Why people leave Yandex Metro
- Metro-only scope. The app diagrams more than thirty subway systems but ends the route the moment you exit the station. Bus, tram, and walking legs need a different app.
- Live arrivals are thin outside Moscow. Static timetables cover most European and US metros, while Citymapper and Moovit show real platform countdowns.
- Service alerts are quiet. Closures, weekend works, and delays do not push notifications. Riders catch them only if they open the app and read the news strip.
- The account folds into the broader Yandex profile. Signing in pulls together Plus, ad personalization, and history across Maps, Music, and Mail.
- Newer lines lag. Recently opened lines in Istanbul, Hanoi, and parts of China take weeks to show on the diagram, while crowdsourced apps map them quickly.
If any of those push you to compare, here are 7 Yandex Metro alternatives worth installing.
Which app should you choose?
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Google Maps if you want global multimodal transit in one default app.
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Citymapper if you live in a covered metro and want the densest urban planner.
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Moovit if you travel between cities and want the broadest transit catalogue.
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Yandex Maps if you want the Yandex stack with metro plus buses, trams, and routing.
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Transit if you commute in North America or a major European metro with crowdsourced arrivals.
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Метро Москвы if your travel is Moscow-only and you want the official source.
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Mapy.com if you visit central Europe and mix urban transit with hiking.
Stay on Yandex Metro if your trips are subway-only across 30+ cities and you want a clean diagram with Troika top-up support.
Comparison table
| App | Coverage | Multimodal | Offline | Live arrivals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Global | Yes | Region maps | Most major metros |
| Citymapper | 50+ cities | Yes | Club only | Yes |
| Moovit | 3,500+ cities | Yes | Premium | Yes |
| Yandex Maps | Russia, CIS, parts of EU | Yes | Full regions | Selected cities |
| Transit | 200+ metros | Yes | No | Crowdsourced |
| Метро Москвы | Moscow | Buses + tram | Built-in | Yes |
| Mapy.com | Worldwide | Transit + outdoor | Worldwide | Partial |
1. Google Maps -- the global multimodal default
Google Maps covers transit in nearly every city Yandex Metro has on its map, plus thousands more. The subway layer slots in alongside walking, bus, tram, and rail, so the door-to-door journey continues after you step off the train. Live arrivals work on most major networks, and offline regions hold the street map even when the network drops underground.
Google Maps vs Yandex Metro on Moscow or Saint Petersburg is closer than it used to be. The Yandex diagram still wins on station-by-station carriage hints, but Google Maps wins on the trip that starts with a walk and ends with a bus.
Advantages:
- Transit in nearly every metro Yandex covers, plus far more
- Walking, cycling, driving, and transit in the same trip
- Live arrivals on most major networks
- Offline regions cover streets if not transit
Disadvantages:
- Subway diagram view is less polished than Yandex Metro’s
- Promoted places creep into search
- Account ties data to your Google profile
Pricing: Free.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Google Maps when the metro leg is one part of a longer trip and you want one app for the whole journey.
2. Citymapper -- the dense urban planner
Citymapper goes deep on a tight set of metros, with carriage-level hints, step-free routing, and the cleanest disruption view in the category. The home screen surfaces the next departures across nearby lines, and the journey planner stacks bus, tube, bike, and ride-hail options against each other. Citymapper Club unlocks offline mode in select cities plus lifetime history.
Citymapper vs Yandex Metro in London, Paris, or New York is no contest on detail. The trade-off is geographic reach: Citymapper covers about 50 cities, Yandex Metro maps more than 30 subway systems with broader European and CIS coverage.
Advantages:
- Carriage-by-carriage hints on covered subways
- Bus, walking, cycling, and ride-hail in the same plan
- Real-time disruption alerts
- Clean accessibility routing
Disadvantages:
- Coverage outside London, New York, Paris, and a few others is thin
- Offline use is gated behind Citymapper Club
- Ride-share promotion sits high on the journey screen
Pricing: Free. Citymapper Club subscription unlocks offline mode and extra features.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Citymapper for one of its covered metros, where the depth is hard to match.
