Dealer software for new and independent used-car dealers
A newly licensed dealer needs software for a few jobs from the first car: what each car cost, a record of every car on the lot, the title application and bill of sale, and the math on each deal. GARAGEBIRDS does those on a Free plan that is free forever, built for independent lots running about 10 to 75 cars. Pro is $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), or $59 billed monthly, with no contract.
Lender integration, buy here pay here, a dealer website and accounting matter too, but usually later, and only if your lot works that way. Below is what to look for now, what can wait, and how four options for independent dealers compare, using each vendor’s own website.
What you need from the first car
- The true cost of every car. Purchase price, auction fee and transport, then every recon dollar. Without it, the profit you think you made on your first sales is a guess, and you’ll price the next car off that guess.
- One record per car. VIN, specs, mileage, photos and asking price in one place, so the listing, the deal and the paperwork all read from it.
- The sale paperwork, filled in. At least the title application and a bill of sale, filled from the deal so the buyer’s name and the VIN are typed once. Your state’s forms are listed on paperwork by state.
- The deal math. Price, fees, tax and trade-in, and what you keep on the deal before you agree to it.
- A way to get cars in front of buyers. For many new lots that starts with Facebook Marketplace and a phone camera.
What can wait until your lot needs it
- Lender integration, until you arrange financing for buyers yourself. If they pay cash or bring their own loan, you don’t submit credit applications.
- Buy here pay here, until you carry notes.
- A dealer website and listing feeds, until you have enough cars that buyers search your inventory rather than a single listing.
- Accounting inside the DMS, if your bookkeeping already happens somewhere else.
None of these is a reason to avoid a system that has them. They are reasons not to pay for them before you use them.
Four options compared
| GARAGEBIRDS | DealerVLO | DealerCenter | Frazer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) | $99 a month for the DMS | Desktop $129 a month, $387 a quarter, or $1,299 a year; Hosted from $199 a month |
| Free plan | Yes. Free forever, no credit card | None | None listed | None listed; offers a demo |
| Trial | 14-day Pro trial with no card, started by an admin from Billing | 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial (optional) | Not stated on its pricing page; offers a demo |
| Contract or setup fee | No contract | No setup fee, no per-user fee, no contract; month to month | Not stated on its pricing page | No setup costs or hidden fees. Free on-site installation and training, in most states |
| How it runs | In a web browser | In a web browser, with no install | Web-based, with a mobile app | Windows software: Windows 10 or 11, not available on Mac or Chromebook, even with virtualization software. Hosted Frazer is a cloud-based version of Frazer DMS, opened from the Hosted Frazer Client icon on a PC desktop |
| Users | Unlimited users | Unlimited | Unlimited users, with free training and support | Not stated on its pricing page |
| 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 | Included in the DMS: contract management with a free forms library | Unlimited forms printing and customization, with thousands of free forms |
| Buy here pay here (BHPH) | No | Included: BHPH payment ledger | Add-on module, $50 a month | Yes, included in both plans |
| Lender access | No. Finance desking (Pro) works out the payment; it does not send a credit application to a lender | Doesn't send credit applications to lenders | Included in the DMS: RouteOne, Dealertrack and CUDL access, and eFax deal submissions to any lender. Credit reports are extra: billed per report, plus a monthly fee for each bureau (Experian: $4.00 a report and $24.99 a month) | Lists finance companies and credit reporting among its integrations |
| Dealer website | No | Included: Public dealer website with custom domain | Add-on module: Premium Website $99 a month, or Premium Pro $125 a month | Through a website from partner Dealer Car Search, bundled on request |
| Listing syndication | No feeds. Assisted Facebook Marketplace posting (Pro) | Included: feeds to CarGurus, AutoTrader and Cars.com, plus Google and Facebook catalog feeds | Add-on module: Online Ad Post Premium, $50 a month, with direct feeds to any third-party listing site | Internet advertising included, through integrations with hundreds of automotive classifieds and dealer websites |
| Profit and cost tracking | Yes. Cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, on Free | Included: P&L reporting with expense tracking | Add-on modules: Reconditioning ($99 a month) tracks parts, costs and vendor work tied to each unit; Integrated Accounting ($99 a month) offers centralized tracking of all vehicle sales and cost transactions | Add vehicles and costs in inventory, and a full accounting suite included |
Sources. Competitor information from each vendor’s public website, checked October 14, 2026. Prices and features change; see the linked pages for current details.
