Comparison
Car Show Software Comparison: Car Show Expert vs Car Show Pro vs Driven To Show vs Car Show Software
Side-by-side breakdown of the four main car show management platforms — features, pricing, offline capability, and platform type. This page is written by us, so take it with that in mind — but the feature data is sourced from each vendor's public website and checked against their current product.
Last updated May 2026 · Verify current details at each vendor's site before purchasing
Pricing at a glance
Car Show Expert
Free
Expert Shows $29 · Pro plan $49/mo
Car Show Pro
~$2.39 per entry
Plus 4.2% + $0.39 card surcharge per transaction
Driven To Show
$199 per show
Concierge onboarding + live support included
Car Show Software
$50 total
Windows + Excel only · no cloud, no mobile
Cost example — 300-car show, $15 entry fee
Car Show Pro card surcharge estimated at 4.2% + $0.39 per transaction on a $15 entry fee across 300 registrations.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Car Show Expert | Car Show Pro | Driven To Show | Car Show Software |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free to start | ✅ Fully functional Up to 5 Basic Shows — no trial, no expiry | No free tier | No free tier | $50 one-time Windows + Excel, download only |
| Online registration | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | No Desktop-only; no public registration page |
| Mobile check-in | ✅ Online + offline Works in dead-signal venues; syncs when signal returns | Online only | Online only | No Desktop app only |
| Mobile judging | ✅ Online + offline Judges score on phone; syncs automatically | ✅ Online only | ✅ Online only | No Desktop app only |
| Judging formats | Build your own Define any scoring criteria from scratch | 3 built-in Traditional, freestyle, concours | Multiple Digital and paper workflows | Popular vote + class |
| Custom dashcards | ✅ Full HTML control Upload your own template with merge tags | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Basic Window information plaques |
| Custom public page branding | ✅ Pro plan Logo, colours, custom nav — Pro plan only | No | No | No public page Desktop app |
| People's Choice voting | ✅ QR-based Fraud-detection built in | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Ballot-based Manual count |
| Participant garage | ✅ Yes Saves vehicle details; pre-fills future registrations | No | No | No |
| Public results page | ✅ Yes Shareable link goes live the moment you publish | No | No | No |
| Winner notifications | ✅ Yes Placed entrants emailed when results are published | No | No | No |
| Volunteer management | ✅ Yes Post roles, collect sign-ups, manage from dashboard | No | ✅ Yes Volunteer logins included | No |
| Live show-day support | ✅ Available | No | ✅ Included In the $199 flat fee | No |
| Paper / hybrid workflow | No Digital-first only — paper not supported | Partial | ✅ Yes Digital, hybrid, or paper-first | ✅ Yes Paper-based by design |
Information sourced from each vendor's public website as of May 2026. Features and pricing change — verify with the vendor before purchasing. We've tried to be accurate but this is our page, so check their sites too.
Where Car Show Expert stands out
The features we think make the biggest practical difference on show day.
Free with no strings
Up to 5 Basic Shows with no cost, no trial clock, no credit card. Every feature in a Basic Show is fully working. Most club organisers running occasional events never need to pay anything.
Works without signal
Car parks at fairgrounds, racetracks, and remote venues frequently have no mobile signal. Car Show Expert pre-loads your full entry list so check-in keeps moving regardless. Judging works the same way. Everything syncs when connectivity returns.
Build your own judging format
Rather than locking you into a fixed list of formats, you define the scoring criteria from scratch. A 100-point concours sheet, a 1–10 class score, a multi-criteria custom rubric — whatever your show needs.
Branded public pages (Pro)
On the Pro plan, your registration page and results page carry your club's logo, colours, and custom navigation. Import styles from your existing site in one click. Not available in any other car show platform.
Participant garage
Entrants save their vehicle details once. Every future registration pre-fills automatically — make, model, year, description. Fewer typos, faster sign-ups.
Results published instantly
When you publish results, every placed entrant gets an email and results go live on a public shareable URL. No manual announcements, no chasing people down — the results distribute themselves.
Public results page
One click after judging and your results are live on a public URL. Participants can find their placement any time, and winners can share their result directly on social media.
Which platform fits your situation?
Honest answers — including when a competitor might be the better call.
Car Show Expert
Best for: cloud-first shows of any sizeIf you want online registration, mobile judging, QR check-in, and a free starting point — this covers all of it. The free tier runs real shows with no catch. The offline capability handles venues other platforms can't. The main gap is paper: if your committee insists on paper ballots or a paper sign-in sheet, you'll need a different tool or a hybrid approach.
Car Show Pro
Best for: small shows where per-registration cost stays lowEstablished platform with a long track record and strong name recognition in the community. Per-registration pricing at ~$2.39 is manageable for small shows (under 80 cars) but adds up fast at scale. If you already know Car Show Pro and it's working for you, there's no urgent reason to switch — but compare costs on your actual entry count before renewing.
Driven To Show
Best for: organisers who want someone else to handle setup$199 flat per show includes concierge onboarding, configuration help, and a human on the line during your show. If you run one or two shows a year, don't want to figure anything out yourself, and have budget for it — this is a legitimate choice. Paper and hybrid workflows are also well supported. It's expensive for small shows and there's no free option, but the included support has real value.
Car Show Software
Best for: single local show, no internet, no budgetFifty dollars, one download, runs in Excel. No cloud, no mobile, no online registration. If you're running a small community show in a location with no internet, you just need ballot tabulation, and you're comfortable with spreadsheets — this is the honest answer. It does exactly what it says. It's not a competitor to any cloud platform; it's a different category.
Try Car Show Expert for free
No credit card required. Your first Basic Show can be live in minutes — add judging, QR check-in, and People's Choice when you need them.