A DealerVLO alternative with a free plan
GARAGEBIRDS and DealerVLO both run in a web browser and are both built for independent used-car lots. The difference starts with the price: GARAGEBIRDS has a Free plan that is free forever, with no credit card, covering inventory, true profit per vehicle, cash desking, built-in state forms for all 50 states, with auto-fill, contacts and unlimited users. Pro is $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), or $59 billed monthly.
DealerVLO is $29 a month per dealership, one plan ($348 a year, billed monthly), with a 14-day free trial. That plan includes things GARAGEBIRDS doesn’t have: a public dealer website with custom domain, feeds to CarGurus, AutoTrader and Cars.com, plus Google and Facebook catalog feeds, built-in e-signatures and a BHPH payment ledger. If you don’t need those yet, you can run the lot on GARAGEBIRDS for nothing.
GARAGEBIRDS and DealerVLO at a glance
| GARAGEBIRDS | DealerVLO | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free plan $0. Pro $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), or $59 billed monthly | $29 a month per dealership, one plan ($348 a year, billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Yes. Free forever, no credit card | None |
| Trial | 14-day Pro trial with no card, started by an admin from Billing | 14-day free trial |
| Contract or setup fee | No contract | No setup fee, no per-user fee, no contract; month to month |
| How it runs | In a web browser | In a web browser, with no install |
| Users | Unlimited users | Unlimited |
| Forms | Built-in state forms for all 50 states, with auto-fill: over 300 official forms, all on Free. Smart Print Forms: upload and map your own contracts and documents (Pro) | Included: federal documents (Bill of Sale, Buyers Guide, Odometer Disclosure); state title and registration forms for all 50 states; built-in e-signatures |
| Buy here pay here (BHPH) | No | Included: BHPH payment ledger |
| Lender access | No network access. Finance desking (Pro) structures a financed deal for any lender, but it does not submit credit applications to lenders electronically | Doesn't send credit applications to lenders |
| Dealer website | No | Included: public dealer website with custom domain |
| Listing sites and marketplaces | Assisted marketplace posting — Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, eBay Motors, Cars.com, AutoTrader and more (Pro). Every listing kept on the car, with a reminder to update it when the price changes or the car sells. No automatic feeds | Included: feeds to CarGurus, AutoTrader and Cars.com, plus Google and Facebook catalog feeds |
| Profit and cost tracking | Yes. Cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, on Free | Included: P&L reporting with expense tracking |
| Private-party purchases | Pro: a purchase record with the seller, the payoff and the state’s transfer forms | No purchase record mentioned; it tracks a street buy’s all-in cost |
| Consignment | Pro: the agreement, owner-approved costs, payout due dates and the owner’s statement | No |
Sources. Competitor information from each vendor’s public website, checked between November 9, 2026 and November 11, 2026. Prices and features change; see the linked pages for current details.
- DealerVLO: dealervlo.com/pricing, dealervlo.com/blog/consignment-cars-used-car-lot, dealervlo.com/blog/private-party-vehicle-acquisition-independent-dealers, dealervlo.com/new-used-car-dealer-software
GARAGEBIRDS details are from our pricing section and features page. DealerVLO is a trademark of its owner; GARAGEBIRDS is not affiliated with it.
Choose DealerVLO if…
- You want a dealer website and listing feeds in the same price. DealerVLO includes a public dealer website with custom domain and feeds to CarGurus, AutoTrader and Cars.com, plus Google and Facebook catalog feeds. GARAGEBIRDS has no website and no automatic feeds.
- You want buyers to sign electronically. DealerVLO lists built-in e-signatures. GARAGEBIRDS documents print ready to sign in ink.
- You carry your own notes. DealerVLO has a BHPH payment ledger. GARAGEBIRDS has no buy here pay here.
Choose GARAGEBIRDS if…
- You’d rather start on a free plan than a trial, and pay only when the lot needs what’s on Pro.
- You want the true profit on every car: the purchase price, auction fees, transport and every recon dollar counted against the sale, on the Free plan.
- You post cars to marketplaces yourself. On Pro, the Posting Assistant autofills the listing form on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, eBay Motors, Cars.com, AutoTrader and more from the car’s record, and keeps every listing on the car, with a reminder to update it when the price changes or the car sells.
- You take cars on consignment or buy from private sellers. Pro keeps the agreement, owner-approved costs, payout due dates and the owner’s statement, and a purchase record with the seller, the payoff and the state’s transfer forms.
- You print your own contracts. Smart Print Forms: upload and map your own contracts and documents, on Pro, so your buyer’s order or retail installment contract fills in from every deal.
Consignment and street buys
DealerVLO’s own article on consignment says it doesn’t track consignment cars, consignors or owner payouts, and suggests you enter the owner’s net as the car’s acquisition cost, so the gross on the deal is your take. GARAGEBIRDS Pro has consignment as its own record: the agreement, owner-approved costs, payout due dates and the owner’s statement, so the owner’s payout is worked out rather than typed in. For a car you buy from a person rather than at auction, DealerVLO’s own article on street buys: No purchase record mentioned; it tracks a street buy’s all-in cost. GARAGEBIRDS Pro has a private-party purchase: a purchase record with the seller, the payoff and the state’s transfer forms, then the car moves into inventory with its cost.
What GARAGEBIRDS doesn’t do
- No dealer website, no automatic listing feeds, and no e-signatures.
- No buy here pay here, and no electronic lender submission: finance desking on Pro structures a financed deal for any lender, and you send the application yourself. DealerVLO says it doesn't send credit applications to lenders either.
- No multi-location, and no accounting or general ledger.
Questions
How much does DealerVLO cost?
DealerVLO’s pricing page lists $29 a month per dealership, $348 a year, billed monthly. Users: Unlimited. Fees: No setup fee, no per-user fee, no contract; month to month. It has a 14-day free trial. Prices change, so check DealerVLO’s pricing page for current figures.
Is there a free alternative to DealerVLO?
GARAGEBIRDS Free has no time limit and needs no credit card: inventory, cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, cash desking, over 300 official forms across all 50 states, contacts and unlimited users. It has no website, feeds or buy here pay here, which DealerVLO’s plan includes.
Does DealerVLO handle consignment?
No: its consignment article says it doesn’t track consignment cars, consignors or owner payouts. GARAGEBIRDS Pro keeps the agreement, owner-approved costs, payout due dates and the owner’s statement.
Do both have state title paperwork?
Yes. DealerVLO lists state title and registration forms for all 50 states and federal documents (Bill of Sale, Buyers Guide, Odometer Disclosure). GARAGEBIRDS has over 300 official forms across all 50 states, filled in from the vehicle and the deal: every built-in form is on the Free plan, with no limit. On Pro you can also map your own documents.
Do I need to install anything?
No, for either. GARAGEBIRDS runs in a web browser at app.garagebirds.com; the one optional install is the Posting Assistant, a Chrome extension used on Pro for marketplace posting.
Start free, and see your true profit on the next car
Free forever, no credit card, no contract.