HelmDMS vs Sharpe DMS

Two marine-focused dealer management systems, both pitched at independent shops. Here's how they line up.

TL;DR

Sharpe DMS and HelmDMS are the two systems most marine independents weigh against each other when they want a marine-only DMS at a small-shop price. Sharpe has been around longer and has the in-the-trade familiarity. HelmDMS is the modern entrant — built on a current web stack, with features no one else has (live supplier search, built-in voice, caller ID).

Side-by-side

	HelmDMS	Sharpe DMS
Vertical focus	Marine-only	Marine and powersports
Pricing	$499/mo flat, public	Quote only
Per-seat fees	No — unlimited	Varies
Contract	Month-to-month	Varies
Web-based	Yes — modern PWA	Web-based, more traditional UI
Built-in SMS	Yes — included	Couldn't verify — check with vendor
Automated voice calls	Yes — included	No
Caller ID popup	Yes	No
Live multi-supplier search	Yes — exclusive	No
AI invoice scan-to-inventory	Yes — via ExoInvoice integration	No
Stripe Terminal	Native	Couldn't verify
QuickBooks Online sync	Yes	Couldn't verify scope
Years in market	New (2026 launch)	Established
Public reviews	Founding-dealer pricing — early	Limited public review presence
Support	Direct line, US team	Small-team feel

Sharpe DMS doesn't publish detailed feature lists publicly, and has limited third-party review presence. We've marked unverifiable claims as "couldn't verify" rather than guess. Confirm specific features with Sharpe directly before deciding.

Where Sharpe wins

✓Years in the trade. They've been serving marine dealers longer than HelmDMS has existed. That track record is real and worth weighing.
✓Marine-focused product depth in some areas. Familiarity with how dealers think and work, accumulated over years.
✓Established support relationships. Their existing customers tend to know the support team personally.
✓Lower-risk choice for the conservative. "We've seen them around for years" beats "they launched this year" if track record is what you're optimizing for.

Where HelmDMS wins

✓Modern stack. Built in 2025, web-first, mobile-friendly. iPad-ready. Fast.
✓Live multi-supplier search. One feature no one else in marine has. Saves hours per week.
✓Built-in SMS, voice, email. No add-ons. No Kenect bill.
✓Caller ID popup & live calls dashboard. Phone rings, customer record opens.
✓Public, flat pricing. $499/mo. No "request a quote" call.
✓Founding-dealer lock-in. First 25 dealers stay at $499/mo for life.
✓Direct line to the team that built it. Email or call goes to the engineer who can fix or build what you ask for.

Honest framing

Sharpe DMS doesn't publish detailed product information on their public site — no feature lists with checkmarks, no public pricing, limited third-party reviews. We've worked from what we could verify and flagged the gaps. If Sharpe is on your shortlist, get a real demo and ask the same questions you'd ask us.

Question to ask both vendors:

What's included vs. add-on at the listed price?
How long does migration take, and what does it cost?
Is there a contract minimum?
Can I see a recent product release log? (Tells you how active development is.)
Who answers when I email support? Is it the team that built the product?

Who should pick Sharpe?

If you value a longer track record over the newest features, Sharpe is the conservative pick. Get a demo, ask the questions above, and compare directly.

Who should pick HelmDMS?

If you want the modern features (live supplier search, built-in voice, caller ID), the modern UX (iPad-ready, fast), and the modern pricing model (flat, public, no contract), HelmDMS is the right call. The founding-dealer pricing of $499/mo locks in for life, which is the cheapest entry point into a real marine DMS that we know of.

See it for yourself.

We migrate your data as part of founding-dealer onboarding.

Book a demo