Parking is one of those things that many people don’t want to think about, but it’s often a key component of any trip. Fortunately, there are now a number of parking services that allow you to make this easier on you. Here are some examples of parking apps and services with an eye towards how they match up with one another.

SpotHero

SpotHero has apps available for both iOS and Android. You can reserve parking spots near you through the site.

Features

• $5 for Invites- If you invite someone to the service and they sign up, you will get $5 as a result that you can use for parking credits. The limit on this is $250.
• Monthly or Hourly- You can choose either “monthly” or “hourly” spots right from the main page at the top of the main site. This way you can reserve spots quickly if you need to do this on short notice.
• Android and iOS- Along with using it through a browser, you can get apps to help you reserve your spots quickly.

ParkWhiz

ParkWhiz has a focus on guaranteed parking. It also has extras for those using mobile.

Features

• Mobile Only Rates- You can get special parking rates that only apply to mobile customers through the site.
• Walking Distance Calculator- You can calculate how long it’s going to take to walk from your parking spot to your real destination right in the app.
• One-touch Customer Service- You can get customer service help right from the main part of the app by tapping on the link there.

ParkingPanda

ParkingPanda is a simple parking service that is largely no-frills. They do have many support options, however.

Features

• LiveChat- Click the orange box on the bottom right to get going with live chat support from the site if you have some question not answered elsewhere.
• Gift Cards- You can click the gift card link in the bottom left to give away $25 gift cards for Parking Panda if you want. You get 1 email with a code for each gift card.
• Phone Support 7 Days a Week- You may often have a question about a particular parking lot as you use the service. The 7-day phone support will make this easier.

Airport Parking Reservations

Airport Parking Reservations is obviously specifically for parking at airports. They don’t have as many options for non-airport parking as they really are a specific type of service.

Features

• Cruiseport Parking- In addition to airport parking, you can also find parking for ‘cruiseports’ including those in L.A., for example, if you want to park so that you can get onto a boat cruise going to the Caribbean or elsewhere.
• Parking Deals Listed on Main Page- Airport Parking Reservations is easy to use because you can see deals listed right on the main page over on the right. They also list airport parking available including how many lots there are for various cities specifically. It should be easy to zip around the site quickly this way, in order to find exactly what you’re looking for quickly.
• iPhone Support- You can download an app for the service in iOS, but there doesn’t appear to be any support for Android, unfortunately.

BestParking

BestParking also has airport parking prominently available. It’s been featured in places like The Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

Features

• Large Number of Supported Cities- BestParking has over 100 cities supported, so chances are good you’ll be able to use it wherever you are in the U.S. There are even a few supported cities in Canada.
• Many Airports- There are also many dozens of supported airport parking lots available through the service as well.
• Quick Start- It’s easy to get a quick start through the service since the controls are intuitive.

Head to Head

Availability

Spot Hero is available in many cities including Boston, New Orleans, Seattle, Denver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Atlanta, Baltimore, Washington D.C. and many other cities.

ParkWhiz is available in many cities. There is easily around 100 cities that spread throughout the U.S., but especially focused on California such as Beverly, Hills, as well as Chicago. You have cities like Baltimore, Atlanta, Boston, Athens, and all those that other apps have, but many unique ones besides such as Bowery or Boerum Hill.

ParkingPanda has support in more than 40 cities, making it more than Spot Hero, but having considerably less than many of the others such as ParkWhiz.

Airport Parking Reservations has a huge number of participating airports from all over not just the United States, but Canada and the U.K. as well.

BestParking also features over 100 cities, including a few cities in Canada. This means BestParking and ParkWhiz have the most cities for availability by far. BestParking also features nearly as many airports as well, however, so it appears to have the most when it comes to sheer numbers.

Features

SpotHero is a good mobile solution that also has browser availability. You can reserve monthly or hourly spots right from the top page.

ParkWhiz allows you to bring up your parking pass on the app and then just driving right into the parking spot for those that have been approved. The app also has exclusive mobile rates.

ParkingPanda actually has parking for airports specifically as well, just like Airport Parking Reservations. The number of airports appears to be less, however, and there are also no cruiseports. There’s a $5 referral program for Parking Panda as well, just like the one on SpotHero, and with the same upper limit of $250.

Airport Parking Reservations is a service specifically for parking at airports and also a few cruiseports. There’s an iPhone app available in addition to the browser support, but no Android version like many other services have.

BestParking has many supported cities and airports, but it doesn’t look like they actually support mobile apps, unfortunately. This means that you’re likely going to want to go with one of the other services if you want mobile, at least for now. If there’s any question about finding the parking sport, a mobile-supported option is going to suit you better.