Cabbie's Mate vs ECPparkbuddy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Cabbie's Mate
This app provides comprehensive A-Z maps of Greater London for taxi drivers and knowledge students. It includes live traffic updates, speed camera alerts, and route planning features. Offers a free trial before subscription.
- A-Z maps of Greater London
- Live traffic disruption information
- Speed camera alerts
- Voice and keyboard search
- Personal Points of Interest (POIs)
- Multi-point route creation
- Navigation app integration
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The Cabbie's Mate app is the premier A-Z map application for taxi drivers, knowledge students, and enthusiasts of A-Z maps. No other application matches its comprehensive information and user-friendly experience. We release updated A-Z maps twice a year, in spring and autumn. The Cabbie's Mate app now offers a one-month free trial. This trial will conclude upon your purchase of a subscription, and any unused portion of the trial period will be forfeited. The Cabbie’s Mate app is equipped with speed camera alerts and live traffic disruption information from TFL. It saves your last 20 searches and allows you to search using either voice or keyboard for street, postcode, or point of interest within Greater London. An additional online search function is available for street number search. Exclusive features include adding personal Points of Interest (POIs) and multiple POIs to create a multi-point cotton line route automatically. The A-Z map seamlessly integrates with your installed navigation map (iOS, Google or Waze). Select a destination on the A-Z map, tap the navigation button, and your route will be calculated on the selected navigation map, ready for navigation. You can plot a drivable route on the A-Z map instead of using your installed navigation, although this feature does not support voice guidance. Yearly Subscription: £43.99 - Includes two map updates annually (in April and October) and four quarterly POI updates (available in January, April, July, and October). - Offers additional functionalities for knowledge students and taxi drivers, such as auto-zoom, auto-rotation, and drivable route plotting on an A-Z map. The app operates on an annual subscription model, granting one year of access to our Cabbie's Mate iOS App from the subscription date. Your subscription will automatically renew annually unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. Upon purchase confirmation, Apple will charge your account for renewal, and payment will be processed through your iTunes/Apple ID account. After purchase, auto-renewal can be turned off through your Apple ID account. The Cabbie's Mate app will cease functioning if the subscription is not renewed. The download requires 2 GB of free space and a Wi-Fi or mobile network connection and will take approximately 5-10 minutes, depending on connection speed. Cabbie's Mate provides five A-Z maps: - Super Scale Central London Map (street level) - Greater London Map (street level Master Atlas) - Extended Greater London Main Road Map - Admin Postcode Map - Great Britain Road Atlas The Greater and Central London maps feature enhanced main road colouring around the City of London to improve route planning, a feature unique to our software. Our app contains the most current maps.' Your current position updates on the screen as you drive, with effortless switching between the five A-Z maps. Our comprehensive database includes over 40,000 up-to-date, specially selected points of interest with complete addresses and postcodes. The Super Scale Central London map highlights major hotels, embassies, theatres, stations, and landmarks. When connected to GPS, your current position is prominently displayed. Upon destination selection, the A-Z app automatically draws a direct "cotton line" in blue from your current location to the target destination to assist with route planning. You can select an alternative starting point on the map by pressing a finger down; the app will then draw the "cotton line" from that point to your destination. The app features GPS centring, zooming in/out, map switching, day/night mode, route plotting, eraser, information, navigation, trace, and search buttons on the interface. A straightforward user manual can be accessed via the 'i' button. Continuous GPS use in the background can significantly reduce battery life. http://www.navigationmaster.com/_termsOfUse https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
ECPparkbuddy
Easily pay for parking, pre-book your spot, or purchase season tickets. This app offers a seamless parking experience with features like reminders and the ability to extend your session remotely. Manage multiple vehicles and payment methods for ultimate convenience.
- Pre-book parking spaces
- Pay for parking
- Purchase season tickets
- Set parking reminders
- Extend parking sessions
- Manage multiple vehicle accounts
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ECPparkbuddy provides a guaranteed seamless car parking experience. The App allows you to make quick and easy payment for parking and it also allows you on many locations to pre-book your space or purchase a season ticket. Just download the application, choose your location and park. The App has the ability to extend parking if your location allows it. ECPparkbuddy Features include the following: - Pre-Book a parking space - Pay for Parking - Purchase Season Tickets - Set Parking Reminders - Extend Parking Sessions - Manage Accounts - Multi Vehicle Accounts - Add or change your registered payment card - Locate your nearest or most recent parking All you need to do is download the app, and you can start to enjoy a seamless parking journey. Questions? Please see our help pages at: https://ecpparkbuddy.com/faqs
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is review sentiment: Cabbie's Mate at 56% against ECPparkbuddy's 13%. Cabbie's Mate also leads on rating (5.0 vs 1.5) and update cadence (every 3 weeks vs every 2 months). ECPparkbuddy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 2) and ratings volume (176 vs 2). On price, device support and iOS requirement 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. Cabbie's Mate sells 2 in-app purchases, starting at $36.99 per year. ECPparkbuddy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Cabbie's Mate holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 1.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ECPparkbuddy has 176 ratings behind it against 2, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 56% of Cabbie's Mate's written reviews are positive against 13% of ECPparkbuddy's.