3. Moovit -- the largest transit catalogue
Moovit covers more than 3,500 cities across 100+ countries, far broader than Yandex Metro’s subway-only scope. The app aggregates official transit data with crowdsourced corrections, surfacing live arrivals, walking transfers, and step-by-step directions for subways, buses, trams, ferries, and trains. Service alerts work in many cities, and Moovit Premium adds offline use.
Moovit vs Yandex Metro on smaller European and Asian cities is a stark win for Moovit. Where Yandex shows only a diagram, Moovit usually has the schedule and the live position of the next train.
Advantages:
- 3,500+ cities, 100+ countries
- Live arrivals and crowdsourced corrections
- Step-by-step directions covering more than just the metro
- Service disruption alerts on most networks
Disadvantages:
- Ads in the free tier
- Some routes lean on user reports
- Offline mode is paid
Pricing: Free with ads. Moovit Premium subscription removes ads and adds offline.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Moovit when your travel covers cities beyond Yandex Metro’s subway list.
4. Yandex Maps -- metro plus the full Yandex stack
Yandex Maps wraps the Metro diagram into a wider product that adds buses, trolleybuses, trams, commuter rail, and the directory of nearby places. The subway view inside Maps shows the same stations as Yandex Metro, with the same carriage hints, plus walking transfers and live ground transport. For Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and other Russian cities, it is essentially Yandex Metro with the bus stop included.
Yandex Maps vs Yandex Metro is a question of scope. If the subway is the whole journey, Yandex Metro is lighter and faster. If anything else attaches to the trip, Yandex Maps is the better choice and keeps the rider inside one Yandex login.
Advantages:
- Same metro detail as Yandex Metro
- Bus, tram, and commuter rail in the same view
- Full offline regions for Russian and EU cities
- Voice prompts and Alice integration
Disadvantages:
- Heavier app than Yandex Metro
- Account ties data to your Yandex profile
- Ad inventory inside place pages
Pricing: Free with optional in-app purchases.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Yandex Maps if you want everything Yandex Metro does plus the rest of the city in one app.
5. Transit -- crowdsourced live arrivals
Transit is the daily commuter favourite across North America and several major European cities thanks to its one-glance home screen and crowdsourced bus tracking. Every nearby line lists with live arrivals at the top of the app, and GO trip tracking sends step-off alerts so riders can look up at the right moment. Transit Royale unlocks ad-free use, premium maps, and detailed bike-share data.
Transit vs Yandex Metro for North American commuting is a clean win for Transit. The crowdsourced bus locations and the wide bike-share integration cover trips Yandex Metro never planned to address.
Advantages:
- One-glance home screen with every nearby line
- GO trip tracking with step-off alerts
- Bike-share and scooter integration
- Crowdsourced live arrivals where official feeds lag
Disadvantages:
- Coverage outside North America and major EU metros is thinner
- No offline mode
- Royale subscription needed to remove ads
Pricing: Free with ads. Transit Royale subscription available.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Transit for a North American commute where the next bus matters more than the subway diagram.
6. Метро Москвы -- the official Moscow specialist
Метро Москвы is the official Moscow Metro app, with MCC, MCD, BKL, and ground transport stitched into one map. Service updates come from the operator directly, Troika balance and top-up work in-app over NFC, and the personal account ties into MultiTransport for buses, scooters, and intercity rides. For Moscow-only journeys, it is the source most riders end up trusting.
Yandex Metro vs Метро Москвы inside Moscow is closer than expected. Yandex covers more cities; Mosmetro covers Moscow deeper, with operator-grade closures, Troika NFC, and intercity bus tickets in the same app.
