Cal Poly Orientation vs ParkSmart
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cal Poly Orientation
This app provides resources and support for new students and their families to ensure a smooth transition to university life. It serves as a central hub for information and assistance.
- New student resources
- Family support
- Transition assistance
- University information hub
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Cal Poly Orientation is hosted by New Student and Transition Programs which serves as a home and resource to all new students and their supporters and to ensure their successful transition to Cal Poly.
ParkSmart
This app simplifies parking by allowing users to pay for parking sessions directly from their mobile device. Users can find parking locations, select their duration, and pay with a single click, receiving confirmation via text. It also offers directions to lots and options for monthly parking.
- Mobile parking payment
- Find parking lot locations
- Select parking duration
- Get directions to lots
- Monthly parking options
- Digital receipts via text
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Say goodbye to fumbling for coins, remembering parking space numbers, or that long trip back to the car to put something on the dashboard. With ParkSmart–MobilePay, all that hassle is a thing of the past. To make it as easy as possible, download the secure app in advance and enter your license plate number and credit card information. (You can even enter multiple vehicles.) Then, the whole process is as simple as 1-2-3. 1) Once you arrive at the lot, enter the parking lot location number on the sign. 2) Select how long you’ll be staying. 3) Pay with a single click. ParkSmart–MobilePay will then send you confirmation and a receipt via text, and you’re all done. Of course, you can also enter your license plate number and credit card information when you arrive, but with ParkSmart lots all over Northern California, why not make things as simple as possible and download the app today? In fact, you can even get directions to the parking lot of your choice. Just select the icon of the lot that works best for you, and ParkSmart–MobilePay will send directions to your phone. If you’re looking for monthly parking, many ParkSmart–MobilePay locations have monthly parking options as well. After booking your monthly space in advance, you can park in the lot each day without having to worry about re-entering your car or license plate information. We know parking is never high on your list of fun things to do, but with ParkSmart–MobilePay, parking is as painless as parking can be.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: ParkSmart at 3.9 against Cal Poly Orientation's 3.4. ParkSmart also leads on update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 months) and ratings volume (348 vs 22). 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.
ParkSmart holds the better App Store score, 3.9 against 3.4. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParkSmart has 348 ratings behind it against 22, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 0% of Cal Poly Orientation's written reviews are positive against 8% of ParkSmart's.
Cal Poly Orientation ships an update every 5 months, ParkSmart fortnightly. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 29, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cal Poly Orientation | ParkSmart |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 3.4 (22 ratings) | 3.9 (348 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 0.0% of reviews | 8.1% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 22 | 348 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 5 months | Fortnightly — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.6 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 54 MB | 8 MB |
| Age rating | 17+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo | ParkSmart, Inc. (U.S.) |
Customer experience
Cal Poly Orientation
ParkSmart
Bugs and requests
Cal Poly Orientation
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
ParkSmart
Reported bugs
28 issues- App is glitchy
- Doesn't push to the next screen easily
- Authentication is horrible
- Managing cars is pretty bad
- Setting payment method takes you to the settings app
Show 23 moreShow fewer
- Actual paying for parking wasn’t easy
- App keeps exiting out
- App crashed a couple times
- App crashes all the time
- Removed monthly reservation
- App crashes
- Can’t get password to work
- Not working today
- Does not work
- Can't select a "scheme" as no "schemes" are shown
- App crashes after enabling location access
- App failed creating a new user
- Crashes on Face ID login
- App is extremely slow to load
- Won't accept credit cards
- PayPal and other payment options are grayed out
- App can’t find my location
- Location services are turned on yet nothing works
- Always an error appearing
- Cannot use the app because phone is 'STOPPED'
- Buggy as can be
- App keeps crashing
- App doesn't accept SSO for Google or Apple
Requested features
14 requests- Allow one-day parking options
- Improve payment processing
- Simplify the sign-up process
- Allow password managers
- Specify special characters for passwords
Show 9 moreShow fewer
- Offer dark mode
- Allow users to remove personal information
- Provide an option to delete accounts
- Support Apple Pay
- Allow pre-booking for future days
- Make payment options available (not grayed out)
- Allow payment at meters
- Offer a simpler payment method like tap to pay
- Allow users to pay without signing up for an account
In-app purchases
Cal Poly Orientation
No in-app purchases
ParkSmart
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cal Poly Orientation free?
Is ParkSmart free?
Which has better reviews, Cal Poly Orientation or ParkSmart?
Do Cal Poly Orientation or ParkSmart have ads?
Which is updated more often, Cal Poly Orientation or ParkSmart?
Other comparisons