Cabbie's Mate ships an update every 3 weeks, ECPparkbuddy every 2 months. The most recent releases landed on October 17, 2026 and October 16, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Cabbie's Mate | ECPparkbuddy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | 1.5 (176 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 56.0% of reviews — better | 13.0% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 2 | 176 — better |
| Update frequency | Every 3 weeks — better | Every 2 months |
| Ads | No | — |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Subscription | Free — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 15.0 — better | 15.1 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 42 MB | 44 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Knowledge Master UK | Paybyphone, LTD |
Customer experience
Cabbie's Mate
ECPparkbuddy
User reviews
Cabbie's Mate
From 2 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Great for London cabbies
- 👍 Useful for knowledge students
- 👍 Reliable A-Z mapping
- 👍 Comprehensive street information
- 👍 Day and night feature
Room to improve
- 👎 App doesn't work most of the time
- 👎 Keeps logging users out
- 👎 Keeps asking for background location
- 👎 Gone down the pan
- 👎 Charges too much money
ECPparkbuddy
From 176 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Quick and convenient parking payment
- ⏱️ Time-saving compared to physical machines
- 📱 Mobile app accessibility for daily commuters
- ✅ Works reliably for some users
- 🎯 Simple interface when functioning properly
Room to improve
- 🐛 Registration process frequently fails or freezes
- 🐛 Login credentials not recognized after registration
- 🐛 Verification codes arrive very late or not at all
- 🐛 Payment processing errors and failures
- 🐛 App crashes and becomes unresponsive
Bugs and requests
Cabbie's Mate
Reported bugs
47 issues- App doesn't work most of the time
- Keeps logging users out
- Keeps asking for background location
- Map blurs on zoom
- App crashes after latest update
Show 42 moreShow fewer
- App won't load after latest update
- App not working as used to
- Cannot find certain streets
- App crashes when app hopping
- App doesn't load after update
- App not working after installing maps
- App crashes on iPhone after update
- White screen after renewal
- Out of range app showing limited radius
- Slow to update street changes
- Incorrect hotel position
- App is slow and laggy
- App is not user friendly
- Screen feels heavy and not smooth
- Control bar has too many buttons
- Login issues
- Background location permission issues
- Subscription cancellation issues
- Customer support issues
- Map quality reduced
- App not loading after update
- App not recognizing email address on new phone
- Cannot create account
- Too many devices error
- No devices found error
- Subscription not cancelled
- App not working after installing maps
- App crushes every time app hop
- Upgrade brings more problems
- App wants subscription for iPhone after original purchase on iPad
- Slow to scroll
- Map is old
- App not working as used to
- A to B mode gone
- App crashing on iPhone
- Drawing line prevents screen movement
- Navigation icon too big
- Scrolling could be smoother
- White screen after renewal
- Out of range app
- Map is out of date
- Slow to update changes
Requested features
22 requests- Remove autocorrect and predictive text on search bar
- Make the app start up faster
- Turn by turn navigation
- Apple car play support
- Show map on dashboard like Waze or Google Map
Show 17 moreShow fewer
- Dark mode option
- Option to revert to old app version
- Smoother scrolling
- Fix blurring on zoom
- Fix app crashing when app hopping
- Fix app not loading after update
- Fix app not working after installing maps
- Fix app crashing on iPhone after update
- Fix white screen issue after renewal
- Fix out of range issue showing only 3-4 mile radius
- Fix slow update of street changes
- Fix incorrect hotel position
- Add GPS function
- Add traffic updates
- Make it pay once, not subscription
- Make subscription cheaper
- Restore original purchase access
ECPparkbuddy
Reported bugs
21 issues- Registration process locks up or fails repeatedly
- Password not recognized immediately after creation
- SMS verification codes delayed by hours
- Login fails despite correct credentials
- Password length validation differs between app and website
Show 16 moreShow fewer
- Cannot scroll to mandatory email confirmation field
- Payment processing returns 500 errors
- App cannot find nearby locations
- Location code entry rejected despite correct codes
- Cannot update or register new payment cards
- Charges full day parking instead of actual time used
- App displays blank white screen
- Network error messages with unclear causes
- Cannot paste into password fields
- Vehicle not found at payment terminals
- Nonsensical login loops
- Interface too small and not mobile-optimized
- Buttons unresponsive during registration
- Payment not properly recorded in system
- Cannot find current parking sessions
- Duplicate account creation issues
Requested features
13 requests- Apple Pay and Google Pay integration
- Automatic field population and autofill
- Password manager compatibility
- Stored credit card details integration
- Extended parking duration options (8+ hours)
Show 8 moreShow fewer
- Ability to set past times for late payments
- Guest checkout without full account registration
- Alphabetically organized carpark listings
- Real-time payment confirmation
- Better error messages explaining issues
- Improved mobile responsiveness
- Dark mode option
- Integration with previous Connect app
In-app purchases
Cabbie's Mate
- London (Standard Subscription)$36.991 Year
- London (Premium Subscription)1 Month trial$48.991 Year
ECPparkbuddy
No in-app purchases
Questions
Is Cabbie's Mate free?
Is ECPparkbuddy free?
Which has better reviews, Cabbie's Mate or ECPparkbuddy?
Which is updated more often, Cabbie's Mate or ECPparkbuddy?
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