MPLS Parking vs ParkDSM
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MPLS Parking
Easily pay for parking in Minneapolis from your mobile device. Get reminders before your meter expires and extend your parking remotely. The app also helps you locate your parked car and provides snow emergency alerts.
- Mobile parking payments
- Extend parking remotely
- Find my car feature
- Snow Emergency Alerts
- Event parking support
- Secure payment processing
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Parking convenience is at your fingertips with the new and improved MPLS Parking app. Pay for parking on your mobile device, get notified before your time runs out, and extend your time without visiting a parking meter (note that time extension rules vary location by location). Key features of the app include: • Mobile Payments via smart phone or web • Find my car (for those of us who forget where they parked) • Face ID • Event parking • Snow Emergency Alert Registration for MPLS Parking is free: just create your account via the app. Once you’ve created an account, you can park and pay for parking in any location parking available in Minneapolis. How to Use the App: • Create an account • Choose the vehicle license plate • Select your location on the map • Use the dial to choose how long you want to park • Confirm your payment Payment with MPLS Parking App is ultra secure. Your data is protected and our process is certified via 3rd party audit against Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
ParkDSM
Pay for parking in Des Moines and over 500 other cities using your mobile device. Avoid the hassle of meters and coins by starting, extending, and managing your parking sessions with customizable notifications.
- Pay for parking via mobile device
- Extend parking sessions remotely
- Receive expiration alerts
- Find available parking areas
- Save favorite parking locations
- Locate parked car
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The ParkDSM app, powered by ParkMobile, provides a convenient way to pay for parking in Des Moines, Iowa, using your mobile phone. Registering is free and takes less than two minutes to join. The ParkDSM app takes the stress out of parking. No more searching for coins. No worries about an out-of-service parking meter. With the ParkDSM app, starting your parking session takes just a few seconds. You can use the app in over 500 other cities across the country, including Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and more. Why Use ParkDSM? • Skip the meter and easily pay for parking from your mobile device • Extend your parking duration remotely from the app • Get alerts so you know when your parking session is going to expire • Use ParkMobile in over 3000 locations coast-to-coast including venues, airports, and universities •. Find areas of the city where there is available parking and avoid areas where there’s no parking How to Set Up Your Account • Download the ParkDSM app and create an account with your email address and password • Enter your license plate number and the state where your vehicle is registered • Add your method of payment and start using the ParkDSM app How It Works On-Street and Off-Street Parking: • Enter the zone number on the posted signs around the meter • Select the amount of time you want to park and confirm your information • Touch the “Start Parking” button to begin your parking session • Extend time in the app if you are running late App Features • Customizable notifications delivered via email, text, and/or app • Save your favorite parking locations for next time • Store up to five cars in your account • “Find my car” feature directs you back to the location where you parked • Multiple payment methods available About ParkMobile ParkMobile, LLC is the leading provider of parking payment solutions in the United States, helping over 40 million people easily find, reserve, and pay for parking from their mobile devices. Looking for Help? At ParkMobile, we’re serious about customer service. We process nearly 500,000 parking transactions every day and we know that every now and then, something might go wrong. If you have an issue, we will do everything we can to make it right. Our customer service is 24/7/365. If you need help, here’s how to get in touch with us: Web: https://ParkMobile.io/ Online Help Center: https://support.ParkMobile.io/hc/en-us/requests/new Video Tutorials: https://ParkMobile.io/tips-demos/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkMobile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkMobile/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: MPLS Parking at 4.6 against ParkDSM's 1.6. MPLS Parking also leads on ratings volume (47K vs 157) and review sentiment (24% vs 8%). ParkDSM's advantage is update cadence (fortnightly vs every 2 months). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.
MPLS Parking holds the better App Store score, 4.6 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MPLS Parking has 47K ratings behind it against 157, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 24% of MPLS Parking's written reviews are positive against 8% of ParkDSM's.
MPLS Parking ships an update every 2 months, ParkDSM fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on November 8, 2026 and November 7, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MPLS Parking | ParkDSM |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.6 (47K ratings) — better | 1.6 (157 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 23.6% of reviews — better | 7.8% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 47K — better | 157 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #74 — better | #134 |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch — better | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 143 MB | 185 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | City of Minneapolis | Parkmobile USA, Inc. |
Customer experience
MPLS Parking
ParkDSM
Bugs and requests
MPLS Parking
Reported bugs
3 issues- Repeated charges for failed transactions
- Inability to change default vehicle or payment
- Parking zone information not matching actual location
Requested features
4 requests- Interactive lock screen widget
- Saved parking history and favorites
- Parking availability information
- Improved accessibility
ParkDSM
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
MPLS Parking
No in-app purchases
ParkDSM
No in-app purchases




