# NY Waterway vs Wildbound Trips

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: NY Waterway at none against Wildbound Trips's 4. NY Waterway also leads on iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). Wildbound Trips's advantage is update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 3 months). On price, ads and device support there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Wildbound Trips sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per year. NY Waterway asks for nothing beyond the download.

NY Waterway ships an update every 3 months, Wildbound Trips every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 9, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | NY Waterway | Wildbound Trips |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.8 (11K ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ny-waterway/id447641721/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **11K** | — |
| Positive reviews | 16.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | **No** | Yes |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months | **Every 2 weeks** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 103 MB | 9 MB |
| Requires iOS | **15.6** | 18.0 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [Bytemark, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/925346607) | [Stone Mesa Studio, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/6772253608) |

## What reviewers say

### NY Waterway

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ny-waterway/id447641721)

Purchase ferry tickets paper-free and use your phone as your boarding pass. Securely store personal information and payment details for convenient travel across New York Harbor. Access route maps, schedules, and advisories for a seamless journey.

**Highlights:** Paper-free ticket purchasing, Phone as ticket, Secure encrypted transactions, Route maps, Schedules, Advisories, Bus locator

**Features:** Apple Wallet

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient ticket purchase
- 👍 Friendly ferry crew

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent log-outs
- 🐛 Unreliable ticket activation
- 🐛 Inconsistent bus locator
- 🐛 Buggy app updates
- 🔒 Security issues with account access

**Reported bugs**

- Frequent app crashes
- Inability to log in or access tickets
- Tickets disappearing from user accounts
- Compatibility issues with newer devices

**Requested features**

- Live ferry tracking
- Improved bus locator
- Seamless multi-ticket management
- Support for Apple Pay and other digital wallets
- Better user account management


### Wildbound Trips

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wildbound-trips/id6790499995)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility

**In-app purchases (4)**

| Purchase | Price | Billing |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wildbound Plus | $4.99 | per year |
| Leave a tip | $1.99 | one-time |
| Buy me a coffee | $4.99 | one-time |
| Chip in for gas | $9.99 | one-time |


## Frequently asked questions

### Is NY Waterway free?

NY Waterway is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is Wildbound Trips free?

Wildbound Trips is free to download, with in-app purchases available.

### Do NY Waterway or Wildbound Trips have ads?

Neither NY Waterway nor Wildbound Trips shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, NY Waterway or Wildbound Trips?

NY Waterway ships an update every 3 months, and Wildbound Trips every 2 weeks. Most recently, NY Waterway was updated on November 2, 2026 and Wildbound Trips on October 9, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*