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Side by sideOwn it vs. rent it
Deadhead Labs builds you a system you own. TowPilot and TowOS rent you one. Here's how they differ, and where renting is the better fit, from their own websites on October 30, 2026.
Owning vs. renting
A subscription costs you every month for as long as you use it. A system you own costs you once to build, then only what it uses to run.
| Compared | Deadhead LabsThat's us | TowPilottowpilot.ai | TowOSby RoadsideROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| How you pay | $80/hr build-out + one-time setup fee | Not published — 7-day free trial | Monthly plans: $79/mo (250 AI min), $149/mo (400 AI min) |
| Monthly fee to the vendor | Yes: None — you own the system | Monthly subscription (amount not published) | Yes, every month you use it |
| Running costs | Server, phone, and AI usage billed to you directly, at cost | Minutes bucket; overage billed per minute | Included in plan minutes; $5/mo number fee per their terms |
| Setup fee | One-time, quoted per shop | None mentioned | None advertised; their terms list a one-time $30 compliance fee |
| Who owns the system and data | Yes: You do, on your own server | Not listed | Per their terms: the software is theirs; you own your content but license them to use it to improve the service |
| If you stop paying | Yes: It keeps running — it's yours | Subscription ends | Subscription ends; with auto-recharge off, it stops taking new calls |
| Contract | Yes: No minimum term — hourly, as needed; mutual NDA | Yes: No contracts | Yes: No contracts; no refunds for partial months |
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TowPilot doesn't publish prices on its website. Get their quote alongside ours.
What each one does
"Not listed" means their website doesn't mention it — not that they can't do it. Ask them.
| Compared | Deadhead LabsThat's us | TowPilottowpilot.ai | TowOSby RoadsideROI |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24/7 AI call answering | Yes: Yes — on the calls your crew misses | Yes: Yes, 24/7/365 | Yes: Yes, 24/7 |
| Your crew gets first ring | Yes: Yes — the AI only takes the calls they miss | Partly: Overflow handling; you choose which calls reach your phone | AI answers every call "within seconds" |
| Quotes from your rates | Yes: Your rates, miles, and vehicle | Yes: Distance, vehicle, and time of day (beta) | Partly: Voice AI quoting on the $149 Fleet Commander plan |
| Motor-club billing data entry | Yes: Pre-filled across all major motor-club billing portals; a human reviews | Partly: Motor-club calls and auto-accepting digital dispatch jobs | Partly: Club jobs from dispatch emails, priced off your club rate cards, exported as a spreadsheet to submit |
| Deadhead (return-trip) miles billed | Yes: Calculated from real addresses | Not listed | Not listed |
| Driver commissions calculated | Yes: Weekly, with your rules, ready to approve | Not listed | Not listed |
| Works with your dispatch software | Yes: Built around it: Towbook in production; Omadi, TOPS, Beacon and others built to order | Yes: Connects to your dispatch software; names Towbook and Dispatch Anywhere | Is its own dispatch system |
| Driver app & GPS | Partly: Uses your dispatch app; GPS/ELD connections built to order | Not listed | Yes: Driver app + GPS locator |
| Impound & lien tracking | Partly: Impound records synced from Towbook today; storage and lien tracking built to order | Yes: Impound manager | Partly: Impound Assist: AI answers "where's my car" calls (Fleet Commander) |
| Customer invoicing & payments | Through the tools you already use | Not listed | Yes: Invoicing + instant pay links |
| Languages | English; Spanish built to order | Yes: English, Spanish, and more | Yes: English and Spanish |
| Setup | Built with you, in person or remote | Yes: "Setup in minutes" | Yes: "Under 10 minutes" |
| Proof you can check | Yes: Runs daily at Athena Towing, Athens, GA | Customer testimonials on their site | "Built for tow operators, by tow operators" |
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Other AI answering you can rent
Published prices from each company's own website on October 30, 2026. They charge in different units — per minute, per call, or monthly plus usage — so check them against your own call volume.
| Company | How it's priced | Entry price | Setup fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deadhead Labs | You own it | $80/hr build-out; phone and AI usage billed to you at cost | One-time, quoted per shop |
| AgentZap | Monthly minutes | $109/mo for 150 minutes ($0.85/min after) | $499 one-time training & setup |
| Tow Deputy | Per call | $99/mo for 290 calls ($0.30 per extra call) | Not listed; 14-day free trial |
| US Tow AI-Connect | Per minute, no monthly | $0.20–$0.30 per minute, by membership tier | $0–$499, by tier |
| Towmatic | Monthly + per minute | $597/mo, plus AI usage "typically $0.15–$0.25/min" | 7-day free setup & trial; bundles list a $497 setup fee |
| towingdispatch.ai | Monthly | "Plans start at $499/mo" | Not listed; guided pilot |
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Who should pick what
TowPilot or TowOS may fit better if you…
- want to sign up online and be live the same day
- would rather rent a finished product than own and run a system
- need a driver app and GPS (TowOS) or impound tools (both) in the same product
- don't run dispatch software yet and want one app for everything
- want customer invoicing and card payments built in (TowOS)
Deadhead Labs fits better if you…
- want every motor-club job billed with its deadhead miles, without retyping it into portals
- spend Mondays on driver commission math
- already run Towbook or similar and don't want to switch
- want your crew to get first ring, with AI only on the calls they miss
- want to own your system and data instead of renting another subscription
- want your phones, billing, books, website, and ads connected into one system
Sources, checked October 30, 2026: TowPilot — towpilot.ai, towpilot.ai/llms-full.txt, towpilot.ai/resources/Towpilot%20pricing%20and%20ROI.txt; TowOS — roadsideroi.com, roadsideroi.com/pricing, roadsideroi.com/features, roadsideroi.com/features/motor-club-billing, roadsideroi.com/terms; AgentZap — agentzap.ai/pricing; Tow Deputy — towdeputy.com; US Tow AI-Connect — ustowaiconnect.com; Towmatic — towmatic.ai/pricing; towingdispatch.ai — towingdispatch.ai. Plans and features change — check their sites for current details. All product names are trademarks of their respective owners; Deadhead Labs isn't affiliated with or endorsed by any of them.