If you live anywhere near an urban center, chances are you spend more time than you’d like looking for a parking spot. Planners try to incorporate as much parking as possible, but there’s rarely enough to handle the daily commutes and drivers that most cities endure. Waiting for a solution can take a lifetime, so markets and technology are helping frustrated citizens find parking.
Smartphone apps are the perfect answer to this problem, as they allow you to evaluate parking spots on the go and can provide maps or directions to get there. Most people have smartphones, so the barrier to entry is low, and many apps are extremely cheap or even free. They don’t solve every problem, but a parking app can definitely save you time, money, and stress.
Parking apps often compare prices for parking lots, car parks, and other parking locations to help you find a space at a better price. Some apps allow for in-app payments to speed up the process of getting in and out, so you don’t have to keep track of tickets along the way. However, you’ll need to make sure the app you choose works in your city and the specific parking lot you want to use. Most apps have a similar layout and interface, but not all of them work everywhere.
Apps and websites to find free parking near you:
Before we begin, let’s talk about apps that help find free parking. Most tech solutions to the parking problem focus on paid parking, since there is money to be made, but few apps provide information about free parking. Parkopedia.com is a good place to start. your research, as the site has amassed a database of thousands of free parking spaces, including street parking and garages. Other places, such as Spot Angels, focusing on specific cities and neighborhoods provide free parking information.
Parking application:
Best parking
If you’re looking for an app that works in dozens of cities and airports across the US and Canada, Best parking is your favorite. The app has been featured on a number of major publications and media outlets, including ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC. The app has received great reviews and boasts 850,000 active users. Parking spots are sorted by price, so you can easily find the best deals around you.
Hero Points
Hero Points promises discounts of up to 50% off the price you pay at the gate. The company is able to do this through partnerships with parking facilities. SpotHero gets to sell the last remaining parking spaces at a big discount, saving you a lot of money on regular parking. The app works in most major cities.
Whiz Park
Whiz Park ParkWhiz has thousands of parking partners in 35 states and 50 cities. The company acquired BestParking in 2015, expanding its empire and acquiring a business parking subsidiary that helps companies provide and manage parking for employees and customers. To sweeten the deal, ParkWhiz offers discounts of up to 60% in some cases, which is higher than the industry average.
Park
Park There are over 84,000 locations in over 64 countries, and their app makes it easy to find, reserve, and pay for parking. If you have a credit card on file, you can pay to reserve a spot in advance, and the app can track parking spots up to two weeks in the future.
Parking Companion
Parking Companion provides a log so you can see where you’ve parked in the past and the app tracks your parking time to help you avoid fines and drag bill. If you live somewhere with lax parking laws, Parking Mate lets you track your parking time and will notify you when your time is running out to avoid getting towed. The app collects local information, so if you see a parking spot or learn about a new parking law, you can share that information in the app with other drivers.
