Apartment, HOA & towing software

Lotably vs. Parking Boss

Parking Boss handles resident permits and guest registration for apartments and HOAs. Lotably runs that plus enforcement, online citation payments, towing, and daily parking in one system.

Start free Watch the demo

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

The short answer

Parking Boss is a well-established permit and guest registration tool for residential communities, with enforcement done by your staff or a patrol company. Lotably runs the whole apartment flow in one system: resident permits, guest passes residents issue themselves, warnings and citations drivers pay online, towing and booting when needed, and daily paid parking, with every dollar landing in your own Stripe account. You can sign up and set up the same day.

What Parking Boss is

A product of Community Boss (formerly Luminous). parkingboss.com now redirects to communityboss.com.

Parking Boss is web-based parking software for residential communities. It issues resident vehicle permits (Smart Decals or digital permits) and handles guest registration: guests scan a QR code on a sign or visit the community’s page, then enter their plate, the home they are visiting, and a passcode the resident gives them, with no app download. Optional paid guest, reserved, and resident parking is available.

Enforcement is software for whoever patrols: its Field Agent web app lets on-site staff, HOA board members, or patrol companies look up vehicles, log violations with photos, and issue warning stickers, with optional license plate recognition. Parking Boss says it does not provide on-site patrol. The company says it serves more than 1,450 communities in 41 states, and it integrates with Entrata, RealPage, and Yardi.

Where Lotably is different

Sign up today, no demo required
Parking Boss’s calls to action are “Schedule a Demo” and “Talk to an Expert,” and its help center says to email for pricing. Lotably’s signup is online: five short screens, then you set up your lots, permits, and Stripe the same day.
Starts at $0, priced by lots instead of units
Parking Boss says it starts at $195 a month, based on the number of units in the community. 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%.
A full citation lifecycle
Parking Boss lets you apply a citation fee to a logged violation. Lotably adds the rest of the cycle: warnings first if you want them, photo-evidence citations with escalating fines, an online contest page, and payment by QR, plate, or ticket number in about 30 seconds.
Towing and booting in the same app
Parking Boss’s site doesn’t describe a towing or booting workflow. In Lotably an officer can record a tow or a boot and call your tow company in one tap from the same screen as the citation, so the whole history sits on one plate record.
A published rate on paid parking
Parking Boss’s own revenue calculator deducts an estimated revenue share and fees of about 20% on paid parking. Lotably publishes its rate: 12% on Free or 5% on Starter on citations and monthly billing, and on daily parking the same percentage or at most 35¢ (Free) or 25¢ (Starter) a session, whichever is less.

Side by side

	Lotably	Parking Boss
Best for	Properties and operators that want permits, guests, enforcement, and payments in one system	Communities that want resident and guest registration, enforced by staff or a patrol partner
Getting started	Self-serve signup online, set up the same day	Schedule a demo; pricing by email or call
Pricing	Free: $0/mo + 12% of online payments (up to 2 lots). Starter: $99/mo + 5% (up to 25 lots)	From $195/mo, based on number of units; portfolio pricing negotiable
Contract	Month to month, cancel anytime	Cancel anytime without penalty, no refunds for paid service; annual discount for HOAs
Fees on drivers	None above your posted price	Not published
Where payments settle	Your own Stripe account, as direct charges	Deposited into your own account, per its site; processor not named
Enforcement and citations	Warnings, photo-evidence citations, escalating fines, online contests, payment in about 30 seconds	Vehicle lookup, violation logging with photos, warning stickers, optional citation fee
Daily parking	Per-lot QR posters with hourly, rest-of-day, or until-a-set-time rates	Optional paid guest parking with hourly, daily, or overnight pricing
Monthly permits and billing	Monthly parkers, self-service portal, Stripe billing by card, ACH, or invoice	Smart Decals or digital permits; optional paid resident permits online
Guest passes	Residents issue time-limited passes from their portal, capped by a quota you set	Guests self-register in a browser with the home number and a passcode
Towing and booting	Tow and boot records with a one-tap call to your tow company, off by default	Not described on its site
Hardware	None; any phone	Signs, Smart Decals, warning stickers; optional LPR cameras
Integrations	Parking BOXX and ParkMobile sync, CSV import; we build API connections at no extra cost (vendor API fees may apply)	Entrata, RealPage, Yardi; fixed LPR cameras

When Parking Boss may be the better fit

If your community already runs on Entrata, RealPage, or Yardi and you want parking tied to it, or you mainly need resident decals and guest registration while a patrol partner handles enforcement, Parking Boss is a proven fit with a published starting price and a cancel-anytime policy. Lotably has no property management system integrations today.

Switching, or running both

Import your resident roster and vehicles by CSV, and residents can start issuing guest passes from their portal right away. Officers or your patrol partner scan plates from any phone, and Lotably checks residents, guests, and paid sessions in one lookup. Because both let you cancel anytime, you can run them side by side while you switch.

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 Parking Boss

Is Lotably a good alternative to Parking Boss?

Yes, if you want more than registration. Lotably covers resident permits and guest passes like Parking Boss does, and adds warnings, citations drivers pay online, towing and booting records, and daily paid parking in the same system. You can sign up online and set up the same day, month to month.

Does Lotably include guest parking passes?

Yes. Residents issue time-limited guest passes from their own portal, capped by a quota you set, and officers see those guests as authorized when they scan the plate. Guest passes are included on every plan.

Is Lotably cheaper than Parking Boss?

It depends on what you collect online. Parking Boss says it starts at $195 a month, based on units. Lotably’s Free plan is $0 a month plus 12% of online payments, which stays under $195 until you collect about $1,625 a month online, and Starter is $99 a month for up to 25 lots, plus 5%.

Does Lotably integrate with Yardi, RealPage, or Entrata?

Not today. You can import residents and vehicles by CSV. If a direct connection matters to you, tell us: when a vendor offers an API, we build connections at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).

Can Lotably tow or boot vehicles?

Lotably doesn’t tow, but it records tows and boots and puts your tow company one tap away from the officer app. Both start switched off: ask for them at signup or later and Lotably turns them on. Lotably does not check whether booting or towing is allowed where you enforce: you are responsible for following the law, and you assume all risk of using them.

More comparisons

See every comparison

Sources

Information about Parking Boss comes from its public website and the sources above, checked October 2026. Parking Boss 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.

Start free Try the live demo

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