If you live anywhere near an urban center, chances are you spend more time than you’d like looking for a parking space. Planners try to fit in as many parking spaces as possible, but that’s rarely enough to handle the influx of commuters and daily drivers that most cities endure. Waiting for a solution can take a lifetime, so it’s up to the market and technology to help frustrated citizens find a parking space.
Smartphone apps are the perfect answer to this problem, as they allow for on-the-go evaluation of parking spaces and can provide maps or directions to get there. Most people have smartphones, so the barrier to entry is low, and many apps are incredibly cheap or even free. They won’t solve every problem, but a solid parking app can help save you time, money, and stress.
Parking apps typically compare prices for garages, lots, and other parking locations to help you find an open spot at a better price. Some apps allow in-app payments to speed up entry and exit, and you don’t have to keep a ticket with you in the process. That said, you’ll want to make sure the app you choose works in your city and with the specific garage you’re hoping to use. Most apps have similar layouts and interfaces, but not all apps work in all locations.
Apps and websites to find free parking near you:
Before we start, we should talk about apps that help find free parking spots. Most tech solutions to parking problems focus on paid parking spots, because there is money to be made, but few offer information about free spots. Parkopedia.com is a good place to start your research, as the site has compiled a database of thousands of free parking spaces, including street parking and garages. Others, such as Spot Angels, focus on specific cities and neighborhoods to provide free parking information.
Parking apps:
BestParking
If you’re looking for an app that works in dozens of cities and airports across the United States and Canada, BestParking is your thing. The app has been featured in several major publications and media outlets, including ABC, Fox, CBS, and NBC. It has great reviews and 850,000 active users. Parking lots are sorted by price, making it easy to find the best deals near you.
SpotHero
SpotHero promises discounts of up to 50% on the price you pay at the entrance. The company is able to do this through partnerships with parking facilities. SpotHero sells the last remaining parking spaces for a big discount, which can save you a lot on regular parking. The app works in most major cities.
ParkWiz
ParkWiz has thousands of parking partners in 35 states and 50 cities. The company acquired BestParking in 2015, expanding its empire, and it owns a corporate parking subsidiary that helps companies offer and manage employee and customer parking. To sweeten the deal, ParkWhiz offers discounts of up to 60% in some cases, which beats the industry average.
ParkMe
ParkMe has over 84,000 locations in 64+ countries, and the app offers an easy way to find, reserve, and pay for spots. If you have a stored credit card, you can pay to reserve a spot early, and the app can track spots up to two weeks in the future.
Parking buddy
Parking buddy provides logs so you can see where you’ve parked in the past, and the app keeps track of your parked time to help you avoid costly fines and to tow bills. If you live in a place with strange parking laws, Parking Mate lets you track your parking time and sends you an alert when your time is running out to prevent towing. The app collects local information, so if you see a spot or learn about a new parking rule, you can share that information with other drivers in the app.