Software · head to head
Black Book vs CarNow
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Black Book luxury sedans show larger spreads between Black Book and consumer valuations when market demand is weak; CarNow pricing is not published on the site; the vendor requires contacting sales by phone or email for a quote
- They diverge on capability: Black Book covers Real-time pricing, CarNow covers Lease processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Black Book and CarNow actually diverge.
| Attribute | Black Book | CarNow |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $199/month | $800/month |
| Platforms | Web, iOS, Android | Web, Mobile, Api |
| Founded | 1955 | 2015 |
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in Black Book
- Real-time pricing
- Wholesale valuations
- Market trends
- Pricing reports
- Dealer insights
- Auction data
- Vehicle history
- Price alerts
Only in CarNow
- Lease processing
- Document automation
- Compliance management
- Lease tracking
- Customer portal
- Payment processing
- Warranty integration
- Fleet management
Both cover
- DMS systems
- CRM systems
- SSL encryption
- Data encryption
- Secure authentication
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Black Book
- Dealership Managementnot CarNow
- Service Schedulingnot CarNow
- Inventory Managementnot CarNow
- Sales Operationsnot CarNow
- Customer Relationshipnot CarNow
CarNow
- Auto dealerships managing digital retailing, leasing compliance, and online-to-in-store customer handoffnot Black Book
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Black Book
- Luxury sedans show larger spreads between Black Book and consumer valuations when market demand is weak
- Electric vehicle valuations are highly volatile due to rapidly changing battery technology and market demand
CarNow
- Pricing is not published on the site; the vendor requires contacting sales by phone or email for a quote
Pricing, plan by plan
Black Book
$199/month- Basic$199/month
- Wholesale pricing
- Basic reports
- Single user
- Professional$399/month
- Everything in Basic
- Advanced reports
- Multiple users
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Everything in Professional
- API access
- Custom feeds
CarNow
$800/month- Starter$800/month
- Lease processing
- Document automation
- Basic compliance
- Professional$1800/month
- Everything in Starter
- Advanced compliance
- Multi-location support
- Enterprise$undefined/month
- Everything in Professional
- Custom integrations
- Advanced reporting
Which should you pick?
Choose Black Book if
- You need real-time pricing.
- You work on Web, iOS, Android.
- You also want wholesale valuations.
Choose CarNow if
- You need lease processing.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
- You also want document automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Black Book or CarNow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Black Book starts at $199/month and CarNow at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Black Book or CarNow?
- Black Book starts at $199/month and CarNow at $800/month.
- Does Black Book or CarNow run on more platforms?
- Black Book runs on Web, iOS, Android. CarNow runs on Web, Mobile, Api.
- What is Black Book best used for?
- Black Book is most often used for dealership management, service scheduling, inventory management, sales operations. Of those, dealership management and service scheduling are not what CarNow is typically brought in for.
- What can Black Book do that CarNow cannot?
- Black Book covers Real-time pricing, Wholesale valuations, Market trends, Pricing reports. CarNow covers Lease processing, Document automation, Compliance management, Lease tracking. Both handle DMS systems, CRM systems, SSL encryption, Data encryption.
Related pages
Keep looking
Other head to heads
- Black Book vs Carfax
- Black Book vs CDK Global
- Black Book vs Edmunds
- Black Book vs AutoCheck
- Black Book vs CARFAX for Dealers
- Black Book vs Cox Automotive
- Black Book vs AllData
- Black Book vs CarGurus
- Black Book vs Cars.com
- Black Book vs CCC Intelligent Solutions
- Black Book vs Kelley Blue Book
- Black Book vs Reynolds and Reynolds
- Black Book vs Tekion
- Black Book vs Audatex
- Black Book vs Autel MaxiSys
- Black Book vs AutoFluent
- Black Book vs AutoiPacket
- Black Book vs AutoTrader
- CarNow vs Carfax
- CarNow vs CDK Global
- CarNow vs Edmunds
- CarNow vs AutoCheck
- CarNow vs CARFAX for Dealers
- CarNow vs Cox Automotive
- CarNow vs AllData
- CarNow vs CarGurus
- CarNow vs Cars.com
- CarNow vs CCC Intelligent Solutions
- CarNow vs Kelley Blue Book
- CarNow vs Reynolds and Reynolds
- CarNow vs Tekion
- CarNow vs Audatex
- CarNow vs Autel MaxiSys
- CarNow vs AutoFluent
- CarNow vs AutoiPacket
- CarNow vs AutoTrader


