CDK Global vs DealerBuilt
Head-to-head comparison for car dealers evaluating Core Systems. Both vendors are in the same subcategory, so the comparison is apples-to-apples.
CDK Global
Leading franchise dealer management system
Founded2014
HQAustin TX
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingPer rooftop / month
OwnershipPE
ParentBrookfield Business Partners
Employees—
Websitewww.cdkglobal.com
DealerBuilt
Flexible DMS for dealer groups
Founded—
HQGrinnell IA
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingPer rooftop / month
OwnershipPRIVATE
ParentIndependent
Employees—
Websitewww.dealerbuilt.com
What each vendor does
CDK Global
CDK Global provides the most widely installed DMS among US franchise dealers, spanning accounting, sales, parts, service and a large third-party integration program.
DealerBuilt
DealerBuilt's LightYear DMS offers customizable accounting and operations software with open integration, serving mid-size and large franchise groups.
Integration matrix
| Integration kind | CDK Global | DealerBuilt | Overlap |
|---|
Only CDK Global (0)
—
Shared integrations (0)
—
Only DealerBuilt (0)
—
Feature checklist
| Feature | CDK Global | DealerBuilt |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Open API / webhooks | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| SSO / SAML | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Native AI tools | ○ — | ○ — |
| Third-party marketplace | ○ — | ○ — |
| Two-way texting | ○ — | ○ — |
| Video messaging | ○ — | ○ — |
| Digital retail workflow | ○ — | ○ — |
| Desking & payments | ○ — | ○ — |
| Credit prequal / soft pull | ○ — | ○ — |
| Inventory syndication | ○ — | ○ — |
| Custom reporting dashboards | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Call tracking & recording | ○ — | ○ — |
| Spanish-language support | ○ — | ○ — |
| Multi-rooftop management | ● Yes | ● Yes |
Compare more than two?
Build a 2–4 vendor side-by-side and share the URL.
Choose CDK Global vs DealerBuilt
Choose CDK Global if…
- ▸You want the longer track record in the dealer tech category.
Choose DealerBuilt if…
- ▸You want a founder-led vendor without PE roll-up risk.
- ▸You want the longer track record in the dealer tech category.
Quick facts scorecard
| Dimension | CDK Global | DealerBuilt | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track record | 2014 | — | A |
| Scale | — | — | — |
| Segment breadth | FRANCHISE | FRANCHISE | — |
| Integrations listed | 0 | 0 | Tie |
| DMS connectivity | 0 DMSes | 0 DMSes | Tie |