Comparison

Citymapper vs TfL Go

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

Head to head
About

Citymapper

Plan and navigate your journeys using real-time public transit, ride-sharing, and micro-mobility options. Get turn-by-turn directions, live updates, and compare travel times and costs across various modes of transport.

Highlights
  • Real-time trip planning
  • Turn-by-turn navigation
  • Live wait times and ETAs
  • Integration with ride-sharing and bike-sharing
  • Personalized alerts for favorite lines
  • Offline map access
Features
Read full description

Instantly compare your travel options in real-time across all transport modes globally! Easily navigate your city with turn-by-turn directions for all your public transportation, walking, cycling and scooter trips. THOUSANDS OF 5 STAR REVIEWS * "This is my favorite transit app. Full-featured and a breeze to use. I really appreciate the Uber integration." * "Only way to get around NYC and Chicago. Easy and accurate. Download this one NOW" * "I love it. It’s the best thing since zippers, peanut and jelly and 1 TB thumb drives" * "Support for the SF Bay Area is particularly impressive because it aggregates all transit systems imaginable (BART, Caltrain, MUNI, VTA, etc.) into one seamless app" FIND THE BEST ROUTE ► Simple trip planning combining all transport modes: bus, subway, train, ferry, cabs, ride share, car share, bike share, e-scooters and walking. Discover routes you never knew existed HIT THE GO BUTTON FOR STEP-BY-STEP DIRECTIONS ► Turn-by-turn navigation for all your transit, walking, personal cycling, bike shares and scooter trips. Choose between 3 different map views, see the charge levels of e-scooters and e-bikes around you, we even help you avoid no-parking zones. We take care of the logistical thinking so you are free to enjoy the ride EXPERIENCE ONE-STOP-SHOP MOBILITY ► Compare cab fares, hail a ride, hop on a shared bike or find the nearest e-scooter all from within the app. Our partners include: Uber, Lyft, JUMP, Lime, Bird, Spin, Skip, Scoot, Citi Bike, JerseryBike, Bluebikes, Indego, CaBi, Divvy, Metro Bike, Breeze, Bay Wheels, Healthy Ride, Relay, BCycle, SA Bike Share, GREENbike, Grid, RTC Bike, BIKETOWN, Biki BEAT THE RUSH HOUR CROWD ► Live wait times and ETA so you'll never miss a bus, train or ferry again. Follow your bus / train as it's approaching on a real-time map, see the best train car to board, get alerted when it's time to get off, and get in and out from the best exit at any subway / train station PERSONALIZE YOUR CITY ► Save Home, Work and your go-to stops or stations for lightning fast trip planning. Subscribe to your favorite subway, train, bus or ferry line for automatic disruption, delay, and status alerts GET SOCIAL ► Share your live trip: let friends follow your live trip to know when you'll arrive. Share any location or address: one tap for others to get directions TRAVEL OFFLINE ► Access offline the official NYC subway map, Manhattan bus map, Brooklyn bus map, Queens bus map, DC metro map, Muni Metro map, and more CITY COVERAGE ► New York City | Chicago | Los Angeles | San Francisco | Washington DC | Boston | Philadelphia | Seattle | Miami | Atlanta | Portland | Denver | Baltimore | San Diego | Minneapolis | Houston | Phoenix | Dallas | Las Vegas | Pittsburgh | Honolulu | Salt Lake City | San Antonio | St. Louis | Cleveland | Austin + Many more worldwide! See the full list and vote for the next one in the app or at https://citymapper.com/cities TRANSIT AGENCIES ► We use open data from transit agencies in the cities we cover, including: MTA | CTA | LA Metro | MBTA | WMATA | SEPTA | NJ Transit | Muni | BART | King Bus | MARTA | LIRR | RTD | TriMet | Metro-North Railroad | PATH | Houston METRO | San Diego MTS | Miami-Dade Transit | Metro Transit | METRA | RTC Bus | TheBus | Port Authority | DART | AC Transit | Sound Transit | UTA | OCTA | VIA | PTD | Metro Transit | RTA | Capital Metro | Broward County Transit Division | NY Waterway Ferries | Washington State Ferries | LBT | Nassau Inter County Express (NICE)| Valley Metro | Metrolink | Santa Monica Big Blue Bus (BBB) KEEP IN TOUCH ► If you have questions or feedback or something we may have missed in your city email us at support@citymapper.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Citymapper Privacy Policy: https://citymapper.com/privacy Terms of Service: https://citymapper.com/terms

About

TfL Go

Plan your journeys around London with live transport updates and route planning. Discover accessible travel options, check station facilities, and manage your payments for Oyster and contactless cards.

