Parking payment apps

Lotably vs. Flowbird

Flowbird sells pay stations and a parking app to cities. Lotably sells parking by QR poster and runs enforcement and permits too, with no hardware to buy.

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Facts about Flowbird checked October 2026. Sources at the bottom of the page.

The short answer

Flowbird is a hardware-and-app company: it makes on-street pay stations and kiosks, runs the Flowbird App, and sells permit and back-office software, mostly to cities and transit agencies. Lotably needs no hardware. Each lot gets a QR poster, drivers pay on the web with no added fees, and the same system scans plates, issues citations, and runs permits and guest passes. You can sign up online and set up the same day.

What Flowbird is

Part of Arrive, alongside ParkMobile and Passport. EasyPark Group closed its acquisition of Flowbird on January 15, 2025, and the group now operates as Arrive.

Flowbird makes on-street pay stations (the Strada and Compact ranges) and off-street payment kiosks, and runs the Flowbird App, including white-label city apps such as ParkNYC and ParkDetroit. Its Flowbird HUB and Extenso Cloud software cover tariffs, permits with a citizen portal, asset maintenance, and accounting. It also sells transit fare collection and EV charging payment products.

Flowbird says it serves 6,000 cities in more than 80 countries. EasyPark Group acquired it in January 2025, and the group now operates as Arrive, which also owns ParkMobile and Passport.

Where Lotably is different

No hardware to buy or maintain
Flowbird sells proprietary pay stations and kiosks. Lotably needs one printed QR poster per lot: drivers pay from their own phones, and officers scan plates from any phone with plate reading built in.
Enforcement built in
Flowbird’s software stores enforcement results and connects to control systems through APIs, and its app FAQ says Flowbird is not responsible for parking citations. A US citation-issuing product isn’t described on its website. Lotably issues photo-evidence citations and collects them online in the same system.
No convenience fee on drivers
Flowbird’s app FAQ says drivers pay the parking fee plus a convenience fee for using the app. The City of Coquitlam, British Columbia, for example, publishes a 35-cent Flowbird transaction fee. By default, Lotably adds nothing to the posted price.
Self-serve with published pricing
Flowbird’s site asks you to get in touch, and pricing isn’t published. Lotably’s plans are on the website, month to month, and you can sign up online and set up the same day.
Guest passes, towing, and booting
Visitor passes, towing, and booting aren’t described on Flowbird’s website. Resident guest passes and tow and boot records are on every Lotably plan.
Payments settle to your own Stripe account
Where funds settle isn’t stated on Flowbird’s website. Every Lotably payment is a direct charge on your own Stripe account.

Side by side

	Lotably	Flowbird
Best for	Lots that want payments, enforcement, and permits without hardware	Cities that want on-street pay stations and a city parking app
Getting started	Sign up online, set up the same day	Get in touch
Pricing	Published: $0 + 12%, or $99/mo + 5%	Not published
Contract	Month to month	Not published
Fees on drivers	None added	App convenience fee (city-published example: $0.35)
Where payments settle	Your own Stripe account, as direct charges	Not stated
Enforcement and citations	Built in: plate scanning, photo citations, online payment	Connects to control systems; US citation product not described
Daily parking	QR poster per lot, pay on the web, book a day ahead	Pay stations, kiosks, and the Flowbird App
Monthly permits and billing	Built in, with card, ACH, or invoice billing	Extenso permit management with a citizen portal
Guest passes	Residents issue them from their portal	Not described on its website
Towing and booting	Tow and boot records, one-tap call to your tow company	Not described on its website
Hardware	None; a printed QR poster and any phone	Proprietary pay stations and kiosks

When Flowbird may be the better fit

Flowbird fits cities that want physical pay stations that take coins and cards on the street, white-label city parking apps, and transit fare systems from one vendor. Lotably doesn’t sell pay stations, meters, or a consumer app. If your lots don’t need on-street hardware, or you want enforcement and permits in the same system as payments, Lotably covers more of the operation with nothing to install.

Switching, or running both

Pay stations can stay where they are while you start. Add their paid sessions to Lotably by CSV or by hand so officers see who already paid, put a QR poster on each lot as a second way to pay, and import your permit roster by CSV. When a vendor offers an API for session data, we build the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).

One system, top to bottom

What every Lotably plan includes

Month to month, no lock-in
No annual contract and no multi-year commitment on Free or Starter. Cancel anytime.
Sign up yourself, set up the same day
Create your account online, add your lots, and connect Stripe in one sitting. You’re live as soon as you sign up.
Every feature on every plan
Enforcement, daily and event parking, monthly applications and plans, billing, scheduled guest passes, merchant validations, dispute evidence, and reports. Some workflows need configuration or enabling. No add-on modules. Booting and towing start off until you ask; you are responsible for following the law where you enforce and assume all risk of using them.
Money lands in your own Stripe account
Payments are direct charges on your Stripe account. Lotably never holds your money or pays you out later.
No app fee for drivers
By default, drivers pay exactly the price you post. Our fee comes out of what you collect online, never from the driver. If you ask, we can add a flat service fee per parking session that goes to you.
Integrations built at no extra cost
Parking BOXX, ParkMobile, and manual/CSV sessions work today. When another vendor offers an API, we build the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).
Published pricing
Free is $0/month plus 12% of online payments. Starter is $99/month for up to 25 lots, plus 5%. Daily parking is at most 35¢ or 25¢ a session. No quote required.
Runs on the phone you have
Plate reading is built into the officer app, which runs in the browser. Daily parking needs a printed QR poster and nothing else.

Questions about Lotably and Flowbird

Is Lotably an alternative to Flowbird?

Yes, for lots that don’t need on-street pay stations. Lotably sells daily parking from a QR poster with no driver fees and no hardware, and the same system runs plate enforcement, citations, monthly permits, guest passes, towing, and booting.

Do I need pay stations or meters with Lotably?

No. Each lot gets a printed QR poster, and drivers pay on their phones without downloading an app. Officers use the Lotably officer app in the browser on any modern phone, with plate reading built in.

Does Lotably add a convenience fee for drivers?

No. By default, drivers pay exactly the price you post. Lotably’s fee is a percentage of what the operator collects online. Flowbird’s app FAQ, by contrast, says drivers pay a convenience fee for using its app.

Can Lotably work with my existing pay stations?

Yes. You can add paid sessions from any vendor by CSV or by hand today, so officers don’t ticket drivers who paid at a machine. When a vendor offers an API for session data, we build the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).

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Sources

Information about Flowbird comes from its public website and the sources above, checked October 2026. Flowbird is a trademark of its owner, and Lotably is not affiliated with or endorsed by it. Spot something out of date? Email hello@lotably.com and we’ll correct it.

Put your whole parking operation in one system

Sign up online and set up the same day. Month to month, every feature on every plan, and the money lands in your own Stripe account.

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No credit card for the Free plan · Month to month · Questions? Call +1 (513) 348-3049