Comparison

MBTA See Say vs MBTA Widgets

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

Head to head
About

MBTA See Say

Report suspicious activity discreetly and instantaneously to Transit Police. Send pictures, text messages, and locations. Receive service alerts and BOLO notifications.

Highlights
  • Report suspicious activity
  • Send photos and text messages
  • Share location data
  • Disable camera flash
  • Receive T-Alerts
  • View BOLO alerts
Features
Read full description

"See something Say something” for smartphones 

 The MBTA See Say App offers riders a quick and discreet method for reporting suspicious activity directly and instantaneously to Transit Police. Using this app, riders can send the MBTA Transit Police pictures, text messages, and locations of suspicious activity. From the App home screen, riders have two easy options for contacting Transit Police: * The “Report a Problem” button allows riders to send text or photos directly to Transit Police. To ensure discretion, the camera flash is automatically disabled when photos are taken through the app. When reporting an issue, riders can select station locations and report categories to assist transit police. * The “Call Transit Police” button will connect customers directly to Transit Police. The application is designed for the T. If you send a report in an area without cellular connectivity, it will be stored and sent when connectivity returns. The system is also design to send text before pictures so that Transit Police get reports as quickly as possible. 
 Additional Features Riders can sign up to receive MBTA T-Alerts through the app to be notified of service delays and disruptions. BOLO alerts. (Be On the Look Out) SeeSay may also display alerts from the MBTA. For example, SeeSay may display information about a missing person, such as where they were last seen. If you see this person you may call or send a report to Transit Police.

About

MBTA Widgets

View real-time bus and train arrivals directly on your iPhone's home screen. This app offers customizable widgets for different routes and stops, with dynamic scheduling that changes based on the time of day. Get instant updates without needing to open a separate application.

Highlights
  • Real-time MBTA arrivals for buses, trains, subway
  • Customizable widgets for routes and stops
  • Live previews on Dynamic Island and Lock Screen
  • Time-based smart scheduling for widgets
  • Clean, minimal design for quick viewing
Features
Read full description

See your next MBTA arrival without opening an app. MBTA Widgets puts live bus, subway and Commuter Rail times right on your Home Screen. Free. No ads, no account, no location access. Time-Based Widgets: One widget that changes with your day. Set your route to work for 7–10 AM and your route home for 4–7 PM, and it switches automatically. Same square on your Home Screen, right route at the right time. Live Countdown: Start a countdown before you leave and track it on the Dynamic Island and Lock Screen the whole walk to your stop. It clears itself once your ride arrives. Service Alerts Built In: Suspensions and delays appear right alongside your arrival times, so an empty screen never leaves you guessing whether your line is down. All Three Modes: Bus, Subway and Commuter Rail. Commuter Rail shows both live-tracked and scheduled departures for the rest of the day, each clearly labelled. Always Know How Fresh It Is: Every widget shows when it last updated, with a refresh button for instant new data without opening the app. Ask Siri for your next arrival (Shortcuts). Save your regular stops as favourites. Up to three widgets, in small and medium sizes. This app is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA). Data is provided via the official MBTA public API.

Screenshots

MBTA See Say3 screens
MBTA Widgets4 screens

Verdict

The call

MBTA See Say and MBTA Widgets both sit at 4.6 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of MBTA Widgets's written reviews are positive against 67% of MBTA See Say's. MBTA Widgets also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 months). MBTA See Say's advantage is ratings volume (495 vs 10) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 18.6). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases 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

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.6 for MBTA See Say against 4.5 for MBTA Widgets. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MBTA See Say has 495 ratings behind it against 10, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 67% of MBTA See Say's written reviews are positive against 100% of MBTA Widgets's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

MBTA See Say ships an update every 3 months, MBTA Widgets every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
MBTA See Say versus MBTA Widgets: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterMBTA See SayMBTA Widgets
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.6 (495 ratings) — better4.5 (10 ratings)
Positive reviews67.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings495 — better10
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS13.0 — better18.6
Further details — not scored
Size19 MB26 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperELERTS CorpPUNEET RAMINI

Customer experience

MBTA See Say

All ratings446 ratings
Positive90.4%
Neutral2.9%
Negative6.7%
Written reviews55 reviews
Positive67.3%
Neutral3.6%
Negative29.1%

MBTA Widgets

All ratings8 ratings
Positive87.5%
Neutral0.0%
Negative12.5%
Written reviews2 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

MBTA See Say

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • Email validation error preventing login
  • Persistent alerts that won't clear
  • Shutter sound not disabling in camera
  • Comment/complaint option leads nowhere
  • Repeated notifications about resolved cases

Requested features

7 requests
  • Reduce number of steps in reporting process
  • Clearer suspect photos and descriptions
  • Batch delete alerts instead of individual dismissal
  • Better transit delay information integration
  • Less visible app icon on home screen
Show 2 more
  • Improved subway cell coverage support
  • Clarified guidelines for suspicious behavior reporting

MBTA Widgets

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

MBTA See Say

No in-app purchases

None

MBTA Widgets

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is MBTA See Say free?
MBTA See Say is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is MBTA Widgets free?
MBTA Widgets is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, MBTA See Say or MBTA Widgets?
MBTA See Say is rated higher. MBTA See Say averages 4.6 out of 5 from 495 ratings, while MBTA Widgets averages 4.5 from 10 ratings.
Do MBTA See Say or MBTA Widgets have ads?
Neither MBTA See Say nor MBTA Widgets shows ads.
Which is updated more often, MBTA See Say or MBTA Widgets?
MBTA See Say ships an update every 3 months, and MBTA Widgets every 9 days. Most recently, MBTA See Say was updated on November 7, 2026 and MBTA Widgets on October 31, 2026.

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