Automotive · head to head
Fleetio vs Cars.com
The short version
- Only Fleetio has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: Fleetio priced per vehicle per month, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with the number of people using it; Cars.com cars.com charges shoppers nothing; it is a free listings site monetised via dealer advertising, per the 31 Dec 2020 archive capture
- They diverge on capability: Fleetio covers Vehicle tracking, Cars.com covers Vehicle listing.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which Fleetio and Cars.com actually diverge.
Identical on both: pricing model (subscription), 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 Fleetio
- Vehicle tracking
- Maintenance scheduling
- Fuel management
- Digital inspections
- Work orders
- Parts inventory
- Vendor management
- Analytics & reports
Only in Cars.com
- Vehicle listing
- Marketplace access
- Lead generation
- Dealer profile
- Performance tracking
- Mobile responsive
- Photo and video gallery
- Consumer research tools
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
Fleetio
- Fleet maintenance scheduling and vehicle inspection trackingnot Cars.com
- Managing parts inventory, work orders and fuel across a vehicle fleetnot Cars.com
Cars.com
- Dealership Managementnot Fleetio
- Service Schedulingnot Fleetio
- Inventory Managementnot Fleetio
- Sales Operationsnot Fleetio
- Customer Relationshipnot Fleetio
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
Fleetio
- Priced per vehicle per month, so cost scales with fleet size rather than with the number of people using it
- The Professional and Premium plans are billed annually only, with no monthly option
- Tire management is excluded from both Essential and Professional
- API access is rate limited by plan, at 50 requests a minute on Professional against 250 on Premium
- Active automations are rationed, at 5 on Professional against 40 on Premium
- The published per vehicle prices assume a 5 asset band, so a different fleet size is a different rate
Cars.com
- Cars.com charges shoppers nothing; it is a free listings site monetised via dealer advertising, per the 31 Dec 2020 archive capture
Pricing, plan by plan
Fleetio
Free- FreeFree
- Up to 5 vehicles
- Basic tracking
- Service reminders
- Pro$5/month
- Unlimited vehicles
- Fuel tracking
- Inspections
- Advanced$8/month
- Everything in Pro
- GPS integrations
- Fuel card integration
Cars.com
$299/month- Basic$299/month
- Vehicle listings
- Marketplace visibility
- Basic lead management
- Standard$699/month
- Everything in Basic
- Advanced lead tools
- CRM integration
- Premium$1199/month
- Everything in Standard
- Priority placement
- Marketing support
Which should you pick?
Choose Fleetio if
- You need vehicle tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Web, Ios, Android, Api.
- You also want maintenance scheduling.
Choose Cars.com if
- You need vehicle listing.
- You work on Web, Mobile, App.
- You also want marketplace access.
Questions people ask
- Is Fleetio or Cars.com better?
- Neither clearly leads. Fleetio starts at Free and Cars.com at $299/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, Fleetio or Cars.com?
- Fleetio has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Fleetio and $299/month for Cars.com.
- Does Fleetio or Cars.com run on more platforms?
- Fleetio runs on Web, Ios, Android, Api. Cars.com runs on Web, Mobile, App.
- Can I use Fleetio for free?
- Yes. Fleetio has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Cars.com starts at $299/month.
- What is Fleetio best used for?
- Fleetio is most often used for fleet maintenance scheduling and vehicle inspection tracking, managing parts inventory, work orders and fuel across a vehicle fleet. Of those, fleet maintenance scheduling and vehicle inspection tracking and managing parts inventory, work orders and fuel across a vehicle fleet are not what Cars.com is typically brought in for.
- What can Fleetio do that Cars.com cannot?
- Fleetio covers Vehicle tracking, Maintenance scheduling, Fuel management, Digital inspections. Cars.com covers Vehicle listing, Marketplace access, Lead generation, Dealer profile.