Sentry Mobile vs Metropolis
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Sentry Mobile
This app allows you to pay for parking meters in real-time directly from your smartphone. View nearby meters, check space availability, and receive alerts when your parking time is about to expire. It also features a "Where's my car" function and an optional auto-pay program.
- Real-time parking meter interaction
- Buy parking time remotely
- Map of nearby meters
- Parking space availability view
- Automatic parking session alerts
- "Where's my car" navigation
- Concierge Autopay Program
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Sentry Mobile is the first parking application that actually interacts with your parking meter in real time! Sentry Mobile lets you buy time on an MPS parking meter and the meter instantly updates to show you your remaining time with an icon indicating you paid with the smartphone app! You, as a parker, will see an easy-to-view map of nearby meters including visibility into actual current parking space availability. You can setup an MPS “stored value” Parker account and pay for parking at any MPS meter. The MPS mobile application allows you to make purchases on Legacy meters and in parking lots where municipalities permit this feature. You no longer have to carry coins or swipe credit cards to pay for parking! The Sentry Mobile application allows you to see your account balance at any time, and to replenish your account balance as needed. When you pay for your parking and pull into your parking space, the MPS Meter will automatically update with the amount of time you purchased and display a smart phone icon to indicate that your time was purchased via the Sentry Mobile application. No more “guessing” about whether your mobile payment was actually properly applied to your parking spot! You will receive automatic in-application alerts when your parking session time is running out, and you can see a quick summary of parking sessions you have purchased in the past. The “Where's my car” feature navigates you quickly back to your car. Concierge Autopay Program allows mobile parkers to automatically pay for parking without the need to interact directly with the parking meter or their mobile device.Payments will automatically be applied to your parking session from you MPS account. During your Concierge parking session you will not receive a violation as long as you do not exceed the maximum time allowed or park during “No Parking” hours. You will receive notifications and reminders during your parking session unless you disable them.
Metropolis
Effortlessly pay for parking by linking your license plate and payment method. Simply drive in and out of participating locations, with transparent pricing and remote session management. Discover discounts at partner retailers and easily manage rental car parking.
- Automated payment upon exit
- Transparent pricing and estimates
- Remote session extension
- Discount QR code scanning
- Rental car management
- Parking history access
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USING METROPOLIS IS EASY With Metropolis, paying for parking is as easy as driving in and driving out. Just open the app and sign up by adding your license plate and payment method. JUST DRIVE IN AND PARK Just drive in to any Metropolis location to start your visit. You'll receive a notification that you've arrived. TRANSPARENT PRICING With Metropolis, parking rates and price estimates are available before you park. Once your visit starts, you can extend your stay or change your payment method remotely. JUST DRIVE OUT TO PAY When you've finished parking, just drive out to pay automatically. We'll send you a receipt after every visit, and you can access your complete parking history at any time. FIND FREE OR DISCOUNTED PARKING Look for a Metropolis sign at participating retailers near your parking location. From your visit page, simply scan the QR code to apply the discount. You'll see your parking price adjust right away in the app. EASY TO NAVIGATE You can use Metropolis when traveling and renting a car. Just add the rental to your account, assign an end date, and we'll automatically remove it when you're done. FIND METROPOLIS IN YOUR CITY Nashville, Houston, Los Angeles, Detroit, Austin, Roanoke, Knoxville, Denver, St. Louis, Kansas City, Memphis, Salt Lake City, Miami, San Francisco, Washington DC, Charlotte, Dallas, Cleveland, New York, Chattanooga, Seattle, Sacramento, Louisville, and more. Not all features available in all markets. NEED HELP? Contact help@metropolis.io or visit help.metropolis.io Interested in deploying Metropolis technology in your facility or real estate portfolio? Learn more at https://metropolis.io https://www.metropolis.io/privacy/#california-privacy-notice
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is rating: Metropolis at 4.9 against Sentry Mobile's 2.8. Metropolis also leads on update cadence (every 5 days vs monthly) and monetization model (free vs free with in-app purchases). Sentry Mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (12.0 vs 16.6). On price, review sentiment, ads and in-app purchases 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.
Metropolis holds the better App Store score, 4.9 against 2.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Metropolis has 45K ratings behind it against 112, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 25% and 26% positive.
Sentry Mobile ships an update monthly, Metropolis every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on October 23, 2026 and October 30, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Sentry Mobile | Metropolis |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | 2.8 (112 ratings) | 4.9 (45K ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 24.6% of reviews | 25.6% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 112 | 45K — better |
| Update frequency | Monthly | Every 5 days — better |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases | Free — better |
| Best chart rank | — | #13 — better |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 12.0 — better | 16.6 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 22 MB | 94 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Municipal Parking Services | Metropolis Technologies, Inc. |
Customer experience
Sentry Mobile
Metropolis
User reviews
Sentry Mobile
From 112 App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Convenient auto pay feature
- 👍 Easy to use
- 👍 Seamless parking experience
- 🚀 Intuitive app interface
- 👍 Helpful concierge option
Room to improve
- 🐛 Frequent app crashes
- 🐛 Unreliable parking session tracking
- 🐛 Inability to add/save credit cards
- 🐛 Confusing user interface
- 🐛 Inconsistent app functionality
Metropolis
From 45K App Store ratingsWhat we love
- 🚀 Seamless parking experience
- 🚗 Convenient drive-in, drive-out
- 💳 Easy payment through app
- 📍 Helpful for finding parking spots
Room to improve
- 🚫 Lack of customer support
- 💰 Unexpected/hidden charges
- 🤖 Unreliable camera/sensor detection
- 🤔 Confusing app interface
- 🔒 Privacy concerns with data collection
Bugs and requests
Sentry Mobile
Reported bugs
5 issues- App fails to recognize active parking sessions
- Inability to extend parking time through the app
- App crashes when trying to add payment information
- Parking spots not displayed accurately in the app
- Inconsistent behavior when trying to pay for parking
Requested features
5 requests- Allow saving credit card information
- Improve app stability and reliability
- Enhance user interface and navigation
- Provide better parking session management
- Integrate with more payment options (e.g., Apple Pay)
Metropolis
Reported bugs
2 issues- Ongoing charges after leaving the lot
- App crashes when checking past visits
Requested features
3 requests- Option to manually end parking session
- Ability to share/transfer parking sessions
- Clearer pricing and rate transparency
In-app purchases
Sentry Mobile
No in-app purchases
Metropolis
No in-app purchases








