Comparison

ParkHouston vs OpenSpots

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

ParkHouston

Pay for street and lot parking easily from your phone. Extend your parking time remotely and receive expiration alerts. Reserve spots in advance at various locations nationwide.

Highlights
  • Pay for on-street and off-street parking
  • Extend parking duration remotely
  • Receive parking expiration alerts
  • Reserve parking spots in advance
  • Find my car feature
  • Turn-by-turn directions to parking
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The ParkHouston app, powered by ParkMobile, gives you a smarter way to park in Houston. Easily pay for on-street and off-street parking right from your mobile device. You can also reserve parking ahead of time in lots, garages, venues, airports, and universities across the country. You can use the ParkHouston app in over 500 other cities across the country, including Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and more. Why Use ParkHouston? • 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 • Reserve parking spots ahead of time to save time and money • Use the app in over 3000 locations coast-to-coast including venues, airports, and universities How to Set Up Your Account • Download the ParkHouston 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 ParkHouston 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 Parking Reservations: • Search for the area where you want to park and select the specific parking location • Choose the date/time and complete your reservation • Follow the instructions in your confirmation to redeem at the parking facility 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 • Turn-by-turn directions to the parking garage where you reserved your spot • 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/ Email: helpdesk@ParkMobile.io Online Help Center: https://ParkMobile.zendesk.com/hc/en-us Video Tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkFsfUAHrnUc5jOm9XtjOmmJQt4YTTCyA Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkMobile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkMobile/

About

OpenSpots

Features
Read full description

Parking shouldn’t slow you down. OpenSpots connects drivers with participating parking locations and real-time availability, helping you spend less time circling and more time getting where you need to go. HOW IT WORKS DISCOVER Open the map to view nearby OpenSpots parking locations and current spot availability. CHOOSE Select a location that fits your destination and review the parking details before you arrive. PARK Once you park in an OpenSpots-enabled space, confirm your session in the app. Depending on the location, you can use metered parking, pay a flat rate, or manage a reservation. YOU’RE SET OpenSpots keeps your session details and payment activity organized while connected parking technology helps keep availability current. BUILT FOR REAL LIFE Whether you’re heading to work, meeting friends, visiting a business, or attending an event, OpenSpots helps make parking clearer from arrival to departure. FEATURES • Real-time parking availability at supported locations • Map-based discovery of nearby parking • Metered and flat-rate parking • Parking reservations at participating locations • Secure payments powered by Stripe • Session status, payment activity, and receipts • Timely parking and reservation notifications • Automatic session completion where supported by location sensors • Account and vehicle management SMARTER PARKING, CONNECTED OpenSpots works with connected parking sensors and participating property partners to provide a simpler way to find, confirm, and pay for parking. Coverage, rates, operating hours, and available features vary by location and will continue to expand. Location access is required for nearby parking discovery and for matching drivers with supported parking spaces. An OpenSpots account and valid payment method may be required to use paid parking features. OpenSpots is intended for adults 18 and older. PARK. CONFIRM. YOU’RE SET.

Screenshots

ParkHouston4 screens
OpenSpots4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is chart position: ParkHouston at #87 against OpenSpots's unranked. OpenSpots's advantage is iOS requirement (15.1 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support 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

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 9 level
ParkHouston versus OpenSpots: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParkHoustonOpenSpots
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.8K ratings) — better—
Positive reviews35.7% of reviews—
Number of ratings7.8K — better—
Update frequencyFortnightly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchases—
Best chart rank#87 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.015.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size184 MB52 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperParkmobile USA, Inc.OpenSpots Technologies, LLC

Bugs and requests

ParkHouston

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • App not recognizing valid payment details
  • Incorrect parking zone information
  • Persistent app notifications even after parking session ends

Requested features

3 requests
  • Ability to extend parking time remotely
  • Display of parking rates and time limits
  • Support for different vehicle types (e.g., motorcycles)

OpenSpots

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ParkHouston

No in-app purchases

None

OpenSpots

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ParkHouston free?
ParkHouston is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is OpenSpots free?
OpenSpots is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do ParkHouston or OpenSpots have ads?
Neither ParkHouston nor OpenSpots shows ads.

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