Frank vs marketplaces
Marketplaces profit from the back-and-forth — more inquiries, more messages, more time wasted on both sides. Frank brings you and a dealer we trust straight to a fair, pre-negotiated price: the number you’d reach after hours of haggling, without the haggling.
The marketplace way
Submit 20 inquiries, field 40 “let’s make a deal” messages, then negotiate from scratch with every one of them.
The Frank way
Submit once and stay anonymous. We bring you a fair, pre-negotiated price from a dealer we trust — and you stay invisible until you choose to reply.
What Frank actually is
You’re not shopping dealers. Because you’re verified and serious before any introduction, the dealer isn’t chasing a tire-kicker — so they lead with a fair price instead of an opening offer. Both sides skip the runaround.
If your goal is the absolute lowest payment, Frank isn’t your tool. If you’d rather skip the haggling and land on a fair number you’d reach anyway, you’re exactly who we built this for.
How it works
Marketplaces make you do the same work over and over, then bury you in messages. Frank turns it into one request out — and a fair, pre-negotiated deal back from dealers we trust.
Pricing
One RFP for the Honda Civic you want fans out to every vetted dealer at once — instead of pasting the same inquiry into 20 separate forms.
The marketplace way
Re-enter the same inquiry, once for every dealer.
The Frank way
Submit one request — vetted dealers we trust return a fair price.
Trade-in
Your trade lives in your profile. Every dealer appraises the same car and bids — so you stop re-keying odometer, trim, and condition at 20 desks to chase 20 numbers.
The marketplace way
Re-key your trade at every dealer to get each number.
The Frank way
One entry → every dealer’s appraisal, best on top.
Offers
Offers funnel back to one screen, ranked best-first, so you shop and compare in a single view — instead of fielding a flood of “let’s make a deal” messages from dealers you never picked.
The marketplace way
40 unsolicited messages scattered across your inbox.
The Frank way
Every offer in one spot, ranked best-first.
The whole deal
Your trade-in, pre-approval, insurance, and monthly payment are each their own request to a different crowd of dealers, lenders, and brokers. On your own you run all four separately — re-entering the same details for every party. Build your Frank profile once and all four run through one organized place.
The marketplace way
Four separate runarounds — re-enter everything, for every party.
The Frank way
One profile → trade, pre-approval, insurance, and payments, organized.
Payments, deeper
That payment lane splits further. One model fans into trims, and each trim splits again into gas, hybrid, or electric — every branch with its own price, rebate, and fuel or energy cost. On your own, that’s a dozen permutations to quote by hand. Frank prices the whole tree on true monthly cost and ranks it best-first.
The marketplace way
Trim × powertrain × fuel — price every permutation yourself.
The Frank way
Every branch priced on true monthly cost, ranked best-first.
Guided start to finish — the tools and the data, in your pocket.
You’re on your own — it’s a listings wall, not a guide.
You don’t even have to open the app. We tell you the right time to buy and push offers to you.
The more time you spend, the more marketplaces charge dealers — and you pay for it. It’s not meant to be fun.
Cut out the middleman. A dealer we trust leads with a fair, pre-negotiated price — not an opening offer to negotiate down.*
Negotiation is always the first step.
Every incentive and program shown up front, so you know what you’re walking into — and whether you can afford it — before the dealership.
Won’t show payments — old infrastructure that was never built for modern shoppers.
See inventory you already pre-qualify for, at payments we’ve matched to your budget.
You’re flying blind.
Your trade is baked into every deal — enter it once, every dealer works from the same number.
The more times you re-submit your trade, the “better” — which means worse for you.
True total cost, baked in: insurance, fuel economy, and total payments over the term.
Has no idea what the car actually costs to own.
Every tool dealers use to win the deal — now free, and on your side.
Not free. Dealers pay for them, and that expense ends up on your contract.
A smart algorithm shows what you’re really paying and surfaces the best fit.
No technology or algorithm to surface the right buy.
Only vetted dealers — we recommend our favorites.
Anyone willing to pay can get listed.
Earn commissions and referral bonuses when friends buy through Frank.
No reward for your loyalty.
Track your vehicle’s value across the whole contract: where to service it, what you should be spending, and the right time to sell.
Zero support once they’ve sold you a car.
You decide when you’re ready and let dealers come to you. Submit your info once and never re-enter it.
You chase dealers to hand over your hard-earned money.
Help shopping for a car
Frank
Guided start to finish — the tools and the data, in your pocket.
Marketplaces
You’re on your own — it’s a listings wall, not a guide.
Save time
Frank
You don’t even have to open the app. We tell you the right time to buy and push offers to you.
Marketplaces
The more time you spend, the more marketplaces charge dealers — and you pay for it. It’s not meant to be fun.
Fair pricing
Frank
Cut out the middleman. A dealer we trust leads with a fair, pre-negotiated price — not an opening offer to negotiate down.*
Marketplaces
Negotiation is always the first step.
Simple payments
Frank
Every incentive and program shown up front, so you know what you’re walking into — and whether you can afford it — before the dealership.
Marketplaces
Won’t show payments — old infrastructure that was never built for modern shoppers.
Pre-approval
Frank
See inventory you already pre-qualify for, at payments we’ve matched to your budget.
Marketplaces
You’re flying blind.
Trade value
Frank
Your trade is baked into every deal — enter it once, every dealer works from the same number.
Marketplaces
The more times you re-submit your trade, the “better” — which means worse for you.
Total cost + fuel efficiency
Frank
True total cost, baked in: insurance, fuel economy, and total payments over the term.
Marketplaces
Has no idea what the car actually costs to own.
Shopping tools
Frank
Every tool dealers use to win the deal — now free, and on your side.
Marketplaces
Not free. Dealers pay for them, and that expense ends up on your contract.
Car-shopping recommendations
Frank
A smart algorithm shows what you’re really paying and surfaces the best fit.
Marketplaces
No technology or algorithm to surface the right buy.
Experience + rating
Frank
Only vetted dealers — we recommend our favorites.
Marketplaces
Anyone willing to pay can get listed.
Rewards + loyalty
Frank
Earn commissions and referral bonuses when friends buy through Frank.
Marketplaces
No reward for your loyalty.
Ownership support
Frank
Track your vehicle’s value across the whole contract: where to service it, what you should be spending, and the right time to sell.
Marketplaces
Zero support once they’ve sold you a car.
Control over the experience
Frank
You decide when you’re ready and let dealers come to you. Submit your info once and never re-enter it.
Marketplaces
You chase dealers to hand over your hard-earned money.
* A fair, pre-negotiated price reflects market value with available incentives applied — typically the number you’d reach after hours of negotiation, not a guarantee of the lowest possible payment. Price varies by vehicle, market, trade, and deal.
Build your profile once — soft credit, your trade, what you’re looking for. Stay anonymous, and only reply to the offer that actually works for you.