your go-to terminal pairs and jump back to recent routes in one tap - Quick route swap: Reverse your departure and arrival terminals in one tap - Apple Watch app & widgets: Check your next sailing from your wrist — with Closest Terminal and Favorite Terminal widgets - Home Screen & CarPlay widgets: See upcoming departures at a glance, including a Favorite Terminal widget for CarPlay Terminals covered: Anacortes, Bainbridge Island, Bremerton, Clinton, Coupeville, Edmonds, Fauntleroy, Friday Harbor, Kingston, Lopez Island, Mukilteo, Orcas Island, Point Defiance, Port Townsend, Seattle, Shaw Island, Sidney B.C., Southworth, Tahlequah, and Vashon Island. NW Ferry requires an internet connection to load live schedule, fare, and vessel data. NW Ferry is an independent app and is not affiliated with WSDOT or Washington State Ferries.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: WSDOT at Free against NW Ferry's $1.99. WSDOT also leads on update cadence (monthly vs every 6 months) and iOS requirement (12.0 vs 26.0). NW Ferry's advantage is review sentiment (68% vs 24%) and rating (4.7 vs 2.9). On ads, in-app purchases, monetization model and device support 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
WSDOT is free to download; NW Ferry costs $1.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
NW Ferry holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: NW Ferry has 2.2K ratings behind it against 280, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of WSDOT's written reviews are positive against 68% of NW Ferry's.
WSDOT ships an update monthly, NW Ferry every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 5, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | WSDOT | NW Ferry |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $1.99 |
| Rating | 2.9 (280 ratings) | 4.7 (2.2K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.3% of reviews | 67.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 280 | 2.2K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly — better | Every 6 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | — | #162 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 26.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 10 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Washington State Department of Transportation | Durbinware |
Customer experience
WSDOT
NW Ferry
User reviews
WSDOT
From 280 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Helpful resource for Washington residents
- 👍 Well-designed app
- 💡 Useful features like ferry schedules and traffic information
Room to improve
- 🐛 Crashes and freezes on launch
- 🐛 Inaccurate and delayed information
- 🔋 High battery consumption due to ads
- 👎 Poor user experience and outdated design
- 👎 Unreliable ferry-related features
NW Ferry
From 2.2K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Accurate and up-to-date
- 📊 Helpful for planning ferry trips
- 🔍 Useful camera views
- 🗓️ Essential for frequent ferry users
Room to improve
- 🐛 Unreliable data and inaccurate information
- 🔍 Missing important features like arrival times
- 💰 Paid app with limited functionality compared to free options
- 🔄 Slow to update and unresponsive to schedule changes
- 🔧 Buggy and crashes frequently
Bugs and requests
WSDOT
Reported bugs
3 issues- Frequent crashes and freezes
- Inaccurate and outdated traffic and ferry information
- Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions
Requested features
4 requests- Add support for Apple CarPlay
- Improve ferry ticket purchasing and management
- Provide more detailed and real-time pass and road condition updates
- Add ability to report potholes and other road issues
NW Ferry
Reported bugs
3 issues- App won't open on Apple Watch
- Broken links to customer support
- Inconsistent display of car capacity information
Requested features
5 requests- Display full day's schedule instead of just upcoming ferries
- Allow customization of routes/terminals shown
- Add real-time updates for delayed/late ferries
- Integrate ticket purchasing/reservation functionality
- Improve widget and 3D Touch functionality
In-app purchases
WSDOT
No in-app purchases
NW Ferry
No in-app purchases
