DRB or MeetScarlet: a car wash app with your name.
For a wash with one to three sites that wants a member app with its own name at a published price, MeetScarlet is the better pick: the app comes in every plan for $349 a month, while DRB publishes no prices for Beacon, its branded wash app, or its point-of-sale systems. MeetScarlet's setup is $999 on monthly billing and free on yearly, and it does not replace or connect to a point of sale. We make MeetScarlet; every DRB fact here comes from DRB's own pages.
Which should you pick?
Who wrote this: the team that makes MeetScarlet. We compare from each vendor's own public pages, read on November 1, 2026, not from a hands-on test of the rival. Where a vendor does not publish something, we say so rather than guess.
Pick MeetScarlet if you run one to three sites and want a member app with your wash's name at a price you can see before a demo: $349 a month, or $499 on MeetScarlet Pro for up to three sites, plus $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly. Members buy unlimited plans and packs in the app, your attendant checks their plate or pass at the wash, and our team sets the app up and submits it under your own Apple and Google accounts.
DRB may suit you if you run a tunnel wash, or many of them, and want the app tied to your point of sale, with plate recognition and FastPass tags that let members through the gate.
Why car washes pick MeetScarlet over DRB
- A published price: $349 a month for one site with the app included, plus $999 setup, or $3,490 a year with no setup fee; DRB publishes no prices for Beacon, SiteWatch or Patheon
- Your app is published under your own Apple and Google developer accounts; the DRB pages we read don't say whose accounts hold Beacon
- Our team imports your member list and sets up your plans, packs and sites as part of setup
Side by side
| DRB | MeetScarlet | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not published; each product page asks you to request a demo or more information | $349 a month for one site and 5 staff logins, or $499 a month on MeetScarlet Pro for up to three sites and 20; $999 setup on monthly billing, free on yearly |
| App with your wash's name | Beacon, a native app branded for your business; DRB handles publishing and approval with Apple and Google | An iPhone and Android app with your wash's name, plus a web app |
| Developer accounts | Not stated on the seven pages we read | Your own Apple and Google accounts ($99 a year to Apple, $25 once to Google) |
| Point of sale | Its own: SiteWatch (with EMV card payments) or Patheon; Beacon integrates with Patheon (membership data only, for now) | None, and no connection to one |
| Member check at the wash | AI license plate recognition (unavailable in Arkansas, Maine and New Hampshire) and FastPass tags, which let members through the gate | The attendant types the plate or scans the member's pass and gets a green or red answer |
| Plans and extras | Unlimited plans, family plans, prepaids and wash books, gift cards, loyalty points, referral codes and fleet accounts | Unlimited wash plans and packs, sold in the app; members redeem gift cards in the app, and you can run referral rewards |
| Messages | Transaction texts and emails (plan welcome, failed payments, receipts) with Patheon; push notifications in Beacon | Messages with members in the app, and push announcements on MeetScarlet Pro |
| Sites | Chain-wide plans across many locations; GO Car Wash runs it across 115 | One site, or up to three on MeetScarlet Pro |
From drb.com: its home page and its SiteWatch, vehicle identification, e-commerce, Beacon, Patheon and hardware pages, read November 1, 2026.
Where DRB may fit better
- Its own point of sale, with app sign-ups and plan changes synced to it
- AI license plate recognition, and FastPass tags that let members through the gate
- Loyalty points, family plans, fleet accounts and C-store offers in one app
- Plans and prepaids redeemable chain-wide; GO Car Wash runs on it across 115 locations
Questions to ask on a DRB demo
DRB's public pages leave these open, so ask before you sign:
- What do Beacon and Patheon cost for one site, and is there a setup fee?
- Is Beacon published under my wash's own Apple and Google developer accounts?
- Who owns the app listing if I leave?
- Does Beacon work with SiteWatch, or only with Patheon?
- If you leave, can you export your client list, and what comes with it?
Ask us the same questions about MeetScarlet; our prices are on the homepage.
Moving to MeetScarlet
We import your member list from a spreadsheet or CSV export, then set up your plans, packs and sites as part of setup. About 4 to 6 weeks for the store apps, most of it Apple's enrollment. Your web app's link is ready during setup, and members can book there as soon as you choose your MeetScarlet plan. They keep the same account when the store apps launch.
Questions
Straight answers. Anything else, ask us on a demo.
Does DRB have a branded car wash app? #
Yes. DRB's Beacon is a native mobile app branded for your wash, and DRB says it handles publishing, review and approval with Apple and Google. Beacon integrates with DRB's Patheon point of sale for membership data (read November 1, 2026).
How much does DRB cost? #
DRB does not publish prices for SiteWatch, Patheon, Beacon or its hardware; each page asks you to request a demo or more information.
Can MeetScarlet replace DRB? #
Not as a point of sale. MeetScarlet sells memberships and packs in an app with your wash's name and checks members at the wash by plate or pass, but it has no point of sale, gate or tunnel connection.
Is this comparison independent? #
No. We make MeetScarlet, and we recommend it to washes with one to three sites that want a member app with their own name at a published price. Every DRB fact comes from DRB's own pages, dated, and we say where DRB may fit better.
Keep reading
- Best car wash membership apps (2026)Nine car wash membership options compared on price, gate recognition and a branded app, with MeetScarlet as our pick for attendant-run washes.
- Car washesA car wash membership app under your own name: sell unlimited wash plans, let members in by plate or pass at the gate, and give rain check re-washes.
- MeetScarlet vs RinsedMeetScarlet gives your car wash members an app with its name for $349 a month; Rinsed lists $765 and $849 a month per location, with a customer portal.