What Parkster does

Parkster is a mobile-first digital parking payment platform operating across Sweden, Germany, and Austria. Founded in 2011 and headquartered in Lund, Sweden, the company offers an iOS and Android application that allows drivers to locate parking zones via GPS, start, stop, and extend sessions, and pay digitally across multiple methods (Swish, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, card, e-invoice). The platform operates through three product tiers — Express (no-account pay-per-session at €0.50/SEK 5), Complete (full-featured account at the same per-session fee), and Neutral (no service fee, monthly billing) — alongside feature modules including Family Account, Business Account, residential parking, EV charging (Sweden), and camera-based automatic parking (Germany). Underlying technology centers on GPS zone detection, geofencing on iOS and Android motion APIs for overpayment protection, and integrations with Swedish digital identity (BankID) and payment processors (Frisbii, Billogram).

The business is structured around two legal entities, Parkster AB (Sweden) and Parkster GmbH (Munich, HRB 233310), with Lars Andersson serving as Managing Director of the German subsidiary and Henrik Hallberg as Founder and Executive Chairman. Parkster makes money primarily through per-transaction service fees on Express and Complete sessions, with supplementary revenue from EV charging margins in Sweden, Flex/Fast business-account packages with consolidated monthly invoicing, SEK 39 paper-invoice fees, and long-term/residential parking tickets. The go-to-market combines product-led growth via app-store discovery and QR-code download with a channel-first B2B motion: municipal and parking-operator partnerships (450+ locations in Sweden, ~800 combined in Germany and Austria) supply the network of usable zones that drives consumer adoption.

Parkster serves three primary segments. Private individuals use Express or Complete for occasional or regular parking and Neutral for fee-free monthly use. Businesses and corporate accounts (Flex and Fast packages) gain consolidated monthly invoicing, separate work/personal billing, EDI/e-invoice support, and integrations such as the Circle K corporate card. Municipalities, property owners, and parking operators are the supply-side partners who embed Parkster's payment platform into their zones, replacing or complementing physical meters. Named distribution partners include Deutsche Bahn (parking at train stations) and Circle K (corporate card billing), while technology partners include Billogram for invoicing and Frisbii for card processing.

Name

Parkster

Legal name

Parkster GmbH

Website

https://parkster.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Parkster is a mobile parking payment platform operating across Sweden, Germany, and Austria. Its iOS and Android app lets drivers find zones, start and stop sessions, and pay digitally, while serving municipalities, businesses, and individuals through B2B partnerships and per-transaction fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Parking Payment Platform

NAICS

Parking Lots and Garages (812930), Parking Lots and Garages (81293)

SIC

Services-Automotive Repair, Services & Parking (7500)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Parking Technology Platforms (Occupancy Sensors, Guidance, Reservations, Analytics) (TLAJAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Payments & Enforcement for Parking (Mobile Pay, LPR/ANPR, Citation Mgmt) (TLAJAIAE), Parking & Curbside Management Authorities (Municipal Parking, Permits, Loading Zones) (BPAIALAL), On-Street Parking Operations & Curbside Management (Meters, Permits, Loading Zones) (TLAJAIAA), Parking Facility Operations (Garages, Lots, On-/Off-Street) (BPABAKAA)

Keywords

• Mobile parking payment
• Parking app platform
• EV charging payments
• Corporate parking management
• Municipal parking solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Lund

HQ country

Sweden

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Transaction Fees (Service Fee per Parking): Parkster charges a service fee on top of the base parking tariff for each parking session. For Express and Complete accounts, the fee is 5 SEK per transaction in Sweden and €0.50 per parking session in Germany and Austria. This is the primary revenue driver, functioning as a per-transaction take rate.
2. EV Charging Fees: In Sweden, Parkster integrates EV charging payments within the same app. Users pay for charging (per kWh) through Parkster, with the cost invoiced together with parking charges. Revenue is generated as a pass-through plus a service margin on charging sessions.
3. Business Account Management Fees: Companies pay for employee parking management via dedicated business accounts. Parkster offers 'Flex' (up to 8 parkings/month per employee) and 'Fast' (unlimited) packages. Revenue is generated through consolidated monthly invoicing with a service fee per transaction or bundled pricing.
4. Invoice / Billing Fees: Parkster charges a 39 SEK invoice fee for paper invoices in Sweden. Email invoices and card charging are free. This ancillary fee generates revenue from customers who prefer paper billing.
5. Long-term Parking / Subscription Tickets: Parkster offers monthly and long-term parking tickets (e.g., monthly passes) at participating parking zones, which are purchased in advance through the app. Revenue is recognized upfront upon purchase of these tickets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Parkster operates a mobile-first parking payment platform distributed as iOS and Android apps, with SMS parking as an alternative channel. Users locate parking zones via GPS, start/stop/extend sessions from their phone, and pay only for time actually parked using Swish, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card. The platform also integrates EV charging payments in Sweden, supports family-account billing, and offers business accounts (Flex and Fast) for companies managing employee parking.

