Comparison

ParkAlbany vs Upstate Curious

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

Head to head
About

ParkAlbany

Manage your parking experience directly from your smartphone. Avoid meters and loose change by paying for your parking session through the app. Receive notifications and extend your time remotely.

Highlights
  • Pay for parking sessions via smartphone
  • Receive low parking time notifications
  • Extend parking sessions remotely
  • View parking history
  • Receive email receipts
Features
Read full description

Parking just got easier with the official parking app for the City of Albany, ParkAlbany! The mobile parking app provides users with the convenience to handle their parking experience from their smartphone. Ditch carrying around loose change and paying at the meter - simply use the ParkAlbany app! Get Started Today: 1. Download ParkAlbany 2. Park where you see the ParkAlbany signs 3. Pay for your parking session from your phone The Perks: - Receive notifications when your parking session time is low - Extend your parking session through the app - Receive email receipts at the end of your parking session - Manage all parking history through the app Park, pay, and be on your way - download the free ParkAlbany app today!

About

Upstate Curious

Discover local gems and connect with your community in the Hudson Valley and Catskills. Find recommended restaurants, shops, and services, or ask for local advice. Meet new people and share your experiences in this vibrant region.

Highlights
  • Local discovery feed
  • Crowdsourced Q&A
  • Community profiles
  • Direct messaging
  • Interest-based connections
  • Local groups
Features
Read full description

We love the Hudson Valley + Catskills region! We love exploring every nook and cranny of the mountains and forests and farms and towns - and all the incredible restaurants and shops and art galleries and other places to visit. As residents, we also love (and need!) to know where to find a great dentist, electrician, therapist, or upholsterer, dog groomer, or babysitter depending on the day! And since one of the best parts about living in or visiting this special area are the people, we think that new ways to meet up online and (eventually!) IRL is also a pretty great idea. “Upstate Chat” is the main feed where you can share your finds or the view from your backyard (including videos and photos). By using hashtags like #restaurants, #outdoors, #townname, #county, etc., we can make things easy to find - and the section for “Popular Hashtags” will be just that. “Hotline” is where you go to ask a question you need to crowdsource - from a roofer who turns up on time to the best pizza in Ulster County to an easy hike with dogs. You can add searchable interests and a bio to your profile to connect more easily with other members - there’s a DM feature right in the app, but you can share all your social profiles as well. Upstate Curious was created for residents, visitors, weekenders, and fans - and we cover Ulster, Dutchess, Sullivan, Greene, Columbia, Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, and neighboring countries. The more the merrier! The Upstate Curious Team members will be posting their finds and tips for #upstateliving - and there are special groups for buyers and sellers to get their own burning questions answered!” This app was created by the Upstate Curious Team of Keller Williams Realty Hudson Valley North.

Screenshots

ParkAlbany4 screens
Upstate Curious4 screens

Verdict

The call

ParkAlbany and Upstate Curious both sit at 4.7 stars, but that hides the real split: 100% of Upstate Curious's written reviews are positive against 48% of ParkAlbany's. Upstate Curious also leads on update cadence (every 6 months vs every 23 months). ParkAlbany's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (15.6 vs 18.0). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Upstate Curious holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 4.7. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 339 and 144 respectively. Written reviews point the same way: 48% of ParkAlbany's written reviews are positive against 100% of Upstate Curious's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ParkAlbany ships an update every 23 months, Upstate Curious every 6 months. The most recent releases landed on October 13, 2026 and October 24, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard4 real differences · 6 level
ParkAlbany versus Upstate Curious: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParkAlbanyUpstate Curious
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (339 ratings)4.9 (144 ratings) — better
Positive reviews48.3% of reviews100.0% of reviews — better
Number of ratings339 — better144
Update frequencyEvery 23 monthsEvery 6 months — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone
Requires iOS15.6 — better18.0
Further details — not scored
Size108 MB77 MB
Age rating4+17+
DeveloperAlbany Parking AuthorityThe Brenn-White Group LLC

Customer experience

ParkAlbany

All ratings338 ratings
Positive92.6%
Neutral1.8%
Negative5.6%
Written reviews29 reviews
Positive48.3%
Neutral6.9%
Negative44.8%

Upstate Curious

All ratings144 ratings
Positive97.9%
Neutral0.7%
Negative1.4%
Written reviews6 reviews
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

Bugs and requests

ParkAlbany

Reported bugs

8 issues
  • App experiences technical issues
  • App issues after trying to pay for parking
  • App gives error about payment method
  • App won't load
  • Network error
Show 3 more
  • Payment glitch
  • App starts a minute less than paid for
  • Got a ticket even though paid for session

Requested features

3 requests
  • Update app icon for dark mode
  • Allow payment for minimum 20 or 30 minutes
  • Mention state in app description

Upstate Curious

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

ParkAlbany

No in-app purchases

None

Upstate Curious

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ParkAlbany free?
ParkAlbany is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Upstate Curious free?
Upstate Curious is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ParkAlbany or Upstate Curious?
Upstate Curious is rated higher. ParkAlbany averages 4.7 out of 5 from 339 ratings, while Upstate Curious averages 4.9 from 144 ratings.
Do ParkAlbany or Upstate Curious have ads?
Neither ParkAlbany nor Upstate Curious shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ParkAlbany or Upstate Curious?
ParkAlbany ships an update every 23 months, and Upstate Curious every 6 months. Most recently, ParkAlbany was updated on October 13, 2026 and Upstate Curious on October 24, 2026.

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