ParkChicago®

• Free

Last verified 30 Aug 2026

4.7 15060 ratings · App Store

1. 3/5Needs Different Alert Sounds! Dangerous!

   Functionally, this app is good and does what it is supposed to. Im giving it 3 stars, though, only because the alert notification that goes off on your phone when your time is about to expire is of a loud car honk. It also honks again when your time has expired. There have been so many times I have gotten back in my car and started driving, when all of a sudden I hear a very loud honk that is played through my car speakers (connected via Bluetooth). Multiple times that noise caused me to immediately hit my brakes, thinking someone is honking at me or I am in danger of hitting someone. When it almost got me into an accident, I finally said this is enough, I have to write a review. I hope the developers read this. Please change the notification sounds for this app, it is seriously dangerous.

   Jdubs5555 · 30 Aug 2026

2. 1/5I don’t know how this is so highly rated as it currently is…

   While I appreciate street parking has been moving from meters to mobile apps this one is absolute garbage. First off as a visitor from out of town here for work, the requirement to preload a minimum of $20 is ridiculous. Say I only use $10 with of parking. Now what? I have to hope I remember the next time I’m in Chicago that I have $10 of credit left? Will that even still be available when next I visit? Second and final really, once I bit the bullet and paid the $20 min account funding the app just won’t work. I get to the login page asking for the pin I created. I enter it. It takes me to “update information” page. The current and correct info is already there. I save. “Your info has been updated and saved”. It returns me to the login page. I enter my pin again. It brings me back to the update info page again. There are no other options except “save”. I closed the app multiple times and no matter what when I reopen it’s the same issue. I was just robbed $20 by the city of Chicago and it’s garbage parking app. In conclusion just find a parking garage or meter. At least when they steal from you as far as price it actually results in a designated and safe parking spot.

   Bluebop19 · 30 Aug 2026

3. 2/5App is great, but really costs $10

   The functionality of the app is fine. Works just as it should and is convenient. The best feature is that you can reload the meter from your phone and don't have to walk back to the car. I would give this app five stars if they were upfront and honest about the cost. The developers need to admit up front that the app costs $10. Their prepaid system is shady. You load your account with $20, so you would thing you'd have to reload once the balance gets low. Nope. You must reload with an additional $20 when you get to $10. Example: I had $11 left in my account. My $4 parking would have left me only $7, which is below their $10 minimum. So it charged me $20. In summary, I needed $31 in my account to pay $4. I can never use that last $10. I contacted the developers about this previously, asking if I could get a refund since I very rarely need parking in the city. They said they don't give refunds. So if I can never use that $10 in my account for parking and I can't get the $10 refunded, why not just admit that you're keeping my $10 as a cost for using the service? Just charge me 10 bucks and then show my actual usable balance in the app.

   Varineq · 30 Aug 2026

4. 1/5Fake reviews?

   I think most of these positive 5-star reviews are fake. There is no way this app gets 5 stars. First of all, this is the only parking app that requires you to preload $20. Then, it requires you to reload if your balance gets down to $10. So you can never use the full amount you paid. With every other parking app I have used in the Chicago area and in other cities, you can just pay for your one time parking event without being forced to preload more cash than you’ll use. AND in any account experience that lets you reload, they typically let you set the parameters for when you want to preload and how much. I suppose technically they let you do that, but you can only change the amounts to be higher than their presets, not lower. This is a stand-out in the worst way. Feels like a scam. They should have an option for “visitors” to the city who just want to pay as they go. You can still do that by finding the kiosk on the sidewalk instead of using the app, which is what I ended up doing because this app was shady as ****. Also, in reading some other reviews, it seems like people are getting parking tickets with not negligible frequency even when they do pay!! Scam!

   SV_00_^ · 30 Aug 2026

5. 1/5Does not work. Zero stars.

   The meter I parked next to has a broken touchscreen, so I can't pay at the meter. Might as well finally get the app I was told I should have. The account creation process asks me for a PIN and my name/email, then my card. I put in DEFINITELY VALID card info, the app returns "invalid card." I go to restart the account creation process just in case. I can now only put in an existing PIN. I do so, and I'm taken to the "Update Profile" page to change my name and email, my phone number is locked. I hit save, and the app kicks me back to the PIN login. Over and over. Ad nauseam. Reset my PIN, then, I think. I'm at least allowed to re-enter my card info here. Then I go through the PIN reset and I'm taken to the profile page again, this time with only my phone number populated, and again locked. I hit save...and I'm kicked back to the PIN reset. Whatever shoddy two-bit developer made this garbage has the "save" routine include a "previous page" command, so there is literally no way to use the app at all. Thanks a lot. I guess I'm not parking here, or anywhere else where the meter's touchscreen is wet.

   benreaves · 30 Aug 2026

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