# SEM Mobile vs HJ Merlo

The clearest difference is update cadence: HJ Merlo at every 9 days against SEM Mobile's monthly. HJ Merlo also leads on device support (3 vs 1). On price, ads, in-app purchases and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.

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

SEM Mobile ships an update monthly, HJ Merlo every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | SEM Mobile | HJ Merlo |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[4.4 (729 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sem-mobile/id1387705895/reviews)** | — |
| Number of ratings | **729** | — |
| Positive reviews | 13.2% of reviews | — |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | Monthly | **Every 9 days** |
| Monetization | Free | — |
| Size | 55 MB | 40 MB |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 | **15.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 12+ |
| Developer | [Universidad Nacional de La Plata](https://appshunter.io/developer/958666923) | [Fermin Vazquez](https://appshunter.io/developer/1884409225) |

## What reviewers say

### SEM Mobile

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sem-mobile/id1387705895)

Manage metered parking in enabled municipalities. Start or end your parking sessions, check your available balance, review recent transactions, and find authorized points of sale. Log in with your credentials for the desired municipality to begin.

**Highlights:** Start/end parking sessions, Check available balance, View transaction history, Find authorized points of sale, Municipal login

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 👍 Generally good visual design
- 👍 Some users find it functional

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent login/password issues
- 🐛 Inability to change municipality/location
- 🐛 Payment and recharge problems
- 🐛 Verification code delays
- 🐛 App crashes and slowness

**Reported bugs**

- Cannot change municipality/location
- Password reset not working (SMS/email not received)
- App crashes or freezes
- Payment errors
- Verification codes not arriving

**Requested features**

- Accept Mercado Pago as payment
- Allow multiple locations in one account
- Improve password recovery flow
- Add maximum parking time setting
- Send parking reminders


### HJ Merlo

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hj-merlo/id6760424639)

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is SEM Mobile free?

SEM Mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is HJ Merlo free?

HJ Merlo is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Do SEM Mobile or HJ Merlo have ads?

Neither SEM Mobile nor HJ Merlo shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, SEM Mobile or HJ Merlo?

SEM Mobile ships an update monthly, and HJ Merlo every 9 days. Most recently, SEM Mobile was updated on October 24, 2026 and HJ Merlo on October 16, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*