PayByPhone

What it is

PayByPhone is an Auto & Vehicles app from PayByPhone Technologies Inc. It was first released in July 2011 and was last updated on 2026-10-16. The app is free to install, rated Everyone, and has 10,000,000+ installs. Its rating is 4.86 from 268,202 ratings, which is the highest average among the apps in this group.

The listing says more than 95 million drivers have used it and that it is available in 10 languages. Those are the developer’s figures.

What it does well

The workflow is short. You enter or scan the code for a parking location, pick how long you want to stay, and pay from your phone. The listing says you can start and extend sessions remotely, so you do not have to walk back to a meter.

Reminders are built in. You can get an SMS or push notification before a session ends. A Today View widget shows active sessions at a glance, and a history screen lists past sessions. Receipts arrive by email, which the listing ties to expense tracking.

Finding a space is covered too. Maps or Nearby help you look for available parking, and you can pin the location of your car so you can find it later.

Payment choices include credit and debit cards, Google Pay, Apple Pay and PayPal, though the listing adds that this applies where available.

The ratings are tightly bunched at the top. 89.7% are 5 stars and 8.1% are 4 stars. Only 0.9% are 1 star.

Where it falls short

Coverage is the limit. The listing counts more than 1,300 locations and names five regions, starting with the UK and North America and continuing into France, Germany and Switzerland. Outside those, the app has no use. Even inside those regions, each city or operator has to be part of the network.

The listing also does not mention whether there are service fees added to a parking payment. It does not say which payment methods apply to which places. A driver would have to check both inside the app.

The rating pool is smaller than the others in this batch, at about 268,000 ratings, though still large enough to be a meaningful signal.

Who it suits

Regular drivers in covered cities, commuters who park in the same area each week and anyone who needs digital receipts for work will get the most from it.