As a car-loving society, we frequently encounter the inevitable challenges that come with vehicle ownership, such as purchasing gas and paying for insurance. Yet, one of the most prevalent difficulties—locating a parking spot—can be alleviated through technology. This article highlights the leading parking apps, which serve as a vital resource for today’s drivers, helping you to efficiently locate and manage parking while saving both time and money.
Read on to learn about some of the top parking apps that can help you or your employees find a place to park.
Is there an App to Help You Find Parking?
There are a number of apps designed to help you find parking places, each with different features and bells and whistles, whether you’re looking to save money, find a garage, or search for a place to keep your car at the airport. Some of these parking apps let you reserve spots in advance, some tell you about the availability of on-street parking, and others let you pay for parking spots on your phone after you’ve parked.
There are a lot of videos on YouTube that show you how to use parking apps. SpotHero has a useful one you can check out here:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwD-84ej8y0[/embed]
Why You Should Download a Parking App
The search for a convenient space is one of the major headaches of city driving. Whether you’re heading to a concert or going to dinner or having a meeting at your office downtown, the last thing you need is to aimlessly roam the streets searching for a parking spot.
With parking apps, you can avoid this hassle while enjoying these benefits:
- You’ll save time –When you have an idea of where your parking spot is and a quick and convenient way to pay for it, you save time that could be better spent on work/leisure activities. There’s no need to hunt for a spot or spend time dealing with a confusing kiosk.
- You’ll save money — In addition to helping customers find parking spots, parking apps let their users access discounted rates. Parking apps can also help you avoid tickets. We’ve seen a number of startups that were inspired by their founders and dealt with things like towing costs.
- It’s better for the environment — Less time driving aimlessly searching for parking spots means less time you’ll spend burning fuel.
- It’s more practical — When was the last time you had a big handful of coins in your car? When you use an app to pay for parking, you don’t need to worry about having the right change — or enough change for your meter. In many cases, you might have already paid for your spot in advance.
- It’s safer — When you’re preoccupied with searching for a free parking space in an unfamiliar city, you may be less aware of your surroundings.
- It’s less stressful — Traveling, whether you’re exploring suburban shopping centers or heading into New York City, can be a source of stress. Concerns such as “Where will we park?”, “Where did we park?” or “Am I parked in a street cleaning area?” can increase the anxiety of your journey.
- It’s more convenient — Instead of fishing out a credit card to pay for parking, you can reserve a spot and pay for it over the phone. And if something goes wrong with a meter, drivers fighting parking tickets will have proof that they paid.
Selecting the Best Parking Apps: A Guide for Small Business Owners and Entrepreneurs
In the fast-paced world of entrepreneurship and small business management, finding the right tools to streamline everyday tasks is crucial. For those constantly on the move, a reliable parking app can be a game-changer, saving time and reducing stress. We at Small Business Trends understand the unique challenges faced by small business owners and entrepreneurs. Therefore, we’ve developed a comprehensive set of criteria to help you select the best parking apps, complete with a scale of importance for each:
Ease of Use and User-Friendly Interface:
- Importance: 10/10
- We believe an app should be straightforward, minimizing the time spent on figuring out how to use it.
Accurate and Comprehensive Coverage:
- Importance: 9/10
- The app must provide reliable information on parking spaces across various locations, which is crucial for planning business travels.
Cost-Effectiveness and Transparent Pricing:
- Importance: 8/10
- Affordability and clear pricing structures are key for budget-conscious entrepreneurs.
Real-Time Availability and Updates:
- Importance: 7/10
- Timely information on parking space availability can be vital in making quick decisions on the go.
Customer Support and Positive Reviews:
- Importance: 6/10
- Strong customer support and favorable user reviews are indicators of the app’s reliability and overall user satisfaction.
Integration with Business Tools:
- Importance: 5/10
- The ability to integrate with other business applications, like expense trackers, adds significant value.
Security and Data Privacy:
- Importance: 7/10
- Ensuring the confidentiality and safety of user data is essential, especially for business owners.
Special Features for Business Needs:
- Importance: 4/10
- Features like reserved parking, bulk booking options, or invoicing are beneficial for business users.
