Comparison

Citymapper vs MBTA 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

MBTA Go

Get real-time public transit information for the Greater Boston area. Track buses and trains, view live arrival times, and stay updated on route closures and alerts. This app also offers accessibility features for all riders.

Highlights
  • Live arrival times
  • Vehicle tracking on map
  • Closure alerts and maps
  • Feedback submission
  • Accessibility features
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

MBTA Go is the official app for live, public transit information in the Greater Boston area. Check live arrival times, track your vehicle, and learn about the latest closures. App features: • Check live arrival times: Get the latest estimates of when your bus or train will get to you. • Track your vehicle: Check how many stops away your bus or train is, and see live vehicle locations on the map. • Learn about the latest closures: Find out if your there is a closure on your route with clear alerts and maps. • Share feedback: Provide feedback to help us resolve issues, make improvements, and prioritize what we work on next. We want to make MBTA Go accessible to all riders who have a smartphone. The app supports language translations and the following mobile accessibility features: • VoiceOver for riders who are blind or have low-vision • Switch and Voice Control for riders with mobility impairments If you have questions about MBTA Go, email us at apphelp@mbta.com.

Screenshots

Citymapper4 screens
MBTA Go4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Citymapper at 4.9 against MBTA Go's 4.1. Citymapper also leads on ratings volume (108K vs 145) and review sentiment (76% vs 63%). MBTA Go's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3) and ads (none vs shown). On price, update cadence, chart position 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. MBTA Go asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Citymapper holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Citymapper has 108K ratings behind it against 145, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 76% of Citymapper's written reviews are positive against 63% of MBTA Go's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Citymapper ships an update every 10 days, MBTA Go fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 21, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
Citymapper versus MBTA Go: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCitymapperMBTA Go
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.9 (108K ratings) — better4.1 (145 ratings)
Positive reviews75.9% of reviews — better63.4% of reviews
Number of ratings108K — better145
Update frequencyEvery 10 days — betterFortnightly
AdsYesNo — better
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#18 — better#44
DevicesiPhone, Apple Watch — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.016.4 — better
Further details — not scored
Size292 MB87 MB
Age rating12+4+
DeveloperCitymapper LimitedMBTA

Customer experience

Citymapper

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

MBTA Go

All ratings145 ratings
Positive78.6%
Neutral2.1%
Negative19.3%
Written reviews41 reviews
Positive63.4%
Neutral2.4%
Negative34.1%

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

MBTA Go

From 145 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Reliable real-time information
  • 👍 Intuitive and clean user interface
  • 🚀 Accurate bus and train tracking

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent data accuracy
  • 🔓 Lack of mobile payment options
  • 🔍 Missing trip planning features

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

MBTA Go

Reported bugs

2 issues
  • App crashes or fails to load at times
  • Discrepancies between app data and actual transit times

Requested features

3 requests
  • Integrate with bike-sharing services
  • Add ability to purchase tickets/passes through the app
  • Improve trip planning functionality

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

MBTA Go

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Citymapper free?
Citymapper is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is MBTA Go free?
MBTA Go is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Citymapper or MBTA Go?
Citymapper is rated higher. Citymapper averages 4.9 out of 5 from 108K ratings, while MBTA Go averages 4.1 from 145 ratings.
Do Citymapper or MBTA Go have ads?
Citymapper shows ads; MBTA Go does not.
Which is updated more often, Citymapper or MBTA Go?
Citymapper ships an update every 10 days, and MBTA Go fortnightly. Most recently, Citymapper was updated on September 24, 2026 and MBTA Go on September 21, 2026.
Which is more popular, Citymapper or MBTA Go?
Citymapper currently peaks at #18 in the App Store charts, and MBTA Go at #44. Chart position reflects recent download velocity rather than total install base.

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