Automotive · head to head
Carfax vs CarNow
The short version
- Each has a real cost: Carfax cARFAX's dealer-facing mobile app is restricted to business subscribers and explicitly cannot be used with a consumer CARFAX account; CarNow pricing is not published on the site; the vendor requires contacting sales by phone or email for a quote
- They diverge on capability: Carfax covers Vehicle history reports, CarNow covers Lease processing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Carfax and CarNow actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automotive).
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 Carfax
- Vehicle history reports
- Service records
- Accident information
- Ownership history
- Title information
- Manufacturer recalls
- Odometer readings
- Price analysis
Only in CarNow
- Lease processing
- Document automation
- Compliance management
- Lease tracking
- Customer portal
- Payment processing
- Warranty integration
- Fleet management
Both cover
- CRM systems
- SSL encryption
- Secure authentication
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Carfax
- 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 Carfax
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Carfax
- CARFAX's dealer-facing mobile app is restricted to business subscribers and explicitly cannot be used with a consumer CARFAX account
CarNow
- Pricing is not published on the site; the vendor requires contacting sales by phone or email for a quote
Pricing, plan by plan
Carfax
$2.99/report- Single Report$2.99/report
- One vehicle history report
- Service records
- Accident history
- Unlimited Reports$34.99/month
- Unlimited reports
- Service history
- Accident information
- Dealer Package$299/month
- Unlimited reports
- Dealer branding
- Customer tools
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 Carfax if
- You need vehicle history reports.
- You work on Web, Mobile, App.
- You also want service records.
Choose CarNow if
- You need lease processing.
- You work on Web, Mobile, Api.
- You also want document automation.
Questions people ask
- Is Carfax or CarNow better?
- Neither clearly leads. Carfax starts at $2.99/report and CarNow at $800/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Carfax or CarNow?
- Carfax starts at $2.99/report and CarNow at $800/month.
- Does Carfax or CarNow run on more platforms?
- Carfax runs on Web, Mobile, App. CarNow runs on Web, Mobile, Api.
- What is Carfax best used for?
- Carfax 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 Carfax do that CarNow cannot?
- Carfax covers Vehicle history reports, Service records, Accident information, Ownership history. CarNow covers Lease processing, Document automation, Compliance management, Lease tracking. Both handle CRM systems, SSL encryption, Secure authentication.
Related pages
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