- DealerVLO: dealervlo.com/pricing, dealervlo.com/new-used-car-dealer-software
- DealerCenter: dealercenter.com/pricing, dealercenter.com
- Frazer: frazer.com/frazer-pricing, frazer.com/frazer-system-requirements, frazer.com/frazer-products, frazer.com
GARAGEBIRDS details are from our pricing section and features page. DealerVLO, DealerCenter and Frazer are trademarks of their owners; GARAGEBIRDS is not affiliated with them.
How to choose
- GARAGEBIRDS: you sell for cash or the buyer finances elsewhere, and you want to start free and see the true profit on every car. No BHPH, lender integration, website or listing feeds.
- DealerVLO: you want a website, listing feeds and e-signatures from day one, for $29 a month per dealership, with a 14-day free trial. DealerVLO says it’s for independent used-car dealers, typically 10–50 cars in stock, and it doesn't send credit applications to lenders.
- DealerCenter: you’ll arrange bank or credit-union financing from the start. Its DMS is $99 a month with RouteOne, Dealertrack and CUDL access; a website, BHPH and listing feeds are monthly modules. More detail: GARAGEBIRDS and DealerCenter compared.
- Frazer: you carry your own notes, want the books in the same system, and run the office on a Windows PC. Desktop is $129 a month, with buy here pay here included in both plans. More detail: GARAGEBIRDS and Frazer compared.
Your first cars, step by step
Price the car from the market down before you bid: how to price your first car without losing money. Log every cost against it as you spend, then compare the true profit with what the sticker math promised: how to know your true profit per vehicle. After ten cars of real numbers you’ll know which ones made money and what to buy next. That is the point at which a website, lender access or BHPH starts to pay for itself, or doesn’t.
What GARAGEBIRDS gives a new dealer
The Free plan covers inventory management and listings with no cap on the number of vehicles, VIN decode, cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, cash desking with a per-deal margin view, built-in state forms for all 50 states, with auto-fill, contacts, and unlimited users. Pro adds finance desking, Smart Print Forms for the documents you already use, assisted Facebook Marketplace posting, and leads and contact history; an admin starts its 14-day trial from Billing, with no card. Each car moves through Buy, Inventorize, Restore, Display and Sell, where Buy and Restore are the costs you log against the car rather than separate modules. Every built-in state form is on Free; GARAGEBIRDS doesn’t do e-signatures or multi-location.
Questions
What software do I need after getting my dealer license?
Something that records what each car cost, keeps one record per car, fills in the title application and bill of sale, and works out the deal. A dealer management system (DMS) does all four in one place. GARAGEBIRDS covers them on its Free plan.
Do I need a DMS when I’ve just got my dealer license?
Not to make your first sale. You do need to know what each car cost and to get the title and sale paperwork right, and both are easier to keep from the first car than to rebuild later. A free plan means it costs nothing to start.
What is the cheapest dealer management software for a new dealer?
Of the four compared here, GARAGEBIRDS is the only one with a free plan. Among the paid ones, DealerVLO is $29 a month per dealership, DealerCenter’s DMS is $99 a month before modules, and Frazer Desktop is $129 a month. Compare what each includes, not just the price: the table above shows both.
Can I sell cars on Facebook Marketplace with GARAGEBIRDS?
On Pro, the Posting Assistant, a Chrome or Edge extension, lays out the listing from the vehicle record and downloads the photos you choose; you paste them into Facebook’s own listing form. GARAGEBIRDS doesn’t send listings to CarGurus, Autotrader or Cars.com.
Does GARAGEBIRDS work for buy here pay here?
No. GARAGEBIRDS tracks what each car cost and sold for, but it doesn’t manage notes or payments. If you carry your own paper from the start, a system with BHPH built in will fit better.
Start with your first car
Free forever, no credit card, no contract.