Apartment, HOA & towing software

Lotably vs. ParkM

ParkM sells digital resident and guest permits at no cost to the property, while your tow or boot partner enforces. Lotably gives the property its own citations, payments, and daily parking.

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

The short answer

ParkM is permit software for apartment communities that costs the property nothing: residents and guests buy permits from ParkM, the property gets a share each month, and the property’s tow or boot partner enforces with ParkM’s app. Lotably puts the property or its operator in charge of the whole flow, with warnings and citations drivers pay online, daily parking by QR, and every payment landing in your own Stripe account.

What ParkM is

ParkM is a digital parking permit system for multifamily properties. Residents buy permits, register vehicles, and manage guest parking from a phone or computer, and residents or guests can buy guest permits online. The property decides which permit types exist, what they cost (hourly, daily, or monthly), how many guest permits a unit can hold, and how many nights in a row a guest can stay. A property manager portal shows resident and guest permit activity.

ParkM says it is enforcement software, not an enforcement company. The property keeps its own towing or booting partner, who checks plates with license plate recognition on their own phone plus a VIN check, and ParkM recommends warnings before any tow. Its No Bad Tow Guarantee covers the cost of a wrongful tow plus up to 24 hours of storage. There are no setup, monthly, or support fees for the property, no long-term contract (30 days’ notice to cancel), and no direct property management system integration.

Where Lotably is different

You keep the payments, not a monthly share
With ParkM, residents and guests pay ParkM and the property receives a share of permit revenue monthly; the share is not published. With Lotably, every payment is a direct charge on your own Stripe account, and Lotably’s published fee is 12% on Free or 5% on Starter.
Citations before tows
ParkM’s enforcement path is warnings, then a tow or boot by your partner, and its site does not describe issuing citations. Lotably officers issue warnings and photo-evidence citations with escalating fines, and drivers pay by QR, plate, or ticket number in about 30 seconds, so a first violation does not have to end in a tow.
Enforce with your own staff if you want
ParkM’s enforcement app is used by the property’s tow or boot partner. Lotably’s officer app runs on any phone with plate reading built in, so your staff, a patrol company, or a tow partner can use it, with per-user permissions.
Self-serve setup today
ParkM’s way in is a sales call or demo. Lotably’s signup is online, and you can set up lots, permits, guest passes, and Stripe the same day.
Drive-up daily parking
ParkM sells guest permits through its portal. Lotably also sells daily parking to anyone who pulls in, from a QR poster at each lot, with hourly, rest-of-day, until-a-set-time, or event rates and no app.

Side by side

	Lotably	ParkM
Best for	Properties and operators that want permits, guests, enforcement, and payments in one system	Apartment communities that want paid permits at no cost to the property, enforced by their tow or boot partner
Getting started	Self-serve signup online, set up the same day	Talk to sales or book a demo
Pricing	Free: $0/mo + 12% of online payments (up to 2 lots). Starter: $99/mo + 5% (up to 25 lots)	No setup, monthly, or support fees to the property; funded by permit sales, with a revenue share to the property (share not published)
Contract	Month to month, cancel anytime	No long-term contract; cancel with 30 days’ notice
Fees on drivers	None above your posted price	Residents and guests pay for permits at prices the property sets; any added service fee not published
Where payments settle	Your own Stripe account, as direct charges	Residents and guests pay ParkM; the property receives its share monthly
Enforcement and citations	Warnings, photo-evidence citations, escalating fines, online contests, payment in about 30 seconds	Partner checks plates with phone LPR and a VIN check; warnings before tows; citations not described
Daily parking	Per-lot QR posters with hourly, rest-of-day, or until-a-set-time rates	Guest permits with hourly, daily, or monthly pricing, bought through ParkM
Monthly permits and billing	Monthly parkers, self-service portal, Stripe billing by card, ACH, or invoice	Residents buy digital permits online; the property sets permit types and prices
Guest passes	Residents issue time-limited passes from their portal, capped by a quota you set	Residents or guests buy guest permits online; limits per unit and on consecutive nights
Towing and booting	Tow and boot records with a one-tap call to your tow company, off by default	Done by the property’s tow or boot partner; No Bad Tow Guarantee covers wrongful tows plus 24 hours of storage
Hardware	None; any phone	None at the property; LPR runs on the partner’s phone
Integrations	Parking BOXX and ParkMobile sync, CSV import; we build API connections at no extra cost (vendor API fees may apply)	No direct PMS integration; resident data imported at onboarding

When ParkM may be the better fit

If you want parking to cost the property nothing, already have a towing or booting partner you trust, and are comfortable with residents and guests paying ParkM directly, ParkM is built for that, and its wrongful-tow guarantee is a real comfort for residents. Neither ParkM nor Lotably has a direct PMS integration today.

Switching, or running both

ParkM cancels with 30 days’ notice, so set your Lotably cutover inside that window. Import residents and vehicles by CSV, open resident portals for permits and guest passes, and give your tow partner or staff access to the officer app. Officers record tows in Lotably and call the tow company in one tap.

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 ParkM

Is Lotably a good alternative to ParkM?

Yes, if you want the property or its operator to run enforcement and collect payments directly. Lotably covers resident permits and guest passes like ParkM, and adds citations drivers pay online, daily parking by QR, and payouts to your own Stripe account.

ParkM is free for the property. Why pay for Lotably?

Lotably’s Free plan is $0 a month too, with a 12% fee on online payments. The difference is where the money goes: ParkM collects from residents and pays the property an unpublished share monthly, while Lotably payments land in your own Stripe account the moment drivers pay.

Does Lotably integrate with a property management system?

Not today, and ParkM says it does not either. You import residents and vehicles by CSV. When a vendor offers an API, Lotably builds the connection at no extra cost (the vendor may charge for API access).

Can we keep our towing company?

Yes. Officers record a tow and call your tow company in one tap, and the tow sits on the same plate record as any warnings or citations. Towing starts switched off, and Lotably turns it on when you ask. Lotably does not check whether towing is allowed where you enforce: you are responsible for following the law, and you assume all risk of using it.

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Sources

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