Multi-vendor comparison
Pick 2–4 dealer tech vendors and compare facts, integrations, feature checklist, and curated pros & cons side by side.
Esntial CommerceModal2/4 selected
Esntial Commerce
Cox Automotive's unified commerce platform
Founded—
HQ—
SegmentFRANCHISE
OwnershipPRIVATE
PricingPer rooftop / month
Employees—
Integrations2
Modal
Direct-to-consumer purchase for OEM sites.
Founded2016
HQNew York, NY
SegmentFRANCHISE
OwnershipPRIVATE
PricingEnterprise
Employees50-200
Integrations2
Feature checklist
| Feature | Esntial Commerce | Modal |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Pros, cons, and best fit
Esntial Commerce
Pros
- Not curated yet
Cons
- Not curated yet
Modal
Pros
- Not curated yet
Cons
- Not curated yet
What each vendor does
Esntial Commerce
Esntial Commerce is Cox Automotive's next-generation digital retailing layer, unifying shopping, deal-making and checkout across its retail product family.
Modal
White-labeled end-to-end online checkout used by OEM certified sites.