Gated lots, marketplaces & events
Lotably vs. Metropolis
Metropolis runs garages for property owners with its own camera system and staff. Lotably lets you run the lot yourself, under your brand, with payments in your own Stripe and nothing added for drivers.
Facts about Metropolis checked October 2026. Sources at the bottom of the page.
The short answer
Metropolis is a full-service operator: it installs its own camera system, staffs the site, collects from drivers, and deposits revenue to the owner. Lotably is for operators and owners who want to run parking themselves. You keep your brand, every payment lands directly in your Stripe account, drivers pay your posted price with no app fee by default, and you can sign up and set up the same day on a month-to-month plan.
What Metropolis is
Privately held Metropolis Technologies, Inc. It took SP+ private in May 2024.
Metropolis operates parking facilities for real estate owners using computer vision hardware it designs, manufactures, and maintains. Registered Members can drive in and out while their payment is charged automatically, and the company sells per-space plans that range from QR-code payment for surface lots to camera-based checkout-free parking for garages. Its 2024 take-private of SP+ also made it a large conventional operator, and it says it is the largest parking operator in the U.S., with more than 4,500 North American locations.
Metropolis publishes starting prices: Scan from $0 per space per month and Vision from $15 per space per month, with custom pricing above that. In January 2026, the Tennessee Attorney General announced an $8.75 million settlement with Metropolis that requires accurate rate signage, rate texts on entry at license plate reader lots, a 15-minute grace period at those lots, and compliance with booting rules.
Where Lotably is different
You stay the operator
Metropolis says it replaces legacy parking operators and third-party revenue control systems with its own technology and staff. Lotably is software you run: your team, your rules, your fine schedule, and your relationship with drivers and property owners.
Money settles to you directly
Metropolis collects from drivers and deposits revenue into owners’ bank accounts. With Lotably, each payment is a direct charge on your own Stripe account, so the money is yours from the first payment.
No service fee on drivers
Metropolis’s terms say each parking transaction carries a Service Fee that Metropolis sets and that may vary by location. By default, Lotably adds nothing to your posted price, and our fee comes out of what you collect online.
Month to month and self-serve
Every Metropolis plan starts with a “Get in touch” form, and its pricing page says sites go live within 30 days of a signed agreement. Lotably’s Free and Starter plans are month to month, and you can sign up online and set up the same day.
Every feature on every plan, under your brand
Lotably includes plate enforcement with warnings, citations, booting, and towing records, daily QR parking, monthly permits and billing, resident guest passes, and monthly owner reports, all on a branded site at yourname.lotably.com.
No hardware to install
Metropolis’s Vision plans use cameras it installs, while its Scan plan needs no equipment. Lotably runs on the phones your team already carries, with plate reading built into the officer app.
Side by side
| Lotably | Metropolis | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Operators and owners who want to run parking themselves | Owners who want to hand off operations entirely |
| Getting started | Self-serve signup, set up the same day | “Get in touch”; live within 30 days of signing |
| Pricing | Free: $0/mo + 12%. Starter: $99/mo + 5% | Scan from $0/space/mo; Vision from $15/space/mo |
| Contract | Month to month, cancel anytime | Not published |
| Fees on drivers | None added to your posted price | Per-transaction Service Fee set by Metropolis |
| Where payments settle | Directly in your own Stripe account | Collected by Metropolis, deposited to owners |
| Who runs the site | You and your team | Metropolis staff |
| Enforcement and citations | Built in, run by your team | Automated enforcement and an in-house team |
| Monthly permits and billing | Roster, portal, card/ACH/invoice billing | Monthly subscriptions and tenant accounts |
| Guest passes | Residents issue their own | Digital validations; resident guest passes not described |
| Hardware | None; any phone | Its own cameras on Vision plans; none on Scan |
When Metropolis may be the better fit
If you own a garage and want someone else to run it end to end, with checkout-free camera entry, on-site staff, and a large existing base of registered drivers, Metropolis is built for that, and Lotably doesn’t install gates or cameras. Lotably fits when you want to keep running the operation yourself, or when you manage lots for property owners and want the software and the client relationship to stay yours.
Switching, or running both
Lotably runs on phones and QR posters, so there is no equipment to remove or install. Import your monthly roster by CSV, set your rates and fine schedule, print a poster for each lot, and connect Stripe. If a site keeps camera hardware from another vendor and that vendor offers an API, 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 Metropolis
Is Lotably a Metropolis alternative?
Yes, if you want to keep running your parking yourself. Metropolis operates sites for owners with its own cameras and staff. Lotably gives you the software to do it on your own terms: enforcement, daily QR parking, permits, guest passes, and payments that settle straight to your Stripe account, month to month.
Does Lotably add a service fee for drivers?
No. By default, drivers pay exactly the price you post, and Lotably’s fee comes out of what you collect online. Metropolis’s terms say each transaction carries a Service Fee that Metropolis sets and that may vary by location.
Does Lotably offer checkout-free camera parking like Metropolis?
No. Lotably doesn’t install gates or fixed cameras. Drivers pay by scanning a QR poster or paying online, and officers check plates from a phone. If you need ticketless camera garages, a camera-based system is the better fit.
How is Lotably priced compared with Metropolis?
Lotably’s Free plan is $0 a month plus 12% of online payments for up to 2 lots, and Starter is $99 a month for up to 25 lots, plus 5%. Metropolis publishes per-space starting prices: Scan from $0 and Vision from $15 per space per month, with custom pricing above that.
How fast can I start on Lotably?
The same day. Sign up online in five short screens, add your lots and rates, and connect Stripe. Your account is live as soon as you sign up, and the Free plan needs no credit card.
More comparisons
- Lotably vs. SpotHero
- Lotably vs. Flash (FlashParking)
- Lotably vs. ParkHub (now JustPark)
- Lotably vs. AirGarage
Sources
- Metropolis pricing
- Metropolis homepage
- Metropolis operations
- Metropolis technology
- Metropolis Terms of Service
- Metropolis: closes acquisition of SP+
- Tennessee Attorney General: Metropolis settlement (January 2026)
Information about Metropolis comes from its public website and the sources above, checked October 2026. Metropolis 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.
No credit card for the Free plan · Month to month · Questions? Call +1 (513) 348-3049