The 15 Best New York City Apps For Travelers & Visitors

 

New York is definitely one of the top tourist destinations in the world. The Big Apple has plenty of incredible attractions to keep any tourist interested. There are plenty of options to choose from when you want to know about the places to go in NYC.
From the Broadway Show to some of the world’s most iconic museums and from Statue of Liberty to Times Square to Central Park, The Big Apple has something in it for everybody.
But if you plan to visit New York today, you will definitely need the help of New York City apps to help you get by.
The best New York Apps are a substitute for everything from maps to train schedules to even access to finding clean restrooms.
These NYC apps are literally a lifesaver for anyone planning to visit the city and if you do not plan to use them, you will literally find yourself wasting hours of your time doing extremely rudimentary tasks like finding a taxi or looking for a cheap place to stay in.

For experienced travelers as well as first-timers, you can’t just make do with only one app. New York is too big and too complex for that. So here’s a list of the best NYC apps that you can download and use on your next trip to the Big Apple and make your stay even more enjoyable and highly comfortable.
I came up with this list on my last visit to New York as I found myself crazing up on the many big issues that needed a quick solution.
I consulted locals, visited blogs, talked to fellow travelers, and even went to app stores to find out which apps were the best for a specific purpose in NYC.
I did want to find out a super app that could help me to do everything, but I couldn’t. Instead, what I found was that, for every category, there is a specific NYC app that I needed to use in order to get by on that task.
Let’s begin our list of best NYC apps right away:

AirBnB – Best NYC App For Accommodation

This is perhaps the first NYC app you will need to download if you don’t have a place booked for you to stay in. AirBnB also helps you out if you are on tight budget.

NYC can be an expensive place to stay in if you are relying on just hotels for accommodations. Rooms often start at $100/night which is pretty expensive for most travelers. AirBnB offers a cheaper alternative and using its app in NYC can feel like you are going through bargain offers for your accommodations.

This is one of the must have NYC apps if you plan on living independently and cheaply.

Cost To Download: Free

Available on: iOS & Android 

Citymapper New York – NYC App For Subway And Bus System Navigation

New York has a very complex bus and subway system and if you are a first-timer to this system, you can feel lost. Citymapper is a New York City app that can assist you in navigating the city’s public transit system.

This app has offline capabilities which means that you won’t need internet access to access its maps. This New York Map offline capability is essential if you want to know where things are in the city.

The Citymapper app also has an incredible feature that allows you to get real-time departures for all the buses and trains on the public transit system. Also, the app has another great feature that can help you hook up with bike shares and city cabs to make your travel faster and more comfortable.

Cost To Download: Free

Available On: iOS & Android 

Exit Strategy NYC – New York City Subway App

With Exit Strategy NYC, you can not just get complete maps of the NYC subway and bus systems but you can exactly find out where the entrances and exits are to these stations.

The name of this app is an easy giveaway on what it allows you to do. It eases up your access to the public transit system, telling you where to enter, where to leave, and even where to stand on a certain platform.

This NYC app is certainly a lifesaver if you plan on living in the city for a few weeks.

You can use this app in combination with an interactive map offered by New York Pass to know all about the attractions that do not charge anything. The app will help you get around to these attractions easily.

Cost To Download: $3.99

Available On: iOS & Android 

ParkMe – Best NYC App For Parking Information

If you are coming in from a different US state in your car, then I must caution you that New York is not exactly a car-friendly city. Apart from the massive traffic jams and the stringent traffic rules, you will also have to deal the dreaded parking issues.

The parking is paid in NYC and getting a spot for yourself can be a major hassle. If you do it wrong, you might get fined or even have your vehicle impounded.

ParkMe is an essential New York City app for those with cars. The app has complete data on the parking spot availability in your nearby locations as well as the rates these spots will charge you.ParkMe even allows you to reserve spots by prepaying for them through its payment system. The app is a lifesaver if you want to avoid parking issues in the city.

Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android 

Citi Bike – Recommended NYC App For Bikers

New York City’s official bike-share program, Citi Bike is an incredible app for NYC if you want to use two wheelers to get around the city faster.

The app has everything you need as a bike rider like info on all docking stations near you, ability to allow you buy a day pass and even provide you with stats and figures on your ride time.

The Citi-Bike app is easy to use and a must-have in NYC for bikers.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS, Android 

NYC Ferry – Best NYC Ferry App

You know that New York has the huge Hudson River flowing right between it? Also, you have the sea. So New Yorkers have been using ferries for quite some time now.

And nowadays, they use the NYC Ferry app by Hornblowers that offers some incredible features, to navigate the ferry system in NYC. Everything from the facility to get paperless tickets to ease the boarding process to arrival and departure times are there in the app for the ferries.

The app also offers special discounts and even alerts on service status. So if you want to beat the traffic and get mesmeric views of the NYC skyline then get this app.

Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android

Sit or Squat – New York City App For Locating Public Restrooms

Most people will find this app ridiculous and even think on how on Earth is this an essential travel app for NYC? But trust me, your belief that you might not need this app is not true at all.

