Modal vs Roadster
Head-to-head comparison for car dealers evaluating Digital Retailing. Both vendors are in the same subcategory, so the comparison is apples-to-apples.
Modal
Direct-to-consumer purchase for OEM sites.
Founded2016
HQNew York, NY
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingEnterprise
OwnershipPRIVATE
ParentIndependent
Employees50-200
Websitemodalup.com
Roadster
Guided online checkout for franchise dealers
Founded—
HQ—
SegmentFRANCHISE
PricingPer rooftop / month
OwnershipPE
ParentCDK Global
Employees—
Websiteroadster.com
What each vendor does
Modal
White-labeled end-to-end online checkout used by OEM certified sites.
Roadster
Roadster's Express Storefront powers omnichannel car buying with payments, trade-in, F&I products and accessories built into a single guided checkout flow that works online and in-store.
Notable customers
Modal
FordGMC
Roadster
None listed
Integration matrix
| Integration kind | Modal | Roadster | Overlap |
|---|---|---|---|
| dms | CDK Drive, Tekion ARC | CDK, Dealertrack | None |
Only Modal (2)
CDK Drive, Tekion ARC
Shared integrations (0)
—
Only Roadster (2)
CDK, Dealertrack
Feature checklist
| Feature | Modal | Roadster |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Open API / webhooks | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| SSO / SAML | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Native AI tools | ○ — | ○ — |
| Third-party marketplace | ○ — | ○ — |
| Two-way texting | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Video messaging | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Digital retail workflow | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Desking & payments | ○ — | ○ — |
| Credit prequal / soft pull | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Inventory syndication | ○ — | ○ — |
| Custom reporting dashboards | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| Call tracking & recording | ● Yes | ● Yes |
| 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 Modal vs Roadster
Choose Modal if…
- ▸You want a founder-led vendor without PE roll-up risk.
- ▸Your budget process aligns better with Enterprise pricing.
- ▸You want the longer track record in the dealer tech category.
- ▸You want more reference proof points from named dealer groups.
Choose Roadster if…
- ▸Your budget process aligns better with Per rooftop / month pricing.
- ▸You want the longer track record in the dealer tech category.
Quick facts scorecard
| Dimension | Modal | Roadster | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track record | 2016 | — | A |
| Scale | 50-200 | — | — |
| Segment breadth | FRANCHISE | FRANCHISE | — |
| Integrations listed | 2 | 2 | Tie |
| DMS connectivity | 2 DMSes | 2 DMSes | Tie |