Comparison

Vy vs HSL

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

Head to head
About

Vy

Plan and purchase tickets for various public transport options across Norway, including trains, buses, and boats. Get real-time departure information, journey suggestions, and notifications for delays. Access your tickets digitally and enjoy additional travel-related content.

Highlights
  • Find train, bus, metro, tram, and boat departures
  • Buy tickets from Vy and other transport companies
  • See suggested itineraries with walking/biking times
  • Get real-time departure information
  • Receive delay and cancellation notifications
  • View and present digital tickets
  • Check train carriage occupancy
Features
Read full description

You can use the Vy app to quickly find departures for journeys by train, bus, metro, tram and boat across Norway. You can buy tickets from Vy and other transport companies such as Go-Ahead, SJ, Ruter, Kolumbus, Skyss and Brakar. It should always be easy to make the eco-friendly choice when travelling, so the Vy app also lets you: · See relevant suggested itineraries in the journey planner – including how long it takes to walk or bike · Get real-time information on all departures · Receive push notifications about delays and cancellations affecting your journey · View your tickets and present your ticket for inspection · Check how full each carriage on your train is · Save your favourite routes and places that you frequently visit · Book taxis across much of the country · Listen to audiobooks and podcasts, and read newspapers and magazines Thank you for travelling by public transport. Every journey counts!

About

HSL

Plan your public transport journeys in the Helsinki region, buy tickets, and get real-time updates. Access buses, trains, metro, trams, and ferries all in one place.

Highlights
  • Public transport ticket purchase
  • Journey planner
  • Real-time timetables
  • Vehicle tracking
  • Service disruption alerts
  • Multiple payment options
Read full description

Buses, trains, the Metro, trams and ferry – all in one app. The HSL app allows you to buy public transport tickets for the Helsinki region, find the best routes using the Journey Planner, view all timetables, and receive personalized transport information. You can buy single, day and season tickets for both adults and children via the HSL app. Adult multi-journey tickets and discounted tickets for students and passengers aged 70 and over are also available via the app. You can pay using the most popular payment methods, including debit/credit cards, MobilePay, phone bill and commuter benefits. The HSL app's Journey Planner helps you find routes and informs you about the ticket needed for your journey. You can view real-time stop-specific departure and arrival times and track vehicles in real time. The app also displays any service changes and disruptions, and you can choose to receive notifications about these updates directly on your phone. More information about Helsinki region public transport: hsl.fi

Screenshots

Vy4 screens
HSL4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: HSL at 3.9 against Vy's 2.9. HSL also leads on ratings volume (484 vs 40) and iOS requirement (13.4 vs 17.0). Vy's advantage is ads (none vs shown) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). On price, review sentiment, in-app purchases 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

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

HSL holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 2.9. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: HSL has 484 ratings behind it against 40, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 18% of Vy's written reviews are positive against 14% of HSL's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Vy ships an update every 10 days, HSL monthly. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 10, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 4 level
Vy versus HSL: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterVyHSL
PriceFreeFree
Rating2.9 (40 ratings)3.9 (484 ratings) — better
Positive reviews18.2% of reviews — better14.5% of reviews
Number of ratings40484 — better
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterMonthly
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree — betterFree with in-app purchases
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size164 MB94 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperVygruppen ASHelsingin seudun liikenne

Customer experience

Vy

All ratings40 ratings
Positive42.5%
Neutral5.0%
Negative52.5%
Written reviews77 reviews
Positive18.2%
Neutral10.4%
Negative71.4%

HSL

All ratings484 ratings
Positive70.7%
Neutral2.9%
Negative26.4%
Written reviews173 reviews
Positive14.5%
Neutral4.6%
Negative80.9%

Bugs and requests

Vy

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

HSL

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Version 4.2.0 does not work on iPhone6 (iOS 12.5.5)
  • Routes go blank, nothing to go back
  • Login problems, like a scam
  • Unable to create account, login, or purchase tickets

Requested features

3 requests
  • Allow buying multiple tickets in a single purchase
  • Add maps showing all routes
  • Provide email verification option instead of just SMS

In-app purchases

None

Vy

No in-app purchases

None

HSL

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Vy free?
Vy is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is HSL free?
HSL is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Vy or HSL?
HSL is rated higher. Vy averages 2.9 out of 5 from 40 ratings, while HSL averages 3.9 from 484 ratings.
Do Vy or HSL have ads?
HSL shows ads; Vy does not.
Which is updated more often, Vy or HSL?
Vy ships an update every 10 days, and HSL monthly. Most recently, Vy was updated on October 13, 2026 and HSL on October 10, 2026.

Other comparisons