Advantages:
- Operator-grade service alerts for Moscow
- Troika balance and NFC top-up
- Indoor maps for stations and transfers
- Intercity bus tickets in the same app
Disadvantages:
- Moscow only
- Heavier than Yandex Metro
- Personal-account features push registration
Pricing: Free.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play
Bottom line: Pick Метро Москвы when every trip starts or ends inside Moscow and you carry a Troika card.
7. Mapy.com -- urban transit and outdoors in one
Mapy.com is the Czech-built offline map app that pairs urban transit with hiking, cycling, and ski trails. Public transport routing is strongest in central Europe, while the rest of the world downloads offline for street use. Saved POIs sync across devices, and the terrain rendering is among the best on the category.
Mapy.com vs Yandex Metro outside central Europe is mixed. Inside the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, and neighbouring countries, Mapy.com covers urban transit alongside trail data that Yandex Metro never tried to cover.
Advantages:
- Worldwide offline map downloads
- Strong central European transit
- Hiking, cycling, ski, and water trails in one app
- Free with no ads
Disadvantages:
- Transit coverage thins outside central Europe
- Subway-specific UI is less polished than Yandex Metro
- Outdoor-leaning interface for urban use
Pricing: Free.
Download: Aptoide · Google Play · App Store
Bottom line: Pick Mapy.com when central European trips mix urban metros with outdoor stretches.
How to choose
Pick Google Maps when the metro leg is one part of a longer trip. The transit data has caught up with Yandex Metro in most cities and the offline regions cover the walking parts.
Pick Citymapper if you live in one of its covered metros. The depth of the planner and the carriage hints still beat Yandex Metro inside London, New York, and Paris.
Pick Moovit when you travel between mid-size cities. The catalogue is the largest available and crowdsourced corrections fill in gaps that official feeds miss.
Pick Yandex Maps if you want everything Yandex Metro does plus buses, trams, and street directory in one app.
Pick Transit for a daily North American commute where the next bus matters more than the subway diagram.
Pick Метро Москвы for Moscow-only trips, especially if you tap with Troika and care about operator-grade closures.
Pick Mapy.com when central European trips mix urban transit with hiking, cycling, or skiing.
Stay on Yandex Metro when the trip is a subway-only journey across the 30+ cities the app supports. The diagram is clean, the carriage hints are useful, and there is no ad load.
FAQ
What is the best free Yandex Metro alternative?
Google Maps and Moovit are the strongest free picks. Google Maps wins on global coverage and a familiar interface; Moovit wins on the sheer number of cities and the live arrivals. For Moscow specifically, Метро Москвы is the official free alternative.
Does Google Maps show the same metro diagrams as Yandex Metro?
Almost. Google Maps draws the subway lines and stations for most metros Yandex Metro covers, and adds the bus and tram connections. The interface is less diagram-focused, so riders who prefer the clean subway-map view often keep Yandex Metro as a quick reference even after switching planners.
Which Yandex Metro alternative works offline?
Mapy.com and Yandex Maps offer free offline regions worldwide. Moovit Premium adds offline transit. Citymapper Club has offline mode in selected cities. Google Maps stores offline regions but does not include transit data.
Is Citymapper better than Yandex Metro?
Inside Citymapper’s covered cities it is deeper. The carriage hints, accessibility routing, and disruption alerts are denser. Outside those 50 or so cities, Yandex Metro often has the diagram Citymapper does not. Many riders use both.
What do Moscow commuters use instead of Yandex Metro?
Most pair Метро Москвы for operator-grade service alerts and Troika top-up with Yandex Maps for the bus, tram, and walking legs. Yandex Metro stays installed for quick diagram lookups even when other apps handle the actual planning.
Does Yandex Metro work outside Russia?
Yes. The app supports more than 30 metros across Russia, CIS, Europe, Asia, and a couple of US cities. Diagrams are accurate but live arrivals and disruption alerts work best inside Russia. For foreign metros, Google Maps or Moovit usually has fresher arrival data.