Offline Accessibility:
- Importance: 3/10
- While not critical, having offline functionality can be helpful in areas with limited internet access.
By considering these factors, small business owners and entrepreneurs can choose a parking app that not only meets their specific needs but also enhances their daily operational efficiency.
Read on to see a list of some of the best parking apps available.
Best Parking Apps
Our phones can do almost anything these days, so it’s not unreasonable to expect them to uncover parking spots for us. Below, you’ll find a list of some of the top parking apps you can download to help you save time and money when you’re looking to park your car.
SpotHero
Once known as Parking Panda, Spot Hero is a parking reservation service that works with different facilities around the country to provide customers with parking in 28 major cities. Customers can find, reserve, and pay for a parking spot in a lot or garage — often at a discounted rate — and receive a parking pass either via email or through the app.
This service assists drivers in locating and reserving parking options, including hourly, monthly, and airport parking, as well as parking for events. It achieves this through collaborations with various sporting venues, from Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles to Yankee Stadium in New York.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
Best Parking
Best Parking operates by allowing users to search for parking both in real-time and for upcoming trips. Drivers have the option to reserve spaces in advance, obtain a digital parking pass, and save as much as 50%. Best Parking connects directly to the mobility platform Arrive. Best Parking was acquired by Park Whiz, which is the next entry on our list.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
ParkWhiz
Founded, ParkWhiz works with 4,000 parking operators in 35 states and 50 cities. Customers can use the service to find places to park on a daily or monthly basis, or for events, compare prices, and reserve parking spaces.
ParkWhiz also operates ParkWhiz Business, an online system that helps companies manage their employee and customer parking.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
Parkopedia
Operating in 89 countries — and keeping tabs on more than 70 million parking spots, Parkopedia could become your favorite navigation app. Just tell Parkopeida where you’re headed in the city of your choice, and it will find the closest spot for your car, how much it will cost, and how many spaces are available. The company bills itself as the “parking partner” of a number of carmakers, including GM, Ford, Mazda, and Volvo.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
Way
Technically, Way is more than just an app for parking, as the company offers insurance and auto finance services. When it comes to helping people find parking spaces, Way lets users reserve hourly and monthly parking and helps locate parking spaces at the airport.
Way also offers a service called Parking Pass, which lets drivers save money, letting them hop from lot to lot for a one-time daily or monthly price. And if you’re not sure where you’re parked, Way will provide walking directions back to your lot.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
SpotAngels
The founder of SpotAngels built their app after having their car towed and being forced to pay $569 to recover it. Available in almost every major U.S. city, the app helps people find street parking and avoid tickets, showing users parking options, and sending reminders to help drivers avoid tickets. The company website even has a map to help users find free parking.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
ParkMobile
This free app offers three different ways to park, but for our purposes, we’ll focus on just one: the ability to reserve a parking space in advance. With ParkMobile, drivers who are heading into a city for the day and need to find a parking spot can search for parking garage facilities. Simply select the garages you want and reserve a spot and a time for their car.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
The Parking Spot
The Parking Spot is among the top contenders for the best airport parking apps, enabling users to locate parking options at several major airports across the U.S. The app provides touchless payment options, and in certain locations, it even offers complimentary car cleaning services while travelers are away.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
PayByPhone
Owned by Volkswagen Financial Services, this app allows users to pay for street parking by entering their location on their phone, using a designated number found on a nearby sign from the PayByPhone system. Drivers can specify the duration of their parking and easily extend their stay without needing to return to their car to add more money to the meter.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices and through Blackberry’s App World
Passport Parking
Much like PayByPhone, Passport Parking lets drivers find and reserve parking and pay for their spots by entering a location number on the app and paying from their phone. This app notifies users when their session is about to end, as well as when parking rates will change.
Available on Apple’s iOs and Android devices
What is the best parking app?
It’s tough to say. Various online rankings seem to match up with the first three entries on our list: Spot Hero, BestParking, and ParkWhiz.
What is the best app for finding garage parking facilities?
Much of our research points to BestParking, as it contains a massive directory of cities, all of them filled with garages and lots to keep your car.