Highlights
  • Live Tube map
  • Step-free journey planning
  • Live arrival times
  • Station facility information
  • Payment management for Oyster/contactless
  • Route options for various transport modes
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Travel confidently around London with Transport for London's official app, built around our iconic live Tube map. Try switching to step-free mode and watch the map adjust to show only accessible stations, ensuring your journeys are as smooth as possible. With a clear, user-friendly design, TfL Go is easy for everyone to use. Find the Best Route We'll suggest multiple ways to get to your destination, whether by Tube, London Overground, Elizabeth line, DLR, Tram, National Rail, London Cable Car, or even cycling and walking. You choose the route that suits you best. Check Before You Travel Get live arrival times for Buses, Tube, London Overground, Elizabeth Line, DLR, Tram, and National Rail. Check the live status of all TfL lines and stations directly on the map, or view a summary of current disruptions in the "Status" section. Freedom to Explore Find travel options tailored to your needs, including step-free journeys and routes avoiding stairs or escalators. Journey plans automatically adapt to the accessibility status of stations, helping you avoid disruptions. TfL Go also supports VoiceOver and Dynamic Type, making it more accessible for everyone. Manage Your Payments Create an account or log in to manage your payments for travel across London. Top up pay as you go credit or purchase Travelcards for your Oyster card, and view your journey history for both Oyster and contactless cards registered to your account. Note: Oyster and contactless accounts can only be accessed within UK/Europe. Understand Station Facilities Check how busy a station is right now, or see if it has toilets or Wi-Fi access. Find detailed information about step-free access and interchanges including platform gap width, step height and boarding methods available. What People Are Saying: "...a surprisingly phenomenal app for commuters travelling via public transport in London!" "One of the finest transport apps there is, well thought out, well designed and well executed." "The most accurate app in London for bus times" "Fantastic app if only just to have a live Tube map / bus tracker in your pocket at all times!" "TfL Go is your number one stop for live tube and bus arrivals" Get in Touch Any questions, feedback or something we've missed? Email us at tflappfeedback@tfl.gov.uk

Screenshots

Citymapper4 screens
TfL Go4 screens

Verdict

The call

Citymapper and TfL Go both sit at 4.9 stars, but that hides the real split: 76% of Citymapper's written reviews are positive against 37% of TfL Go's. Citymapper also leads on ratings volume (108K vs 12K) and chart position (#19 vs #69). TfL Go's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, rating, update cadence 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. Citymapper sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.49 per month. TfL Go asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.9 for Citymapper against 4.8 for TfL Go. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Citymapper has 108K ratings behind it against 12K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 76% of Citymapper's written reviews are positive against 37% of TfL Go's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Citymapper ships an update every 10 days, TfL Go every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 23, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Citymapper versus TfL Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCitymapperTfL Go
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (108K ratings) — better4.8 (12K ratings)
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews — better36.7% of reviews
Number of ratings108K — better12K
Update frequencyEvery 10 daysEvery 9 days — better
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#19 — better#69
DevicesiPhone, Apple WatchiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS17.0 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size292 MB133 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCitymapper LimitedTfL

Customer experience

Citymapper

All ratings108,342 ratings
Positive97.2%
Neutral1.2%
Negative1.6%
Written reviews1,754 reviews
Positive75.9%
Neutral6.0%
Negative18.1%

TfL Go

All ratings11,976 ratings
Positive96.0%
Neutral1.8%
Negative2.3%
Written reviews731 reviews
Positive36.7%
Neutral11.9%
Negative51.4%

User reviews

Citymapper

From 108K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent navigation
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🚇 Comprehensive public transport information
  • 🗺️ Accurate route planning
  • ⏱️ Real-time updates

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate schedule information
  • 🔧 Unreliable live updates
  • 🚧 Limited coverage in some cities
  • 💰 Paywall for basic features
  • 🔋 High battery consumption

TfL Go

From 12K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Excellent navigation
  • 👍 User-friendly interface
  • 🌟 Invaluable for visitors
  • 🗺️ Well-designed map
  • 💯 Essential app for Londoners

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inaccurate live bus/train times
  • 🤔 Confusing routing suggestions
  • 🔍 Lacks offline functionality
  • 💸 Overcharging issues
  • 🤯 Crashes and glitches

Bugs and requests

Citymapper

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Delayed transit arrival notifications
  • Incorrect route suggestions
  • Glitches when switching between cities

Requested features

5 requests
  • Offline mode support
  • Customizable route preferences
  • Integration with other transit apps
  • Improved accessibility features
  • Better multimodal transportation options

TfL Go

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Black text on black tiles for Northern Line
  • Incorrect departure times
  • Inability to see nearby bus stops

Requested features

5 requests
  • Show prices for journeys
  • Integrate National Rail lines
  • Add a dark mode option
  • Display platform numbers
  • Provide disruption notifications

In-app purchases

3 purchases

Citymapper

Subscriptions3
  • Citymapper CLUB7 Days trial$1.491 Month
  • Citymapper CLUB7 Days trial$9.991 Year
  • Citymapper CLUB+$99.991 Year
None

TfL Go

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Citymapper free?
Citymapper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is TfL Go free?
TfL Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Citymapper or TfL Go?
Citymapper is rated higher. Citymapper averages 4.9 out of 5 from 108K ratings, while TfL Go averages 4.8 from 12K ratings.
Do Citymapper or TfL Go have ads?
Citymapper shows ads; TfL Go does not.
Which is updated more often, Citymapper or TfL Go?
Citymapper ships an update every 10 days, and TfL Go every 9 days. Most recently, Citymapper was updated on September 24, 2026 and TfL Go on September 23, 2026.
Which is more popular, Citymapper or TfL Go?
Citymapper currently peaks at #19 in the App Store charts, and TfL Go at #69. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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