Mapway vs MetroNow DC
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Mapway
Navigate major cities worldwide with this comprehensive transit app. Plan journeys, view interactive maps, and access live updates for metro, subway, and tram networks. Offline route planning and travel guides are also included.
- Interactive city transit maps
- Offline route planning
- Live departure boards
- Journey planning with step-by-step guidance
- Integrated travel guides
- Fares information
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Mapway - Public Transport Maps - Plan City Travel With Confidence Mapway is your public transport companion for navigating busy cities around the world. Built for tourists, travellers, and daily commuters, Mapway helps you explore metro, subway, tram, rail, and bus networks with clear maps, simple route planning, and useful travel information in one easy app. City Coverage Mapway supports public transport systems in cities including London, New York, Paris, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, Berlin, Madrid, Rome, Dubai, Seoul, Shanghai, Toronto, Washington DC, Barcelona, Milan, Munich, Chicago, Boston, Delhi, Mexico City, Stockholm, Manchester, and more. Interactive Transit Maps Mapway includes redesigned schematic maps built for mobile devices. Zoom, move around the map, check station details, and follow routes clearly. The maps are designed to make city navigation simple, whether you are above ground, underground, or travelling abroad. Key Features • Interactive metro, subway, tram, rail, and bus maps • Simple journey planning with step-by-step guidance • Offline route planning between stations • Live departure boards in select cities • Real-time station status and transit updates where available • Crowdsourced station busyness information • Favourite stations for quick access • Live over-the-air map updates • City travel guides with tips and recommendations • Fare information to help plan your journey budget • First and last train information for subscribers • Free ad-supported access with optional premium upgrade Simple Journey Planning Plan routes quickly with clear directions and easy-to-follow journey steps. Mapway helps you compare transit options, understand connections, and move around the city without confusion. Offline route planning is useful when you have no signal, are travelling underground, or want to avoid roaming issues abroad. Live Travel Information For supported cities, Mapway provides live departure boards, station updates, and transit alerts. Crowdsourced station busyness can help you make better travel decisions by showing useful information from other commuters and travellers. Built For Commuters And Travellers Save your favourite stations for faster access, check maps before leaving, and keep important transport details close at hand. Mapway is designed for everyday travel, weekend city breaks, business trips, and international journeys. Premium Access Upgrade to premium to remove ads and unlock additional travel tools, including first and last train information. Some features may vary by city depending on local transit data availability. Start Your Journey Use Mapway to plan routes, check maps, view departures, save favourite stations, and travel with a clearer understanding of the city around you. Privacy Policy: https://mapway.ai/mapwaymapsios/privacy/ Terms and Conditions: https://mapway.ai/mapwaymapsios/terms/
MetroNow DC
Get real-time train arrival information for the DC Metro, MARC, and VRE systems. Track your train's live location on a map and receive countdowns directly on your Lock Screen. View system status and crowding information before you board.
- Real-time train arrivals
- Lock Screen countdowns
- Live system map
- MARC & VRE commuter rail support
- System status and crowding info
- Home screen widgets
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When is my train? MetroNow DC answers in one glance — and keeps answering all the way to the platform. Arrivals come straight from WMATA's track circuits, the same hardware signals that run the railroad — not GPS guesses. MARC and VRE commuter rail are built in, every train in the region moves on a live map, and a Lock Screen countdown follows your train so you don't have to keep checking your phone. REAL-TIME ARRIVALS Boarding, arriving, and minute-by-minute countdowns for every Metrorail station. The board refreshes faster as your train gets close, and rolling numerals tick down in place. TRACK ANY TRAIN Follow any departure on your Lock Screen and in the Dynamic Island — even scheduled trains 30+ minutes out. The countdown updates by push, so it stays live while your phone is in your pocket. LIVE SYSTEM MAP Watch every train in the system move in real time. Tap any train or station to jump straight to its board. MARC & VRE COMMUTER RAIL All 61 MARC and VRE stations: live delays and cancellations, service alerts, journey timelines, Lock Screen tracking, and dedicated live maps for both systems. SYSTEM STATUS How each line is really running — measured headways, "gaps forming" or "recovering," and callouts naming the stations where riders are actually stuck. Not just the alerts: the numbers behind them. CROWDING, BEFORE YOU BOARD The first train after a long service gap has been collecting riders the whole time. Your board says so before the doors open. JOURNEY VIEW Tap any train to see its full run on a map, with live position from track circuits. Swipe the timeline to peek at exact clock arrival times for every station. PLAN AHEAD Tomorrow's full timetable one tap away, the last trains of the day flagged, and To DC / Outbound filters for busy boards. HOME SCREEN WIDGETS Your station's next trains at a glance — one tap opens the board. HONEST DATA Real-time numbers and estimates are never mixed silently: anything not confirmed by WMATA's own board is clearly marked with ~. And when a feed goes down, MetroNow says so instead of guessing. No account. No ads. Just the next train. MetroNow DC is an independent app and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), the Maryland Transit Administration (MDOT MTA), or the Virginia Railway Express (VRE). Train data provided by WMATA, MDOT MTA, and VRE.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MetroNow DC at 100% against Mapway's 25%. MetroNow DC also leads on rating (5.0 vs 4.4) and in-app purchases (none vs 10). Mapway's advantage is ratings volume (1.1K vs 4). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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
Both are free to download. Mapway sells 8 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MetroNow DC asks for nothing beyond the download.
MetroNow DC holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Mapway has 1.1K ratings behind it against 4, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 25% of Mapway's written reviews are positive against 100% of MetroNow DC's.
Mapway ships an update monthly, MetroNow DC fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Mapway | MetroNow DC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.4 (1.1K ratings) | 5.0 (4 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.7% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 1.1K — better | 4 |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Mapway Inc. | Bojan Mihovilovic |
Customer experience
Mapway
MetroNow DC
Bugs and requests
Mapway
Reported bugs
3 issues- Inability to use search function
- Crashing and freezing issues
- Incorrect or missing transit data
Requested features
3 requests- Full route planning from start to destination
- Station maps and transfer information
- Ticket purchasing and payment options
MetroNow DC
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
Mapway
- Premium Monthly Migrated$1.991 Month
- Premium Monthly2 variants$3.991 Month
- Premium Yearly Migrated$4.991 Year
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- Premium Yearly2 variants$9.991 Year
- Premium Yearly + Free Trial3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- Unlimited Access3 Days trial$9.991 Year
- LifetimeFree
- Premium Lifetime$24.99
MetroNow DC
No in-app purchases









