Comparison

ParkDSM vs Path Engine

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

Head to head
About

ParkDSM

Pay for parking in Des Moines, Iowa, using your mobile phone. This app eliminates the need for coins or dealing with broken meters. Start and extend parking sessions quickly, and receive expiration alerts.

Highlights
  • Mobile parking payment
  • Extend parking remotely
  • Expiration alerts
  • Find available parking
  • Save favorite locations
  • Find my car feature
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

The ParkDSM app, powered by ParkMobile, provides a convenient way to pay for parking in Des Moines, Iowa, using your mobile phone. Registering is free and takes less than two minutes to join. The ParkDSM app takes the stress out of parking. No more searching for coins. No worries about an out-of-service parking meter. With the ParkDSM app, starting your parking session takes just a few seconds. You can use the app in over 500 other cities across the country, including Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and more. Why Use ParkDSM? • 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 • Use ParkMobile in over 3000 locations coast-to-coast including venues, airports, and universities •. Find areas of the city where there is available parking and avoid areas where there’s no parking How to Set Up Your Account • Download the ParkDSM 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 ParkDSM 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 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 • 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/ Online Help Center: https://support.ParkMobile.io/hc/en-us/requests/new Video Tutorials: https://ParkMobile.io/tips-demos/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/ParkMobile Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParkMobile/

About

Path Engine

Plan your trips and receive timely departure alerts based on real-time traffic. Syncs with your calendar to automatically add event locations. Avoid delays and ensure you leave on time.

Highlights
  • Create custom travel alerts
  • Set recurring alerts
  • Sync with Google Calendar
  • Real-time traffic updates
  • Departure time notifications
  • Alternate route suggestions
Features
Read full description

Never leave late again. Create a TravelAlert for any trip — enter a destination, name, and start time from scratch. Set it to repeat and Path Engine automatically covers the next instance once each one passes. Or sync directly with your Google Calendar to pull in event locations automatically. Either way, Path Engine calculates your expected travel time and sends push notifications at 30, 15, and 5 minutes before your expected departure time with real-time traffic updates. If delays are building, you'll know in time to leave early or take an alternate route. Stop guessing when to leave. Path Engine keeps you ahead of traffic.

Screenshots

ParkDSM4 screens
Path Engine4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is rating: Path Engine at 5.0 against ParkDSM's 1.6. Path Engine also leads on monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases) and iOS requirement (13.0 vs 17.0). ParkDSM's advantage is ratings volume (156 vs 1) and update cadence (fortnightly vs every 5 weeks). 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.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Path Engine holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.6. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParkDSM has 156 ratings behind it against 1, so its average is the more settled of the two.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

ParkDSM ships an update fortnightly, Path Engine every 5 weeks. The most recent releases landed on September 29, 2026 and September 26, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard6 real differences · 5 level
ParkDSM versus Path Engine: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterParkDSMPath Engine
PriceFreeFree
Rating1.6 (156 ratings)5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews7.8% of reviews—
Number of ratings156 — better1
Update frequencyFortnightly — betterEvery 5 weeks
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree — better
Best chart rank#200 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPod
Requires iOS17.013.0 — better
Further details — not scored
Size171 MB54 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperParkmobile USA, Inc.B Team Software LLC

Customer experience

ParkDSM

All ratings156 ratings
Positive11.5%
Neutral3.8%
Negative84.6%
Written reviews64 reviews
Positive7.8%
Neutral6.3%
Negative85.9%

Path Engine

All ratings1 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%

In-app purchases

None

ParkDSM

No in-app purchases

None

Path Engine

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is ParkDSM free?
ParkDSM is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Path Engine free?
Path Engine is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, ParkDSM or Path Engine?
Path Engine is rated higher. ParkDSM averages 1.6 out of 5 from 156 ratings, while Path Engine averages 5.0 from 1 ratings.
Do ParkDSM or Path Engine have ads?
Neither ParkDSM nor Path Engine shows ads.
Which is updated more often, ParkDSM or Path Engine?
ParkDSM ships an update fortnightly, and Path Engine every 5 weeks. Most recently, ParkDSM was updated on September 29, 2026 and Path Engine on September 26, 2026.

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