How we compare
The real side-by-side — pick your own poison.
Most driving schools are either paying $250–$3,000/yr to software that still makes them keep a spreadsheet, or running on a spreadsheet and a Stripe link. We built directio because both options are bad. Real prices, real features, no asterisks.
| Feature | directio | DriveScout | Teachworks | Drivers Ed Solutions | Spreadsheets + Stripe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | |||||
Starting price | $0/mo + 2% | $50/seat/mo, 5-seat min | $16/mo + $0.32/lesson | $150/mo × 4–8 mo term | $0 + 2.9% |
Setup fee | — | $250 | — | +$275 for online payments | — |
Per-student or per-lesson fees | — | no (but per-seat scales) | ✓ | $6.25/student | — |
Annual cash upfront DriveScout's discount tier requires the year paid on day one. | — | $2,400 prepay for discount | — | yes (term-prepay) | — |
Custom marketing site included An AI-built site on your domain, auto-synced from your school data. | $29/mo Studio | — | — | $750+ as a service | — |
Published pricing on the website If you have to 'talk to sales' to find out the price, that's the price. | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| The classroom + LMS | |||||
Built-in lessons, quizzes, video | ✓ | — | — | partial | — |
Install-copy-edit your curriculum Pull a content pack into your school, edit freely, keep your edits when the pack updates. | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
Family / parent portal | ✓ | partial | partial | ✓ | — |
One login, all your kids | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
| Scheduling & in-car | |||||
Drag-and-drop dispatch board | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | — |
Vehicle / fuel / pre-trip on instructor phone | ✓ | partial | — | — | — |
Late-cancel / no-show fee rules | ✓ | manual | manual | manual | manual |
24h + 1h automatic reminders | ✓ | partial | partial | ✓ | — |
Two-way Google Calendar sync Teachworks' #1 multi-year complaint is the lack of two-way sync. | ✓ | partial | — | — | ✓ |
| Payroll & compensation | |||||
Versioned per-instructor pay rules Hourly, per-lesson, per-mile, bonuses — versioned so historical pay never moves. | ✓ | — | — | — | manual |
1099 export | ✓ | manual | manual | manual | manual |
| State compliance | |||||
Per-state credential modeled Real credential names (Blue Card, ITTD slip, DEC-1/DEC-2, MV3001, etc.), not 'certificate'. | all 51 jurisdictions | few | — | few | — |
Honest coverage labels Each state shows checklist / PDF / electronic — never overstated. | ✓ | — | n/a | — | n/a |
Deep state implementation (MN) | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
Co-build for your state First school in each state is a design partner; we work with you to model the rules. | ✓ | — | — | — | n/a |
| Migration & ownership | |||||
CSV import (students, payments, staff, fleet) | ✓ | partial | partial | manual | n/a |
Your bank account, your money Direct Stripe Connect to your bank — we never hold school funds. | ✓ | BYO gateway | BYO gateway | +$275 setup | ✓ |
Full data export on exit | ✓ | partial | partial | partial | ✓ |
Audit log on every compliance action | ✓ | — | — | — | — |
Competitor capabilities reflect their publicly-listed features and what schools have told us. If we got something wrong, email hello@directio.app and we'll update this page — and credit you.
Year one, real numbers.
A 200-student school doing $120K in tuition GMV (avg $600/student). Every line is pulled from a vendor's own public pricing page. If there's no public page, that's a row that doesn't appear here — by design.
| Vendor | Base | Per student | Payments | Setup | Y1 total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
directio (Free) No contract, no upfront, no seat cap. | $0 | — | 2% of $120K = $2,400 | $0 | $2,400 |
directio (Studio) Adds AI-built marketing site on your domain. | $348 | — | 2% of $120K = $2,400 | $0 | $2,748 |
DriveScout (annual prepay) Full $2,400 paid day one for the discount tier. | $2,400 | — | BYO Stripe (2.9% + 30¢) | $250 | $2,650 |
DriveScout (monthly) | $3,000 | — | BYO Stripe | $250 | $3,250 |
Teachworks Starter Genuinely cheap. No state compliance, no LMS, no payroll. | $198 | $0.32 × ~2,400 lessons = $768 | BYO Stripe | $0 | $966 |
Drivers Ed Solutions | $750 (5-mo term) | $6.25 × 200 = $1,250 | +$275 setup | $275 | $2,275 |
Spreadsheets + Stripe + Acuity Zero compliance, zero credential workflow, you build it. | ~$960 (Acuity + Mailchimp + Twilio) | — | 2.9% + 30¢ | $0 | ~$960 |
Teachworks looks cheaper on this single line. It is. It also has no LMS, no per-state credential workflow, no instructor payroll, and no audit log. The chart above is where that gap shows up.
Three things nobody else does.
The chart shows a lot of overlap on table-stakes. Here's what's actually different.
$0/mo to run the whole school.
DriveScout starts at $50/seat/mo with a 5-seat floor and a $250 setup. Teachworks charges $0.32/lesson — which adds up fast at 12 lessons per student. We charge $0 and take 2% on payments — out of your revenue, never on top of the family's bill. Studio ($29/mo) adds your AI-built marketing site. That's the whole menu.
51 jurisdictions, honestly labeled.
Every other vendor either claims they 'support all 50 states' (they don't) or supports one and leaves the rest to you. We name the real credential for every jurisdiction — Blue Card, ITTD slip, DEC-1/DEC-2, MV3001, Driving Eligibility Certificate — and label maturity honestly: checklist / PDF / electronic. The first school in each state is a design partner and we co-build the deeper adapter.
Stripe Connect direct. Cancel any time.
DriveScout's discount tier wants $2,400 paid on day one. Drivers Ed Solutions sells you a 4-, 5-, or 8-month prepay term. We never hold school funds — payments go directly to your bank via Stripe Connect, and full CSV export is a click. Leaving is a click, not a negotiation.
Try the comparison the only way that matters.
Sign up free. Run your next enrollment. If anything in the chart above is wrong about directio, you'll find out in 10 minutes.