The Sit or Squat app helps you locate public restrooms and bathrooms with information on whether they are clean or not. The app displays “Green” Sit for clean washrooms and “Red” Squat signs for the less clean ones.

NYC might sound like a city where you wouldn’t have to worry about emptying your bladder, but when you want to actually do that, finding a place to do that can be an incredibly difficult thing to undertake.

The app is a genuine traveler’s app for NYC. Do download it.

Cost To Download: Free

Available On: iOS & Android

OpenTable – Top NYC App For Restaurant Reservations

In New York City, you can eat whatever you want and at whatever price you want. From the cheap food trucks that are literally everywhere in the city to all the fine dining restaurants, a traveler can literally have anything to satisfy its taste buds.

But one thing can spoil your plans and that’s reservations. NYC has an incredibly big population and that population loves to dine out. Add to that, the thousands of visitors that throng the Big Apple each day and restaurants can fill up pretty quickly.

OpenTable is a New York City App that can help you get restaurant reservations in an easy, streamlined manner. They have a comprehensive catalog of nearly all important NYC restaurants so you can use this app to book your slot in your next dine-in option a few hours in advance.

Cost To Download: Free

iTourMobile – NYC Travel App For Surrounding Events

Probably the most fascinating app on the list, the iTourMobile is an app that can provide you with incredible information on what’s going on nearby your location.

The app has GPS technology so it knows where you are and depending on that data, it can help you find out filming locations, a fancy dine out option, a great theatre play and so much more.

If you are in NYC, you will need this app while walking around the city. The app can spring up incredible surprise and perhaps even give you a chance to meet and click a selfie with your favorite superstar if the timing is right. Don’t miss out on this one definitely.

 Cost To Download: Free (Includes a Paid Version For $1.99/month offering special tours)
Available On: iOS & Android 

Shop Drop – Best New York City App For Shoppers Discounts

Everyone knows that New York has amazing options for shoppers in terms of designer fashion wear, athleisure, and all other kinds of clothing categories. These stores and labels often hold discount sales, but isn’t it a waste if you don’t know about them?

This is where Shop Drop comes in. As a specific New York City app, it lets you know about sample sales and discount sales around the city. The app even sends alerts so even if you don’t open the app often, you will still know if there is a great bargain nearby.

 Cost To Download: Free

Available On: iOS & Android 

Revolut – Recommend NYC Travel App For Bank And Cash Assistance

During travel, you have to take out money from banks and this can be a major hassle if you are in the city for the first time. On top of this, the withdrawal fees and payment fees can be really daunting on your budget. You surely wouldn’t want to deal with if given a chance.

If you want a chance, then go for registering a bank account with Revolut. It’s an incredible, new fintech company which offers you a free bank account and lets you order your personal Visa Card through which you can make payments, withdraw money from ATMs without any charges at all, absolutely free!

Revolut works in NYC and you can download its app to help you get around the issues with payment and other types of fees when dealing with banks.

 Cost To Download: Free

Available On: iOS & Android

TKTS – NYC App For Broadway Theatre

Broadway Theatre is one of the most prestigious theatres acts in the entire world, so it’s natural that a lot of people who come to New York, want to visit at least one show during their stay.

The TKTS app is the perfect way to ensure that you don’t miss out on getting a seat to a Broadway Theatre play.

If you too are an enthusiast of this world-renowned theatre and other equally prestigious ones, then you need to download TKTS app. You can buy tickets, check reviews of the performances, and get discounts on performances through this great NYC app.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android

WhyzzExplorer – NYC App For City Exploration

This is more of a fun and recreational app for NYC travelers. WhyzzExplorer contains challenges, quizzes, trivia, and other exciting stuff related to NYC. If you are planning to visit New York City soon, then this app will definitely help you brush up your knowledge about the city and its culture.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS  

Time Out New York – Best NYC Events App

Time Out New York is a special, local NYC app for travelers who want all the latest information on the fun things happening in the city while they are there.

From concerts to the latest events, this app catalogs each and everything in NYC. You can even use it to check on the schedules of these events, whether the tickets are available or even reviews on different events.

The app’s “Cheap” and “Free” filters can help you find events that you can visit on a budget too.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android  

Tripadvisor – New York One Day Trip Planner App

If you are visiting NYC with a group of friends or the family, then you can use the TripAdvisor app to map out points of interest and get involved in trip creations to make your stay enjoyable and memorable.

You can use the app to map out any place of interest you want to visit. The official tourism board NYC Go also has pre-curated trips so you can take a clue from there and create your own trips with TripAdvisor.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android 

Yelp – Top Review App For New York City

If you travel a lot or are a major fan of dining out, there is a high chance that you use Yelp app to check out on reviews and listings.

Yelp is certainly not the best app for any place you go in the world, but if you visiting a big city like New York, the Yelp app will certainly prove incredibly helpful to you.

The Yelp app is like an app that offers almost something of value in each niche that the other apps on this list feature in. You can see reviews, maps, and preview menus among many other tasks through Yelp app.

As an NYC app, Yelp is a good candidate for proving of value to the traveler.

 Cost To Download: Free
Available On: iOS & Android