Comparison

NYC Underground vs SubwayTimes

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

Head to head
About

NYC Underground

This app provides real-time New York City subway arrival information and a comprehensive subway map. It offers live train times, station locations, and nearby station rankings, all without requiring an account or displaying ads.

Highlights
  • Real-time train arrivals
  • Full MTA subway map
  • Location on map
  • Nearby stations ranking
  • Automatic arrival refresh
  • Offline map functionality
Features
Read full description

NYC Underground turns your iPhone into a fast, native New York City subway companion. The complete MTA subway map is bundled right into the app: pinch to zoom anywhere, tap any station, and see real-time train arrivals the instant you look. No account, no sign-up, no ads. Your location never leaves your device. FEATURES • The whole subway map: the full New York City subway map is built in and renders at high resolution. Smooth pinch-to-zoom and pan, even at street level. • Real-time arrivals: tap any station to see live train times, straight from the MTA's official real-time feeds, grouped by direction with colored line bullets. • Your location on the map: an optional GPS dot shows exactly where you are on the subway map, so you always know which station is closest. • Nearby stations: one tap shows the closest stations ranked by distance, each with live arrivals. • All 445 stations: every line, every borough, with proper station complexes and direction labels sourced from official MTA data. • Always current: arrivals refresh automatically every 30 seconds. No API key, no login, nothing to configure. PRIVATE BY DESIGN NYC Underground does not collect analytics, has no trackers, and requires no account. Your GPS location is used only on your device to place the dot on the map and find nearby stations; it is never transmitted anywhere. The app's only network requests are to the MTA's public real-time data feeds. HOW IT WORKS 1. Open the app, the subway map loads instantly. 2. (Optional) Allow location to see your position and nearest stations. 3. Tap any station to see real-time arrivals by direction. 4. Tap the location banner for a ranked list of nearby stations. REQUIREMENTS • iPhone running iOS 18 or later. • An internet connection for live arrival times (the map itself works offline). NYC Underground is an independent app and is not affiliated with, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) or New York City Transit. "MTA", the subway map, and the route symbols are trademarks of their respective owners and are used here only to describe and display the transit system this app helps you navigate. Real-time and schedule data is provided by the MTA under its open-data program.

About

SubwayTimes

Get real-time arrival information for all NYC subway lines without needing to sign in. Quickly access your most frequent stations and see live countdowns on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island.

Highlights
  • Live arrivals for all NYC subway lines
  • Save home and work stations
  • Lock Screen and Dynamic Island live countdowns
  • Fast and clean interface
  • No sign-in required
Features
Read full description

Real-time NYC subway arrival times, at a glance. SubwayTimes shows the next trains for every MTA subway line - no sign-in, no clutter, just the times you need for your commute. - Live arrivals for all NYC subway lines - Save your home and work stations for one-tap access - Live Activities on the Lock Screen and Dynamic Island count down your next train - Fast, clean, and made for daily riders Catch your train.

Screenshots

NYC Underground4 screens
SubwayTimes1 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: SubwayTimes at weekly against NYC Underground's every 3 weeks. SubwayTimes also leads on device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.0 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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 — 5.0 for NYC Underground against 5.0 for SubwayTimes. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 1 and 1 respectively.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

NYC Underground ships an update every 3 weeks, SubwayTimes weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 28, 2026 and October 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 6 level
NYC Underground versus SubwayTimes: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNYC UndergroundSubwayTimes
PriceFreeFree
Rating5.0 (1 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings)
Number of ratings11
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.015.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size10 MB87 MB
Age rating4+4+
Developerkitdesai, LLCJacob Heifetz-Licht

In-app purchases

None

NYC Underground

No in-app purchases

None

SubwayTimes

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is NYC Underground free?
NYC Underground is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is SubwayTimes free?
SubwayTimes is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, NYC Underground or SubwayTimes?
NYC Underground and SubwayTimes are both rated 5.0 out of 5 on the App Store, from 1 and 1 ratings respectively.
Do NYC Underground or SubwayTimes have ads?
Neither NYC Underground nor SubwayTimes shows ads.
Which is updated more often, NYC Underground or SubwayTimes?
NYC Underground ships an update every 3 weeks, and SubwayTimes weekly. Most recently, NYC Underground was updated on October 28, 2026 and SubwayTimes on October 6, 2026.

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