Posted on May 6, 2010 at 12:33pm EDT. More.

MetroCost is now free!

I’ve decided to make MetroCost available for free! In case you haven’t met yet, MetroCost is an app for iPhone or iPod touch that keeps a record of when you ride public transit, then recommends whether a pay-per-ride or unlimited ride card is a better deal for you. It’s an app designed to save you money, and now you can get it for no money!

I live in New York City. When I used to commute to an office, paying for a 30-day Unlimited Ride card was a no-brainer. But once I started working from home, I noticed there were days when I didn’t ride the train at all. I began to wonder if I would be better off with a pay-per-ride card, and that’s when I wrote MetroCost.

From last September through March, I have spent $498 on MetroCards: initially unlimited, then pay-per-ride, then recently switching back to unlimited. Each time I had to renew my card, I followed MetroCost’s recommendation. The result is that I spent an average of $83/month, a savings of $6/month over the MTA’s 30-day Unlimited Ride card. That’s $72 a year!

I could say that MetroCost pays for itself, but since it is now completely free, what’s really happening is that I am giving you money. How about that?

Two more things: