onTime LIRR vs MTA TrainTime
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
onTime LIRR
Quickly access Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train schedules and real-time updates. This app is designed for commuters, offering paperless access to train times, service alerts, and countdowns to your next departure.
- LIRR service/outage notifications
- Track number lookup
- Paperless schedules
- Countdown to next train
- Peak indicator
- Holiday schedules
- Works offline
Read full descriptionHide full description
Find the next LIRR train schedule and more in a New York Minute. onTime is fast and easy to use. It is designed with commuters in mind. With onTime : LIRR, you can look up the LIRR schedule anytime anywhere without having to carry and dig through paper schedules. Find the next train as easy as opening the app. Be on time and be environmental friendly at the same time. FEATURES: - LIRR service/outage notification. - Track number - Paperless - Count down to the next train - Peak indicator - Holiday and Holiday eve schedules - Weekdays and Weekends - Works on iPhone and iPod Touch without data connection - Latest schedule - Trip duration onTime Premium: – $4.99 USD (or equivalent) per year and may vary from country to country. – Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase – Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period – Account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period, and identify the cost of the renewal – Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase – Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication, where applicable Term Of Service: http://www.mobilewareinc.com/legal/ontime_tos.html * Note: onTime App uses transit agencies' schedule data but it is not affiliated with any of the agencies.
MTA TrainTime
This app allows railroad customers to buy and use tickets, plan journeys, and track trains in real-time. It offers features like split payments, multi-station trip planning, and real-time GPS tracking for a seamless travel experience.
- Buy and use railroad tickets
- Plan trips with departure times
- Real-time GPS train tracking
- View train car layouts and crowding
- Split ticket payments
- Share trip details
Read full descriptionHide full description
The TrainTime app provides a one-stop shop for Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North Railroad customers, where riders can buy and use tickets, plan their trips, track their trains, and more. • Buy tickets with Apple Pay or credit/debit card. Split payment between two cards. • Plan trips with departure times and transfer details before you travel. You can also search for two origin and/or two destination stations at once. • Save your frequent trains for easy access • Share trips with family and friends so they know when to expect you • Follow your trip with real-time GPS tracking, updated every few seconds • See the layout of your train and how crowded each car is • Chat with a customer service representative for either LIRR or Metro-North within the app
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MTA TrainTime at 4.9 against onTime LIRR's 3.6. MTA TrainTime also leads on in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ratings volume (211K vs 543). On price, review sentiment, ads 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
Both are free to download. onTime LIRR sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $4.99 per year. MTA TrainTime asks for nothing beyond the download.
MTA TrainTime holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 3.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MTA TrainTime has 211K ratings behind it against 543, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 45% of onTime LIRR's written reviews are positive against 52% of MTA TrainTime's.
onTime LIRR ships an update every 6 weeks, MTA TrainTime weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 4, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | onTime LIRR | MTA TrainTime |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.6 (543 ratings) | 4.9 (211K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 44.6% of reviews | 52.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 543 | 211K — better |
| Update frequency | Every 6 weeks | Weekly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 15.6 — better | 16.4 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 133 MB | 130 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mobileware Inc. | Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
Customer experience
onTime LIRR
MTA TrainTime
User reviews
onTime LIRR
From 543 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Accurate schedules
- 💡 Useful features like track prediction
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 🚀 Reliable and dependable
Room to improve
- 🐛 Inaccurate train times and delays
- 🔍 Lack of real-time updates
- 🔋 Battery draining issues
- 🤖 Aggressive advertising and pop-ups
- 🚫 Frequent app crashes and bugs
MTA TrainTime
From 211K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Efficient and easy to use
- 👍 Consolidated app with all features
- 🚅 Accurate real-time train tracking
- 💳 Seamless ticket purchasing
- 📆 Helpful calendar integration
Room to improve
- 🐛 Occasional bugs and glitches
- 🕰️ Inconsistent train arrival/departure times
- 🔍 Difficult to find older tickets
- 🔀 Confusing ticket type selection
Bugs and requests
onTime LIRR
Reported bugs
4 issues- Schedules not updating for construction changes
- Incorrect track information leading to missed trains
- Login and account issues
- Compatibility problems with newer devices
Requested features
4 requests- Improved real-time tracking and notifications
- Customizable alerts for preferred trains
- Offline mode for schedules
- Cleaner and less intrusive UI design
MTA TrainTime
Reported bugs
3 issues- Ticket purchase failures
- Device blocked from purchasing tickets
- Incorrect track information displayed
Requested features
4 requests- Apple Watch support
- Ability to plan trips for future dates
- More detailed crowding/capacity information
- Improved search and filtering options
In-app purchases
onTime LIRR
- Premium$4.991 Year
MTA TrainTime
No in-app purchases
