MiPermit vs 1st Central Connect
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MiPermit
This app allows you to pay for parking and EV charging at supported locations without needing cash or a physical ticket. Extend your parking remotely and receive expiry reminders. Membership is free, and you can even pay for parking up to 7 days in advance.
- Cashless Pay & Display parking
- Apple Pay support
- EV Charging payments
- Extend parking remotely
- SMS expiry reminders
- Pay up to 7 days in advance
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For support and feedback, please visit: www.mipermit.com/help With MiPermit (at supported locations) you can pay for your parking using Visa, Mastercard, or Apple Pay and there’s no need to display a physical ticket on your vehicle. You can pay for your EV charging at the same time at selected locations. Core Features & Benefits: - Cashless Pay & Display parking - Apple Pay support - EV Charging at selected locations - Free membership for all customers* - Pay for parking without registering for an account - Get SMS reminders for when your parking will expire - Extend your stay without returning to your vehicle - Pay for parking up to 7 days in advance** - Digital permits for resident parking schemes, boat mooring, recycling centres and more! MiPermit can only be used in the UK. For more information, please see www.mipermit.com for details. * Signing up for an account is free but all parking and associated fees are still applicable which may vary between parking locations and parking operators. ** Paying in advance of arrival at a location does not reserve a parking bay
1st Central Connect
This app automatically tracks your driving, providing insights into your driving dynamics. It offers trip summaries and maneuver details to help you improve your driving skills and become safer on the road.
- Automatic driving detection
- Driving dynamics measurement
- Low-power battery consumption
- Trip summaries
- Maneuver details
- Driving feedback
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1st Central Connect gives you feedback about your driving, helping you become a safer and better driver. The application automatically detects when driving starts and stops, and uses the phone’s sensors to measure your vehicle’s driving dynamics. It uses low-power sensing methods to reduce battery consumption. The app shows you trip summaries, details on manoeuvres, and gives you useful feedback to become a better driver. It also acts a low-power logger of all of your driving trips.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: 1st Central Connect at 73% against MiPermit's 17%. MiPermit's advantage is rating (4.2 vs 3.0) and ratings volume (59 vs 2). 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.
MiPermit holds the better App Store score, 4.2 against 3.0. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: MiPermit has 59 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews complicate that: 17% of MiPermit's written reviews are positive against 73% of 1st Central Connect's, so the app with the better star average is not the one people write more warmly about.
MiPermit ships an update every 2 months, 1st Central Connect every 5 months. The most recent releases landed on October 24, 2026 and October 25, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | MiPermit | 1st Central Connect |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.2 (59 ratings) — better | 3.0 (2 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 16.8% of reviews | 72.9% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 59 — better | 2 |
| Update frequency | Every 2 months — better | Every 5 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 16.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 8 MB | 198 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | MiPermit Ltd | Cambridge Mobile Telematics Inc. |
Customer experience
MiPermit
1st Central Connect
User reviews
MiPermit
From 59 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Simple and straightforward to use
- ⏱️ Convenient lock screen timer display
- 🚀 Quick payment process
- 💾 Remembers user details for faster transactions
- 📱 Apple Pay integration available
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent login failures and authentication issues
- 🐛 Payment processing failures and errors
- ❌ Poor UI/UX design with hidden buttons
- ❌ Confusing navigation and unclear instructions
- 💳 Limited payment method options (no PayPal)
1st Central Connect
From 2 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use and navigate
- 💰 Affordable insurance pricing
- 📊 Good trip tracking and monitoring
- 🎮 Gamified scoring system with badges
- 📱 Clear app interface and layout
Room to improve
- 🐛 Overly sensitive cornering detection
- 🐛 Overly sensitive hard braking detection
- 🐛 False phone usage notifications
- 🐛 Inaccurate speed limit data
- 🐛 Login issues on mobile app
Bugs and requests
MiPermit
Reported bugs
25 issues- Login fails with 'incorrect format' error message
- Password reset loop - sends confirmation of request instead of reset link
- Continue/Pay button hidden below screen on smaller devices
- Scrolling down to pay accidentally increases parking duration
- App freezes on Yes/No prompts for optional charges
Show 20 moreShow fewer
- Payment button blocked by keyboard
- Screen won't scroll to reveal payment options
- Double charging when changing vehicles
- Parking sessions not displayed after payment
- Long delays between payment and voucher receipt
- Cannot activate resident permits - blank dropdown fields
- Vehicle registration not recognized despite repeated use
- Permit information lost after login failure
- App logs out unexpectedly during transactions
- Search function not working for postcodes
- Car parks not appearing on interactive map
- Location permission requests excessive
- Credit card payment pages non-functional on iPhone
- Cannot remove vehicles from dropdown list
- Countdown timer disappeared from lock screen
- App won't recognize car park location
- Registration requires invoice number from previous booking
- Visitor permit functionality broken with emission-based fees
- Unable to complete transactions without account creation
- Defaults to last vehicle without clear warning
Requested features
20 requests- Apple Pay and PayPal payment options
- Allow pre-registration before car park visit
- Flexible parking duration options (30 mins, 1 hour)
- Immediate receipt/confirmation at purchase
- Apple Watch compatibility and complications
Show 15 moreShow fewer
- Ability to change vehicle mid-session
- Default to last used vehicle
- Ability to add multiple vehicles easily
- Better car park search and location discovery
- Support for international phone numbers
- Automatic account creation without registration requirement
- Ability to extend permits without re-registering
- Clear error messages and support documentation
- In-app help and customer support chat
- Passkey authentication instead of passwords
- FaceID/biometric app lock
- Larger, more prominent expiry time display
- Map view and list view toggle for car parks
- Grace period for extending expired sessions
- Ability to pay for multiple vehicles simultaneously
1st Central Connect
Reported bugs
11 issues- App won't recognize email/phone for login despite account existing
- Scored miles counter decreases incorrectly
- Phone usage detected when phone not in use
- Harsh cornering flagged at normal speeds
- Harsh braking flagged for normal braking
Show 6 moreShow fewer
- GPS records driving off-road/on grass incorrectly
- Speed zone data not updated regularly
- Bluetooth connection issues and repeated reconnection prompts
- Support contact form has no send button
- Connection fails when transferring to human support
- Feedback submission feature broken
Requested features
8 requests- Ability to explain or clarify harsh braking/cornering events
- Emergency stop exception handling
- WhatsApp customer support option
- Display remaining mileage allowance in app
- Recognition of main policy holder vs named drivers
Show 3 moreShow fewer
- Adjustment for vehicle characteristics (e.g., leaning motorcycles)
- Improved feedback submission system
- Passenger phone usage clarification for all metrics
In-app purchases
MiPermit
No in-app purchases
1st Central Connect
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is MiPermit free?
Is 1st Central Connect free?
Which has better reviews, MiPermit or 1st Central Connect?
Do MiPermit or 1st Central Connect have ads?
Which is updated more often, MiPermit or 1st Central Connect?
Other comparisons