Product overview

Parkster is a digital parking payment platform consisting of a core mobile app with tiered service levels. The platform offers three main account types: Parkster Neutral (basic, no extra fees), Parkster Komplett (premium with smart add-ons), and Express parking (no account required with per-transaction fees). Key integrated features include Family Account for household expense sharing, Business Account for corporate fleet management, 'I tjänsten' for work-related expense separation, Residential Parking for permit holders, and EV Charging for electric vehicle users. The platform operates across Sweden, Germany, and Austria with location-based parking zone detection and supports multiple payment methods including Swish, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and various invoice options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Parkster Komplett: Premium service package with smart features including overpayment protection, direct payment, family account, and parking abroad functionality. Costs 5 SEK per transaction in Sweden, €0.50 in Germany/Austria.
• Parkster Neutral
• Express
• Family Account (Familjekonto)

Products and services

• Parkster App Core mobile parking payment application available for iOS and Android. Allows individual drivers to find parking zones via GPS, start/stop/extend parking sessions, and pay via Swish, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card. Includes optional smart features such as overpayment protection, family account, EV charging (Sweden), and business-account functionality. Available in Swedish, English, German, Danish, Norwegian, and Spanish.
• Business Account (Företagskonto) Dedicated corporate parking management account for companies. Offers Flex (up to 8 parkings per month per employee) and Fast (unlimited) packages with consolidated monthly invoicing, EDI/e-invoice support, an administrative dashboard, and the "I tjänsten" feature for separating personal and work-related parking onto different invoices.
• EV Charging (via Parkster App) Electric vehicle charging payment and station locator integrated inside the Parkster app. Users can locate chargers, start charging sessions, and pay per kWh together with their parking fees on a single invoice. Currently available in Sweden.
• Kameraparken (Camera Parking) Automated parking detection system that uses camera technology to automatically start and stop parking sessions without manual user intervention, offered in Germany.
• Residential Parking (Boendeparkering) Parking solution for residents with permits in designated residential zones, allowing them to use the Parkster app to pay for and manage their resident parking.
• SMS Parking (SMS Parkering) Alternative SMS-based parking service that lets users start and stop parking sessions by sending the zone code, registration number, and personal ID to a designated short number (0707-13 14 15 in Sweden), intended for users without smartphones.

Quantifiable outcome

• Users pay only for actual parking time — no overpayment if sessions are ended early
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Circle KcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParkster and Circle K have a partnership enabling Circle K corporate card holders to pay for parking in Parkster's app with costs charged to their Circle K fuel card account. This is the first collaboration of its kind in Sweden, simplifying expense reporting for business parking by eliminating the need to save and submit physical receipts.
• Deutsche BahnminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorParkster is available at Deutsche Bahn parking facilities (parking at train stations), allowing train passengers to pay for parking via the Parkster app. Deutsche Bahn effectively distributes Parkster's parking payment service at its stations.
• STR (Svenska Turistrådet / Swedish Tourism Council)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerParkster has a listed collaboration with the Swedish Tourism Council (STR), suggesting joint initiatives to promote parking access for tourists visiting Sweden.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ParkBee: Dutch digital parking platform focused on monetizing underused off-street capacity; adjacent to Parkster's offering with a similar operator-partnership business model.
• Park+: Fast-growing parking and EV-charging aggregator app (primarily in India) with a similar mobile-first payment model and EV-integration roadmap, though geographically non-overlapping.

Direct peers

• EasyPark: Pan-European mobile parking payment app headquartered in Stockholm with a similar B2C/B2B model and active presence across Nordics and DACH; the closest direct competitor to Parkster in Sweden and Germany.
• PayByPhone: Mobile parking payment app owned by Volkswagen Financial Services, operating across multiple European countries and North America with a comparable per-transaction fee model and municipal partnerships.
• ParkMobile: One of the largest mobile parking payment platforms in North America with growing European presence, offering very similar consumer and operator functionality to Parkster.
• ParkOne: Nordic mobile parking app with strong presence in Denmark and Sweden, directly competing with Parkster in shared home-market geography and customer segments.
• SpotHero: Mobile parking reservation and payment app operating primarily in North America, comparable to Parkster in feature set (booking, payment, operator integration) though geographically non-overlapping.

Broad incumbents

• APCOA Parking: Europe's largest parking operator with a digital payments platform (APCOA Flow) covering thousands of off-street facilities; competes with Parkster at the operator/municipality partnership layer.
• Flowbird: Established European parking and urban mobility technology provider offering mobile payment, meters, and enforcement solutions, overlapping with Parkster's digital payments and municipal offerings.

Others

• Parkopedia: Parking data and information provider that supplies operator and location data to many in-app parking platforms; an enabling ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor to Parkster.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Parkster-Official
• Facebookfacebook.com/Parkster.se
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/parkster
• Instagraminstagram.com/parkster.se

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parkster