Stella alternatives
Stella alternatives for car dealerships: what to compare.
If you are comparing Stella, the AI platform from STELLA Automotive AI at stellaautomotive.com, with other AI phone agents, start with what happens on the call: after-hours coverage, booking into your scheduler, BDC overflow and setup time. Here is a fair side-by-side, then a real Cleo call.
Side by side
Stella and Cleo on what to compare.
| What to compare | Stella | Cleo |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Describes STELLA as an AI customer communication platform for dealerships, with STELLA Reception, STELLA Service, STELLA Catalyst (outbound calls and texts) and STELLA Insights (analytics).Source: Solution overview, Home | An AI phone agent for dealership service calls. Cleo answers, books service appointments into your scheduler, and hands the call to your team when a person is needed. |
| After-hours coverage | Says STELLA Service “answers every call on the first ring, day or night,” and STELLA Reception “answers calls on the first ring, 24/7/365.”Source: STELLA Service, STELLA Reception | Answers your service calls, day or night. At Stevens Creek Subaru, 30 appointments were booked while the service department was closed (Sept 21 to Oct 20, 2026). At El Cerrito Honda, 34 were booked while closed in a separate 30 days. |
| Booking into your scheduler | Says STELLA Service “books appointments directly in your scheduler.” Its FAQ lists Affinitiv, Reynolds & Reynolds, Xtime, CDK Global, Dealer-FX and myKaarma as integrations, and a 2025 post also lists Tekion and Update Promise.Source: STELLA Service, FAQs, Scheduler post | Books into Xtime at El Cerrito Honda, and Dealer-FX lists Cleo in its integrations directory. Cleo also books through CDK and Tekion online scheduling, not a DMS integration. Cleo reads the open times the scheduler returns and confirms only after the booking succeeds. Confirm your own scheduler with every vendor.Cleo with Xtime →Cleo with CDK and Tekion → |
| BDC overflow and handoff | Says STELLA Service “Directs calls to emergency roadside assistance or other departments as needed,” and STELLA Reception “Routes calls by name, role, or department to get customers to the right person fast.”Source: STELLA Service, STELLA Reception | At El Cerrito Honda, “If a call is not answered within three rings in any department, Cleo steps in.” When no time is available or a booking fails, Cleo sends your team a callback request or transfers to a person you configure. |
| Setup time | Says “STELLA’s onboarding team handles the setup process and integration. Most dealerships are live within days.”Source: STELLA Service | Cleo can be live in under 7 days. Before launch, confirm your scheduler connection, service rules, opening hours and escalation destinations. |
| Scale | Says it was founded in 2022 and that STELLA “powers millions of conversations.”Source: About | Cleo production figures, Sept 21 to Oct 21, 2026: 32,323 calls answered across 41 dealership rooftops, and 5,916 appointments booked in the same 30 days. |
| Price | No price is listed on the pages we reviewed. Its FAQ says STELLA “has a low setup fee and a monthly subscription,” with a quote on request.Source: FAQs | Cleo does not publish a price. Ask every vendor for a written quote, and see what to weigh when comparing prices.What to weigh → |
Stella details come from stellaautomotive.com pages read on October 22, 2026, and may have changed since. Check each vendor directly. STELLA is a product of STELLA Automotive AI, Inc. STELLA, CDK, Tekion and the other system names above are trademarks of their owners. Cleo is an independent vendor, and this page does not describe a partnership with, or endorsement by, STELLA Automotive AI. Cleo figures come from Cleo’s case studies and its Dealer-FX page. Booked appointments are not completed visits or revenue, and results are one dealership’s, not a promise of yours.
Real customer call · 1:27
Real customer call. Cleo, answering as “Jen”, is the original recording. The caller’s voice is recreated for privacy and their name is removed.
Real dealership results
What answered calls became at two Cleo dealerships.
1,678
Calls Cleo answered at Stevens Creek Subaru, September 21 to October 20, 2026
447
Of those calls ended as a booked appointment (booking-outcome calls)
30
Of those appointments were booked while the service department was closed
A booking-outcome call is a call that ended as a scheduled appointment in Cleo’s call log. It is not a completed appointment and it is not revenue: Cleo does not report whether customers arrived or what work was paid for. Booked appointments and transfers are separate outcomes, not a breakdown of the answered calls. These are one dealership’s results, not a promise of yours.
El Cerrito Honda, in a separate 30 days: 633 calls answered and 112 appointments booked, 34 of them while the dealership was closed. Its case study estimates $39,200 in service revenue from those 112 appointments, based on an average repair order of $350.
El Cerrito Honda case study, Cleo dashboard, rolling 30 days captured September 26, 2026
What to compare
Three checks before you pick a phone agent.
01 · After hours and overflow
Check the hours it answers, how fast it picks up, and whether it covers nights, weekends and the moments your BDC is busy. Test each vendor after hours and at your busiest time of day, and note which calls end in a booking.
02 · Booking into your scheduler
Confirm which scheduling system it books into, whether it checks open times before offering one, and what it says when no time is available or a booking fails. A message taken is not an appointment. Cleo books into Xtime, and through CDK and Tekion online scheduling.
03 · Handoff and setup time
Ask where calls go when a person is needed: a transfer, a callback task for your team, or nothing. Then ask who does the setup and how long until it answers real calls, and get the answer in writing.
Count outcomes the same way for every vendor. An answered call is not a booking, and a booked appointment is not a completed visit.
Before you sign
Questions to ask every vendor, Cleo included.
Ask for the same numbers
Ask each vendor for calls answered, appointments booked and after-hours bookings from one real dealership over the same 30 days, and for how it counts a booked appointment. Compare like with like.
Check the term and the exit
Ask what the contract term is, what it costs to add a rooftop, and what you can export if you leave. Cleo can be live in under 7 days. Confirm your scheduler connection and service rules before launch.
Cleo does not publish a price. To hear how Cleo would answer your service calls and book appointments for your dealership, book a 30-minute demo.
FAQ
Still have questions?
What should I compare when looking at Stella alternatives?
Compare four things on a real call: after-hours coverage, whether the agent books into your scheduler, how it handles BDC overflow and handoff to your team, and how long setup takes. Ask every vendor for the same numbers from one real dealership over the same 30 days.
How does Cleo compare with Stella?
How long does an AI phone agent take to set up?
Can an AI phone agent book service appointments after hours?
Contact
See how Cleo answers your service calls.
Book a 30-minute demo and hear how Cleo would answer your service calls and book appointments.