What is the best app to find airport parking?
While there are many apps that help people find a place to park at the airport, it’s worth mentioning The Parking Spot again. Much like an airline offers frequent flyer miles, this app has a program for frequent users: the more you book, the more points you accrue for free parking. It also lets you find shuttles headed to your location and to the airport.
What is the best app for finding a street parking spot?
Parknav predicts street parking availability in real-time, displaying a map of your chosen area with locations color-coded according to the likelihood of finding parking there.
What is the cheapest parking app?
The apps we’ve discussed are free to download. Parking apps generate revenue not by charging customers directly but by earning commissions from the cities or garages and lots where users pay to park their vehicles.
What is the best parking app for iPhone?
With a five-star rating and 1.2 million members, this title goes to ParkMobile.
Table: Top Parking Apps
This table provides a quick overview of each app’s key features and their availability on different platforms, helping you choose the one that best suits your parking needs.?
App Name | Features | Availability |
---|---|---|
SpotHero | Parking reservation service in 28 major cities, discounted rates, email/app parking pass, hourly/monthly/airport/event parking. | Apple iOS, Android |
Best Parking | Search and reserve parking, digital parking pass, up to 50% savings, linked to Arrive platform. | Apple iOS, Android |
ParkWhiz | Works with 4,000 operators in 35 states and 50 cities, daily/monthly/event parking, ParkWhiz Business for company parking management. | Apple iOS, Android |
Parkopedia | Covers 70 million spots in 89 countries, find closest parking spot and costs, parking partner for several carmakers. | Apple iOS, Android |
Way | Parking reservation, hourly/monthly/airport parking, Parking Pass service, walking directions to parked car. | Apple iOS, Android |
SpotAngels | Find street parking and avoid tickets in major U.S. cities, reminders to avoid tickets, map for free parking. | Apple iOS, Android |
ParkMobile | Reserve parking space in advance, especially in city garages. | Apple iOS, Android |
The Parking Spot | Airport parking with touchless entry, complimentary car cleaning at some locations. | Apple iOS, Android |
PayByPhone | Pay for street parking via phone, extend stay remotely, owned by Volkswagen Financial Services. | Apple iOS, Android, Blackberry |
Passport Parking | Reserve and pay for parking from phone, notifications for session end and rate changes. | Apple iOS, Android |
Complementing Your Parking App Experience: Tools for Enhanced Efficiency
While parking apps significantly streamline the process of finding and securing a parking spot, integrating them with other applications can further elevate your experience, especially for small business owners and entrepreneurs on the go. Here are some additional app categories that can work in tandem with your parking app for an even smoother, more efficient experience:
Navigation and Traffic Apps:
- Apps like Google Maps or Waze can be seamlessly integrated with your parking app to provide real-time traffic updates and the most efficient routes to your reserved parking spot.
- Benefit: Reduces the time spent in traffic and ensures you reach your parking destination via the quickest possible route.
Expense Tracking Apps:
- Business-oriented expense trackers like Expensify or QuickBooks can sync with your parking app to automatically log parking expenses, which is especially useful for those who need to track business-related expenditures.
- Benefit: Simplifies the process of expense reporting and budget management for business travels.
Calendar and Scheduling Apps:
- Integrating your parking app with a calendar app such as Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook can help you plan your parking needs in advance based on your schedule.
- Benefit: Ensures you never forget to book a parking spot ahead of a crucial meeting or event.
Public Transportation Apps:
- In cities where you might park in one location and use public transit to reach your final destination, apps like Citymapper can provide information on the best public transportation options from your parking location.
- Benefit: It offers a comprehensive travel plan that combines parking with public transit routes.
Local City Guides and Apps:
- Local city guide apps can provide insights into the area around your parking spot, including nearby amenities, dining options, and emergency services.
- Benefit: Makes it easier to navigate unfamiliar neighborhoods and find essential services while on the move.
By leveraging these additional tools in conjunction with your chosen parking app, you can create a more integrated, efficient, and stress-free travel experience, allowing you to focus more on your business and less on the logistics of getting there.
Image: Depositphotos