Comparison

Permit vs Pot Hole Hound

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

Head to head
About

Permit

Features
Read full description

Stop logging drives. Just drive. PermitPilot automatically captures your teen’s practice drives so you don’t have to log every detail by hand. No paper logs. No missed entries. No end-of-month catch-up. Start a session, drive, and review together. That’s it. Built for parents who want it done right Every drive is recorded clearly and organized for you: • Drive time and distance captured automatically • Auto-detection for weather, road type, and day or night driving • Simple guardian approval for each session • Clean, structured driving history • Export polished driving records anytime Less manual work. Fewer mistakes. More confidence. Why families choose PermitPilot Most log apps still depend heavily on manual entry. PermitPilot is designed to remove the work—not create more of it. It keeps practice driving organized, consistent, and easy to review. Clear for teens. Trusted by parents. • Teens can see what’s recorded • Parents stay in control • Data stays private within the family No confusion. No messy logs. Just a better way to track practice driving. From first drive to license Whether you’re just starting out or finishing required hours, PermitPilot helps you keep accurate, organized records when they matter most. Important • PermitPilot helps track and organize practice driving • Always follow your state’s official requirements • Do not interact with the app while driving

About

Pot Hole Hound

This app passively detects road damage like potholes and bumps using your phone's sensors as you drive. It anonymously contributes this data to a community map, helping cities prioritize repairs and offering users badges and leaderboards for their contributions.

Highlights
  • Passive pothole detection
  • Crowdsourced community map
  • Privacy-first design
  • Gamified leaderboards
  • Collectible badges
  • Live g-force readout
Features
Read full description

Tired of the same pothole damaging your car every morning? Pot Hole Hound is a sensor-driven app that passively detects potholes, bad bumps, non-flush manhole covers, etc. as you drive — no buttons to press, no manual logging, no distractions. Just mount your phone, start monitoring, and drive normally. The app does the rest. How it works ———————————— Your phone's accelerometer and GPS work together to detect when you hit a road impact. Pot Hole Hound captures the location, severity, and timing — all locally on your device — then anonymously contributes the data to a community map that helps cities prioritize their repair budgets. Privacy-first by design ——————————————————— - No account required - No email, phone, or personal info ever collected - Anonymous device ID — randomly generated, not linked to you - Auto-generated playful identity (your "Hound Name" — like "Sprinting-Brown-Hippo-29") for leaderboards - We don't track your route. Only the moments you hit a bump. - Zero ads. Zero third-party trackers. Crowdsourced to fix the worst first —————————————————————————————————— Your detections feed into a community map of road damage that's anonymized and aggregated. The more drivers contribute, the clearer the picture becomes. Cities and road authorities can see exactly which streets get hit hardest by the most drivers — so they can prioritize repairs based on real impact, not just whoever complained loudest. Compete with the Hot Hounds ——————————————————————————— Track your contributions on community leaderboards: - Daily Dogs — today's most active mappers, resets every day - Total Potholes — lifetime detection count - Miles Monitored — distance you've actively contributed - Potholes Per Mile — for serious commuters Earn badges ——————————— Hit milestones (10 / 50 / 100 / 500 / 1000+ potholes) to unlock 10 collectible dog breed badges, from Jack Russell Terrier to Irish Wolfhound. Show off your "Hound Pack" collection with every drive. What you'll need ———————————————— - A phone mount or cradle (loose phones absorb vibration and miss detections) - Location permission (we only use it during active monitoring) - Motion sensor permission (the accelerometer does the work) What you'll see ———————————————— - Live g-force readout while monitoring - Real-time community map of detected road damage - Your personal pothole map - Your daily and lifetime stats Why it matters ———————————————— American drivers spend an estimated $26 billion each year on pothole-related vehicle damage (AAA, 2022). Tires, suspension, alignment — all under attack from neglected roads. Pot Hole Hound turns every driver into a data point that helps cities target their repair dollars where they'll do the most good. Drive smarter. Map smarter. Fix the worst first. Pot Hole Hound is free, ad-free, and built by drivers, for drivers.

Screenshots

Permit4 screens
Pot Hole Hound4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: Pot Hole Hound at none against Permit's 1. Pot Hole Hound also leads on iOS requirement (15.1 vs 18.6). On price, update cadence, ads 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. Permit sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Pot Hole Hound asks for nothing beyond the download.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Both ship on a similar rhythm, roughly monthly. The most recent releases landed on November 9, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
Permit versus Pot Hole Hound: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterPermitPot Hole Hound
PriceFreeFree
Rating—5.0 (1 ratings) — better
Positive reviews—100.0% of reviews
Number of ratings—1 — better
Update frequencyMonthlyMonthly
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesNo — better
Monetization—Free
DevicesiPhoneiPhone, iPod — better
Requires iOS18.615.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size21 MB42 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperBo ZhaoWILLIAM EDWARD BEATON

In-app purchases

1 purchases

Permit

One-time1
  • Unlock Full History$3.99
None

Pot Hole Hound

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Permit free?
Permit is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Pot Hole Hound free?
Pot Hole Hound is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do Permit or Pot Hole Hound have ads?
Neither Permit nor Pot Hole Hound shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Permit or Pot Hole Hound?
Permit ships an update monthly, and Pot Hole Hound monthly. Most recently, Permit was updated on November 9, 2026 and Pot Hole Hound on October 31, 2026.

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