ParkChicago®Map vs MetraNow
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ParkChicago®Map
Find affordable on-street parking in Chicago with an interactive map. View real-time availability, rates, and get directions to your chosen spot. This free service complements a payment app for a seamless parking experience.
- Interactive parking map
- Search for parking spots
- View parking availability
- Get directions to parking
- See parking rates and restrictions
- Predictive availability feature
Read full descriptionHide full description
The ParkChicago® team introduces ParkChicago®Map, the official on-street parking map app. ParkChicago®Map gives you access to over 36,000 competitively priced parking spaces and helps you find your ideal parking spot. Use the app’s interactive map and search features to find parking at the lowest prices in Chicago city limits so you can skip the garage fees and reservations. ParkChicago®Map is a free service which complements the ParkChicago® app, where you have the convenience of paying for parking (and extending time) with your phone. Get Started Today: - Download the free ParkChicago®Map app - No sign up, no email, no commitments, No hassle - Search for and view parking with the interactive map – use the intuitive pinch-to-zoom feature to view details - Click on the metered spot to view hours of operation and availability - Get directions to the parking spot - Select ParkChicago® to pay for parking The Perks of ParkChicago®Map: - Effortlessly find the most convenient and affordable parking spots in Chicago - Use the predictive availability feature to see when a parking spot will be available over the next week - View metered parking space information such as rates, limits and restrictions - Keep it all mobile! Pay for metered parking via the linked ParkChicago® app Make your parking experience as convenient as possible - download ParkChicago®Map today!
MetraNow
Get instant, real-time departure information for Chicago Metra trains. Save your commute for quick access to countdowns and live delay alerts. Features include interactive line diagrams and offline schedule caching.
- Real-time departures with live delay alerts
- Save and access commutes with one tap
- Interactive line diagram with live train positions
- Offline schedule caching
- Full light and dark mode support
- Supports all 11 Metra lines
Read full descriptionHide full description
See your next Metra train at a glance. MetraNow is a fast, focused companion for Chicago Metra commuters. Save your commute once and open the app to an instant countdown to your next few trains, with live delay information pulled straight from Metra's real-time feed. FEATURES - Real-time departures with live delay alerts - Save your commute - line, origin, and destination - for one-tap access - Add multiple commutes and swap direction for the return trip - Interactive line diagram showing live train positions along your route - A clear warning when Metra's data is running behind - Full light and dark mode, tuned for early-morning and late-night commutes - Offline schedule caching with automatic refresh every 30 seconds - All 11 Metra lines, color-coded to match Metra PRIVACY FIRST No accounts. No tracking. No data collection. MetraNow doesn't ask you to sign in and doesn't gather any personal information. Built natively with SwiftUI for iPhone. Works on iOS 17 and later. Schedule and real-time data (c) Metra. MetraNow is not affiliated with Metra.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: MetraNow at 100% against ParkChicago®Map's 8%. MetraNow also leads on rating (5.0 vs 2.1) and update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 7 months). ParkChicago®Map's advantage is ratings volume (121 vs 1) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). 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.
MetraNow holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 2.1. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParkChicago®Map has 121 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 8% of ParkChicago®Map's written reviews are positive against 100% of MetraNow's.
ParkChicago®Map ships an update every 7 months, MetraNow every 2 weeks. The most recent releases landed on November 3, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ParkChicago®Map | MetraNow |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.1 (121 ratings) | 5.0 (1 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 8.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 121 — better | 1 |
| Update frequency | Every 7 months | Every 2 weeks — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 13.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 25 MB | 9 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chicago Parking Meters, LLC | Dissident Design LLC |
Customer experience
ParkChicago®Map
MetraNow
Bugs and requests
ParkChicago®Map
Reported bugs
13 issues- App crashes on opening
- App does not open
- Cannot change card on file
- Parking availability is inaccurate
- Meter locations are not accurate
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Zoom in & out function doesn't work well
- Most buttons don't do anything
- Cannot sign in
- App is not formatted properly on iPhone X
- Search box does not bring up keyboard
- Green box displayed on map with no meter info
- Return to meter view button not functional
- Color scheme not accessible for colorblind users
Requested features
12 requests- Integrate into the main ParkChicago app
- Fix app crashing issues
- Improve parking availability accuracy
- Fix meter location accuracy
- Fix zoom functionality
Show 7 moreShow fewer
- Fix non-functional buttons
- Allow card changes
- Fix sign-in issues
- Improve formatting for iPhone X
- Address colorblind accessibility
- Update for iPhone 14 Pro
- Allow searching by location, not just meter number
MetraNow
Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.
In-app purchases
ParkChicago®Map
No in-app purchases
MetraNow
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is ParkChicago®Map free?
Is MetraNow free?
Which has better reviews, ParkChicago®Map or MetraNow?
Do ParkChicago®Map or MetraNow have ads?
Which is updated more often, ParkChicago®Map or MetraNow?
Other comparisons















