iCabbi and Autocab alternatives
iCabbi and Autocab are built for established taxi and private hire fleets. Both sell a full dispatch stack with driver and passenger apps, and both start with a demo rather than a price list.
On this page
- What each one publishes
- The job, as your dispatcher sees it
- Every way work reaches you
- Work out what you are actually paying for
- Priced by your rate card, on the server
- When iCabbi or Autocab is the better choice
- A payment page per booking
- Rentals, with the paperwork attached
- What RideDesk is, and is not
- Your brand, your domain
- Ask these before you sign anything
- How a booking moves
- What comes with it
- Run it alongside, not instead
- Frequently asked questions
If your firm is smaller, or most of your work is booked ahead rather than hailed, the real question is often not which of the two to choose but whether you need that stack at all. This page sets out what each vendor says on its own website, read on 25 October 2026, and what to test before you move a live booking desk.
What each one publishes
Taken from each vendor's own website on 25 October 2026. Neither publishes a price, so no price is quoted for either of them here.
| iCabbi | Autocab | RideDesk | |
|---|---|---|---|
| How it charges | A licence fee per driver, billed monthly, with a tailored quote per fleet | Not published; the website asks you to book a demo | Flat monthly, Free and Pro priced on a public page; no per-driver, per-vehicle or per-trip fee |
| Who it is aimed at | "From micro to mega"; in the UK, fleets under 50 vehicles are looked after by its reseller ETGL | "You run a fleet of 30 cars or more" | Any size; the free plan covers ten transfers a month |
| Contract | From no lock-in to fixed 12-month terms, depending on the market | Not published | Month to month, no minimum term, no onboarding fee |
| Passenger app | Yes | Yes, white-label | No |
The job, as your dispatcher sees it
One record holds the passenger, the route, the flight, the assigned driver and the money — so nothing about the ride lives in somebody’s phone.
M. Weber · 2 pax
FRA T1 → HOTEL JUMEIRAH, FRANKFURT
LH 402 · on time · Business Van
THOMAS S. · Accepted · 4 min ago
€ 89.00
Paid
Every way work reaches you
Website, widget, WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger, Telegram, live chat, email, phone and marketplace partners — all landing in the same place.
Work out what you are actually paying for
A per-driver licence means the bill follows your headcount, including the part-time and weekend drivers who log in a few times a month. Before comparing anything, count the drivers you would actually license and ask for the quote in writing, with every module you use priced on it: passenger app, phone booking, driver payments, accounts portal.
Then ask for the contract term and the notice period. iCabbi says its terms range from no lock-in to fixed twelve-month contracts depending on the market, so the answer for your firm is worth having on paper before you plan a switch date.
If the total is comfortable and the system does what you need, switching may not be worth the disruption. The case for moving is strongest when you are paying for parts of the stack you do not use.
Priced by your rate card, on the server
The route is measured once and every vehicle class is priced from your own rates, so no channel can quietly undercut you.
Priced live from your own rate card · fixed, no surprises
When iCabbi or Autocab is the better choice
If you run a large fleet doing mostly on-demand street and phone work, a full dispatch platform is built for exactly that, and the depth shows. Both sell a passenger app under your brand, which RideDesk does not have.
Autocab also sells an automated phone booking system and its iGo marketplace, which its website describes as access to trip aggregators and demand generators "like Uber". If extra work from third parties is part of your plan, that is a reason to stay.
A payment page per booking
Your own Stripe, PayPal or SumUp account, the full booking summary on the page, and a compliant invoice behind it.
Rentals, with the paperwork attached
Day rates and duration discounts, included kilometres, condition at handover and return, and an agreement the customer signs.
What RideDesk is, and is not
RideDesk is a booking desk for pre-booked private hire, airport transfer, chauffeur and rental work: quotes priced on the server from your own rate card, dispatch to your drivers and partners, invoices, payments through your own Stripe, PayPal or SumUp account, and one inbox for email and WhatsApp. Flat monthly, no commission on fares.
It has no passenger app, and it is newer and smaller than both systems on this page, with fewer integrations and a shorter track record. Weigh that. The counterweight is a free plan with no end date, so you can test it with your own bookings before anything changes for your drivers.
Your brand, your domain
Your colours, your logo and your sending address, on a hostname you own. Customers never learn what software you run.
Booking page, panel & emails — 100% your brand, none of ours
Ask these before you sign anything
Of any vendor, this one included.
What does it cost at your real driver count?
Every driver who logs in during a month, not only your full-timers, plus each module you need, in writing.
What is the minimum term and the notice period?
A cheap monthly figure on a long contract can cost more than a dearer one you are free to leave.
Does it keep the booking records your licence requires?
Private hire operators must keep a record of every booking. Check what the system records, for how long, and whether you can export it when the licensing officer asks.
Can you take your data with you?
Customers, accounts, bookings and invoices, in a format you can open without the vendor. Ask before you sign, not when you leave.
How do drivers get their jobs?
If some of your drivers are subcontractors, check whether they have to install anything, and what happens when they change phone.
How a booking moves
Arrive, get priced, get a driver, get confirmed, get paid — the same path whichever channel it came from.
Create your organization, set your rate card, connect your domain and drop in your logo and colour.
Point your website at RideDesk, plug in the API, forward marketplace jobs, or add them by hand.
Approve, assign a driver or partner, send the pay link, and let the automations handle the rest.
What comes with it
The capabilities that turn a booking list into a business you can run from one screen.
Built-in CRM
Every booker becomes a customer record — history, documents, billing details, lifetime value.
Two-way inbox & WhatsApp
Reply to customers by email or WhatsApp from inside each booking. No separate app.
Live flight status
Airport pickups track the flight automatically — delays surface before the driver leaves.
Bookable by AI agents
A per-tenant MCP endpoint lets AI assistants get a quote and book — priced by your rules, never theirs.
Quote-to-booking analytics
See what visitors entered, which class they picked, and where they dropped off the funnel.
Automations & reminders
Confirmations, driver reminders, payment chasers and a morning digest — on autopilot.
Run it alongside, not instead
Do not switch to find out. Put a few real bookings a week through the new system while your current one keeps running the business, and give it a month-end and an awkward customer. A free plan with no expiry makes that possible without a sales call.
Frequently asked questions
How much does iCabbi cost?
iCabbi does not publish prices. Its website says it charges a licence fee per driver on a rolling monthly basis, that terms vary by market, and that operators should contact it for a tailored quote. Checked 25 October 2026.
How much does Autocab cost?
Autocab does not publish prices. Its website lists affordable pricing and asks operators to book a demo. Checked 25 October 2026.
Is iCabbi suitable for a small private hire firm?
iCabbi says it serves fleets of every size, and that in the UK its reseller ETGL looks after fleets under 50 vehicles. Autocab's demo page says it suits firms running 30 cars or more.
Is there a free alternative to iCabbi or Autocab?
RideDesk has a free plan with no expiry: ten transfers a month, real bookings and real invoices, no card at sign-up. It suits a small firm, or a trial run alongside your current system; a busy on-demand fleet will outgrow it.
How long does a switch take?
Setting up takes an afternoon; the rate card takes longer if you charge in more than one way. Plan for the two systems to overlap for a month rather than switching on a set date.
Related guides
See it with your own rides
Set up an account, load a handful of real bookings and see how they move through dispatch. No card needed to look around.