ParkChicago® vs MobileMeter
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
ParkChicago®
Manage your entire parking experience directly from your smartphone. Pay for, extend, and track your parking sessions with ease, eliminating the need for physical meters or coins. Receive helpful notifications and access your parking history.
- Pay for parking sessions
- Extend parking sessions
- Receive low time notifications
- Access parking history
- Receive email receipts
- Find parking with interactive map
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Chicago, say hello to convenient parking! With the ParkChicago® app you can manage your entire parking experience from your smartphone. No more quarters. No more running to the meter. Pay, extend and manage your parking session with just a few taps. It’s easy! Get Started Today: 1. Download the free ParkChicago® app 2. Park where you see the ParkChicago® signs 3. Pay for your parking session from your phone The Perks of ParkChicago®: - Receive notifications when your parking session time is low - Extend your parking session through the app - Receive email receipts at the end of your parking session - Manage your parking history through the mobile app - The ParkChicago® app links to the ParkChicago®Map app where you can use an interactive map and search features to find parking at competitive prices in Chicago city limits. Say goodbye to garage fees and reservations! Make your parking experience as simple as possible – download ParkChicago® today.
MobileMeter
Easily pay for on-street parking directly from your iPhone or iPad. Access your parking history, charges, and profile information through a secure website, and print reports.
- Pay for on-street parking
- Use iPhone or iPad
- Access secure website
- View parking charges
- Access parking history
- Print reports
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MobileMeter provides an easy way to pay for on-street parking using your iPhone or iPad. You can also login to our secure website to access parking charges, history, profile information and print reports. Registration with us is free and you are never under an obligation to use our system once you join. If there are ways we can help make your life easier as you're taking the key from the ignition, please let us know!
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is update cadence: ParkChicago® at every 3 months against MobileMeter's every 30 months. ParkChicago® also leads on ratings volume (14K vs 702) and chart position (#206 vs unranked). On price, rating, review sentiment and ads 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.
ParkChicago® holds the better App Store score, 4.7 against 4.5. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ParkChicago® has 14K ratings behind it against 702, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 37% of ParkChicago®'s written reviews are positive against 34% of MobileMeter's.
ParkChicago® ships an update every 3 months, MobileMeter every 30 months. The most recent releases landed on September 24, 2026 and September 14, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | ParkChicago® | MobileMeter |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 4.7 (14K ratings) — better | 4.5 (702 ratings) |
| Positive reviews | 36.7% of reviews — better | 34.3% of reviews |
| Number of ratings | 14K — better | 702 |
| Update frequency | Every 3 months — better | Every 30 months |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Best chart rank | #206 — better | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad, iPod | iPhone, iPad, iPod |
| Requires iOS | 13 — better | 15.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 48 MB | 41 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Chicago Parking Meters, LLC | City of Champaign |
Customer experience
ParkChicago®
MobileMeter
User reviews
ParkChicago®
From 14K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient and easy to use
- 🔒 Secure payment processing
- ⏱️ Helpful time reminders
- 📱 Ability to manage parking from phone
Room to improve
- 💰 Excessive fees and minimum balance requirements
- 🐛 Buggy and unreliable app performance
- 🔄 Forced account reloading
- ⚠️ Lack of transparency and customer support
MobileMeter
From 702 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 👍 Easy to use
- 🚀 Convenient
- 💡 Useful app
- 🚀 Excellent parking app
Room to improve
- 💰 Expensive convenience fee
- 🐛 Doesn't work with latest iOS
- 🐛 Crashes and issues opening app
- 💰 Inflexible and possibly malicious
- 🐛 Faulty app
Bugs and requests
ParkChicago®
Reported bugs
4 issues- Endless login/account creation loop
- App crashes and freezes
- Payment issues and incorrect charges
- Inability to remove/edit linked vehicles
Requested features
4 requests- Allow partial balance refunds
- Integrate with location services for zone detection
- Provide option to pay for exact parking time
- Improve communication with parking enforcement
MobileMeter
Reported bugs
3 issues- Crashes on launch
- Doesn't work on latest iOS
- Parking time not reflected on meter
Requested features
4 requests- Add Apple Watch app
- Allow early parking session end
- Improve UI and UX
- Add QR code scanning for parking spots
In-app purchases
ParkChicago®
No in-app purchases
MobileMeter
No in-app purchases
