Vs the field · checked 14 Oct 2026 · desk checks added 14 Oct 2026
Three desks. One table each.
Open the desk you sit in. A yes or no is their page, linked. A dash means that page does not say. A dash is not a no. Headers stay pinned while you scroll. The published license is $349 · $599 · $999. The others quote. That is the affordability claim. It is not a claim that we hold their OEM badges.
Sales reps
More true appointments. A person still sends. Show rate is not a trophy until it is measured.
| Feature | LotBeacon | Why we don’t | Podium | Impel | Kenect | Gubagoo | STELLA | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A person still hits Send | Yes. Draft waits. | Meta: Human Agent tag is a person | No. Jerry books the visit | No. Books into the CRM | — | Mixed. AI + specialists | No. Books autonomously | No. Chatbot books |
| Auto-reply, no person | No. Draft only. | Automated chat must say so | Yes. Automatic AI replies | Yes. Every lead in seconds | Yes. 24/7 text and voice | Yes. AI-powered chat | Yes. First ring, 24/7 | Yes. Chatbot sequences |
| Books the visit itself | No. Two slots. You confirm. | FTC: the promise has to be true | Yes. Schedules test drives | Yes. Books into the CRM | Yes. AI scheduling | Yes. Service into appointments | Yes. Book demos into CRM | Yes. Meeting links |
| Messenger is the desk | Yes. Paste-in or the Page. | — | — Texts and calls | — Email and SMS | — Text, email, voice | Yes. Chats through Facebook Messenger | — Voice, SMS, email | — CRM chatbot |
| Show rate, measured | Not yet. Soft ROI is modeled, labeled, not a show rate. | — We will not print a rate we have not counted. | Story, not a rate card. Appointments and test drives | Their figure. 44% of AI-set appointments after hours | — | — | Dealer quote. 56% of booking opportunities | — |
| Public list price | $349 · $599 · $999 | — | — Quote | — Quote | — Quote | — Quote | — Quote | Free chatbot. Not a desk. |
Desk checks · shipped 14 Oct 2026
Five checks on every draft, as of Oct 14, 2026, based on public info. A dash means their public page does not say. A dash is not a no. Not legal advice.
| Feature | LotBeacon | Why it matters | Podium | Impel | Kenect | Gubagoo | STELLA | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buyer-intent tags | Yes. Price, availability, trade-in, financing, negotiation. | — | Yes. Works out what the customer is trying to do | — | — | — | — | — |
| Negotiation goes to a manager | Yes. Get a manager chip. No promised discount. | FTC: the promise has to be true | Partial. Escalates pricing commitments | — | — | — | — | — |
| Ad wording checks | Yes. Holds lowest price, all fees included, easy approval. | FTC auto pricing FAQs | Partial. Shows validation checks that ran. Ad-wording list not published. | — | — | — | — | — |
| Quiet hours and opt-out | Yes. Warns 9 PM to 8 AM. Blocks Copy after stop. | FCC unwanted texts | Partial. Store sets hours and when outreach stops | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stock number or VIN on the thread | Yes. One tap. | — | Yes. Confirms the VIN | — | — | — | — | — |
Management
Right message, right unit, then a packet the desk can approve. Finance is a person, not a bot.
| Feature | LotBeacon | Why we don’t | Podium | Impel | Kenect | Gubagoo | STELLA | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See the draft before it leaves | Yes. Shared queue. You open it. | — | — | — | — | Yes. Jump in, or take control | — | — |
| Tag a manager on a thread | Yes. Price ask escalates. | — | Yes. Mentions | Yes. Warm transfer with context | — | Yes. Coach teammates | Yes. Custom transfer rules | Yes. Route to a person |
| Right unit on the thread | Yes. Live inventory. Sold stays sold. | — | — | Yes. Live dealer inventory | — | — | Yes. Answer inventory questions | — |
| Packet to the desk, then finance | Not yet. Escalate is a person. No credit app. | CFPB: a payment claim is advertising. | Playbooks. Trade-ins and cash offers | — | — | Yes. Credit app and order inside Facebook | — | — |
| Activity you can count | Drafts and sends, labeled. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Ownership
Federal and state advertising rules, the store’s brand, and proof that is labeled. OEM badges are theirs, not ours.
| Feature | LotBeacon | Why we don’t | Podium | Impel | Kenect | Gubagoo | STELLA | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firewall on price, payment, hold | Yes. Escalates. No invented number. | CFPB auto advertising | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Store brand on the draft | Yes. Guideline pack on the Dealership list. | — | Yes. Mirrors your playbooks | Yes. One knowledge bank | — | — | Yes. Tailored to your brand | — |
| Audit of who sent what | Yes. Dealership list. | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Writes the visit into the scheduler | Not yet. A person confirms the slot. | — A write without a person is the thing we refuse. | Yes. Xtime and website forms into Jerry | Yes. Books in Xtime | — | — | Yes. Scheduler or DMS | — |
| OEM program, their claim | No. Not OEM-certified. | — We do not borrow a badge. | — | Yes. GM iMR approved | — | — | Yes. Approved FordDirect vendor | — |
| No off-platform cell scrape | Yes. Page inbox or paste-in. | FCC unwanted texts | — | — | — | — | — | — |
On the roadmap, not in the product
These are what their pages claim and we do not ship. Marked here so the table does not pretend.
- Measured show rate and kept appointments. Podium and STELLA print stories. Ours stays modeled until a store counts it.
- A deal packet: thread, unit, trade, two slots, who sent it. Hand to the desk, then to finance. No credit application, and no RouteOne or DealerTrack submit, until a person is on it.
- SMS next to Messenger. Same rule: a person hits Send.
- A confirmed slot written to Xtime or the CRM. Impel, Podium, and STELLA already claim the write. We will not write it without the rep.
- OEM co-op. Impel claims GM iMR. STELLA claims FordDirect. We will not put a badge on the page until a program exists.
HubSpot is the CRM named in dealer conversations. It books meetings. It is not a dealership BDC. Figures are the vendor’s, not audited.