DealerCenter vs Carsforsale.com: which fits your lot?
Both are web-based DMSs with lender access built in. DealerCenter’s DMS is $99 a month, with RouteOne, Dealertrack and CUDL access, and prices a website, buy here pay here, accounting and a CRM as modules on top. Carsforsale.com is $99 a month, or $199 a month for dealers with 100-plus listings, and bundles the DMS with custom-designed dealer websites and listings on Carsforsale.com, which it says gets 18 million page views a month. Choose DealerCenter to add modules as you grow; choose Carsforsale.com to get the website and the marketplace in one price. If you sell for cash or bring your own lenders and want to start without a monthly bill, GARAGEBIRDS starts free.
DealerCenter and Carsforsale.com, point by point
- Price. DealerCenter’s DMS is $99 a month. Carsforsale.com is $99 a month, or $199 a month for dealers with 100-plus listings. No contracts or setup fees.
- Lenders. DealerCenter includes credit-application submission and lender decisions through RouteOne and Dealertrack, and says it connects to 1200+ lenders. Carsforsale.com lists RouteOne and Dealertrack integrations, with access to 1,400-plus lenders.
- Website and listings. At DealerCenter a website is $99 a month and listing feeds $50 a month, each on top of the DMS. Carsforsale.com includes custom-designed dealer websites, exports to 400-plus partners, and listings on Carsforsale.com, which it says gets 18 million page views a month.
- Buy here pay here. DealerCenter’s module is $50 a month. Carsforsale.com: Not mentioned on its site.
- Forms and signing. DealerCenter has contract management with a free forms library, with eContracts at $3.00 per contract. Carsforsale.com has hundreds of digital state and federal forms and e-signatures.
- Profit. Carsforsale.com lists profit and expense tracking, with a profit and loss dashboard. DealerCenter’s reconditioning module tracks parts, costs and vendor work tied to each unit, at $99 a month.
- Size. DealerCenter says it serves more than 20,000 dealerships; Carsforsale.com, 22,500 dealerships.
GARAGEBIRDS, DealerCenter and Carsforsale.com at a glance
| GARAGEBIRDS | DealerCenter | Carsforsale.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | Free plan $0. Pro $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), or $59 billed monthly | $99 a month for the DMS | $99 a month; $199 a month for dealers with 100-plus listings |
| Free plan | Yes. Free forever, no credit card | None listed | None listed |
| Trial | 14-day Pro trial with no card, started by an admin from Billing | 30-day free trial (optional) | Not stated on its pricing page; it offers a live demo |
| Contract or setup fee | No contract | Not stated on its pricing page | No contracts or setup fees |
| How it runs | In a web browser | Web-based, with a mobile app | Cloud-based, in a web browser |
| Users | Unlimited users | 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 in the DMS: contract management with a free forms library | Included: hundreds of digital state and federal forms, with e-signatures |
| Buy here pay here (BHPH) | No | Add-on module, $50 a month | Not mentioned on its site |
| 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 | 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) | Included: RouteOne and Dealertrack integrations, with access to 1,400-plus lenders |
| Dealer website | No | Add-on module: Premium Website $99 a month, or Premium Pro $125 a month | Included: custom-designed dealer websites |
| 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 | Add-on module: Online Ad Post Premium, $50 a month, with direct feeds to any third-party listing site | Included: listings on Carsforsale.com, which it says gets 18 million page views a month, exports to 400-plus partners and a Marketplace Listing Assistant |
| Profit and cost tracking | Yes. Cost tracking with true profit per vehicle, on Free | 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 | Included: profit and expense tracking, with a profit and loss dashboard |
| Private-party purchases | Pro: a purchase record with the seller, the payoff and the state’s transfer forms | Not mentioned on its site | Not mentioned on its site |
| Consignment | Pro: the agreement, owner-approved costs, payout due dates and the owner’s statement | Not mentioned on its site | Not mentioned on its site |
Sources. Competitor information from each vendor’s public website, checked between October 14, 2026 and November 11, 2026. Prices and features change; see the linked pages for current details.
- DealerCenter: dealercenter.com/pricing, dealercenter.com/dealer-management-system, dealercenter.com, dealercenter.com/?s=private+party, dealercenter.com/?s=consignment
- Carsforsale.com: dealers.carsforsale.com/pricing-demo, dealers.carsforsale.com, dealers.carsforsale.com/dealer-management-system
GARAGEBIRDS details are from our pricing section and features page. DealerCenter and Carsforsale.com are trademarks of their owners; GARAGEBIRDS is not affiliated with them.
Which one to choose
- Choose DealerCenter if you want to start with the DMS and lender access, then add buy here pay here, accounting, a CRM or a website only when you need them.
- Choose Carsforsale.com if you want a dealer website and listings on its own marketplace in the same bill as the DMS, without a contract.
- Choose GARAGEBIRDS if you sell for cash or arrange financing with lenders yourself and want the true profit on every car before you price it. The Free plan has built-in state forms for all 50 states, with auto-fill and unlimited users; Pro is $49 a month billed yearly ($588 a year), and on Pro the Posting Assistant fills in your listings on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, OfferUp, eBay Motors, Cars.com, AutoTrader and more. GARAGEBIRDS does not submit credit applications to lenders electronically, and has no website or buy here pay here.
Side by side with GARAGEBIRDS: DealerCenter and Carsforsale.com. More options: the best DMS for independent dealers and how much a DMS costs.
Questions
Is DealerCenter or Carsforsale.com cheaper?
Their entry prices are the same, $99 a month and $99 a month. Carsforsale.com’s includes a website and listings on its marketplace; at DealerCenter a website is $99 a month on top. Carsforsale.com is $199 a month for dealers with 100-plus listings.
Do both connect to lenders?
Yes. DealerCenter includes RouteOne, Dealertrack and CUDL access in its DMS. Carsforsale.com lists RouteOne and Dealertrack integrations, with access to 1,400-plus lenders.
Which one does buy here pay here?
DealerCenter, as a module at $50 a month. For Carsforsale.com: Not mentioned on its site.
Is there a free alternative to both?
GARAGEBIRDS has a Free plan, free forever with no credit card: inventory, true profit per vehicle, cash desking, built-in state forms for all 50 states, with auto-fill and unlimited users. It suits a lot that sells for cash or brings its own lenders.
Or start without a monthly bill
Free forever, no credit card, no contract. Pro’s 14-day Pro trial with no card, started by an admin from Billing.