Keelson pricing for boat dealers and yacht brokers (2026): plans, setup and what is included
By Keelson Intelligence · Updated · 7 min read
Keelson costs $795 a month for a single-rooftop dealership on an annual plan, $1,495 a month for a dealer group or a brokerage, and $2,495 a month for a factory-direct brand. Month to month is 10% higher, setup is a one-time $1,500 that is waived on annual prepay, and there are no per-lead or per-appointment fees.
Simple pricing, per rooftop.
Pay month to month, or save 10% on an annual plan with a 90-day opt-out in your first term. Setup of $1,500 covers integration and 10DLC registration and is waived on annual prepay.
Starter
One rooftop, getting started
$795$875per month, billed annually
- 1 rooftop
- SMS and email response
- 2 lead sources
- Calendar booking
- 90-day follow-up
- Up to 100 leads a month
Dealer
The full desk for a dealership
$1,495$1,645per month, billed annually
$495 per additional rooftop
- Everything in Starter
- All lead sources
- DMS and CRM sync
- Inventory-match alerts
- Manager dashboard
- Up to 400 leads a month
Brokerage
Tuned for co-brokerage
$1,495$1,645per firm, per month, billed annually
$195 per broker over five
- Everything in Dealer
- YATCO and BoatWizard lead flows
- Survey and sea-trial logistics
- Longer nurture cadences
- Co-brokerage etiquette built in
Northern dealers on annual plans get a reduced winter rate for November through February. No per-appointment fees.
Keelson plans and prices at a glance
Every Keelson plan includes the same product: a reply to every lead by text and email inside 60 seconds, qualification in conversation, sea trial and showroom booking, the 90-day follow-up cadence, salesperson takeover and the manager cockpit. Plans differ only by how many rooftops, brokers or brands they cover. The toggle on the plan cards below switches between annual and month-to-month prices.
| Plan | Built for | Annual plan | Month to month | Add-ons |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starter | One rooftop, one sales team | $795 | $875 | None needed |
| Dealer | Dealer groups with more than one location | $1,495 | $1,645 | $495 per additional rooftop ($545 month to month) |
| Brokerage | Yacht brokerages, priced per firm | $1,495 | $1,645 | $195 per broker over five ($215 month to month) |
| Brand | Factory-direct builders selling without dealers | $2,495 | $2,745 | Priced per brand |
What a typical dealership or brokerage actually pays
Most marine businesses land on one of four shapes, and the monthly bill follows directly from the plan table. The examples below use the annual price first and the month-to-month price in brackets, so you can see the 10% difference on a real configuration rather than on a list price.
| Business | Plan and add-ons | Monthly on annual plan | Month to month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single-store pontoon and runabout dealer | Starter | $795 | $875 |
| Three-rooftop dealer group | Dealer plus two rooftops | $2,485 | $2,735 |
| Brokerage with 8 brokers | Brokerage plus three brokers over five | $2,080 | $2,290 |
| Factory-direct builder | Brand | $2,495 | $2,745 |
A three-rooftop group on an annual plan pays $1,495 for the first location and $495 for each of the other two. A brokerage with eight brokers pays the $1,495 firm price, which covers five brokers, plus $195 for each of the three beyond that. If either business prepays the year, the $1,500 setup fee disappears.
What the $1,500 setup fee covers
The setup fee pays for the work that has to happen before the first lead gets a reply, and most rooftops are live within two to three weeks. The longest step is carrier registration, so it starts on day one and the rest runs alongside it.
- 10DLC campaign registration in the dealership's name, so texts go out on a registered business number rather than an unregistered line that carriers filter. The texting compliance guide explains why this matters.
- Lead routing from YachtWorld, Boat Trader, boats.com, your website forms and ad lead forms, so every source lands in one place. See how marketplace leads reach your dealership.
- Inventory feed connection, because Keelson only states availability, price, engine hours and location that it can trace to your listings.
- Calendar connection to Google Calendar or Outlook for each salesperson who takes sea trials and showroom visits.
- Persona and policy review: the dealership's voice, hours, deposit and sea-trial rules, and the questions that must always go to a person (financing terms, trade values).
- Template review of first replies, reminders and follow-up messages before anything goes to a buyer.
Annual plan or month to month: which one to choose
The annual plan is 10% cheaper per month, waives the setup fee on prepay and includes a 90-day opt-out in the first term, so the risk of committing is limited to the first three months. Month to month costs more but suits a dealership that wants to run Keelson through one selling season before deciding.
| Annual plan | Month to month | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | List price | List price plus 10% |
| Setup fee | $1,500, waived on prepay | $1,500 |
| Exit in the first term | 90-day opt-out | Not tied to a term |
| Suits | Dealers who sell year round or have decided | Seasonal stores testing one season |
For a Starter rooftop the difference is $80 a month ($795 against $875), or $960 over a year, before counting the waived setup fee. For a three-rooftop group the gap is $250 a month.
What Keelson does not charge for
Keelson has no per-lead, per-conversation or per-appointment fees, so a busy boat show weekend or a strong spring does not raise the bill. Flat pricing also removes the incentive to throttle follow-up: every unconverted lead gets the full 90-day cadence whether the dealership received 40 leads that month or 400.
Some things are deliberately outside the product, and you should know them before you compare prices. Keelson does not place or answer voice calls, does not value trade-ins or appraise boats, and does not write listings. If those are on your list, budget for them separately.
How Keelson pricing compares with published prices in the category
Few vendors in marine lead handling publish a price, which makes comparison hard. The table lists every published figure we could source in October 2026, with the category each product belongs to, because a texting platform, a dealer management system and an AI sales desk are not the same purchase. For feature-by-feature detail see the AI lead response tools comparison.
| Product | Category | Published price | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keelson | AI sales desk for marine dealers | $795 to $2,495 a month; setup $1,500 | This page |
| VELA | AI lead response for marine | $500 a month flat | askvela.ai |
| BoatLife.ai | AI lead follow-up for boat dealers | From $299 a month | Capterra listing |
| DealerAI | AI for automotive dealers | $599, $1,499 or $2,299 per rooftop | dealerai.com/pricing |
| MVP.dev | Custom automation agency | $7,500 to $15,000 pilot; $15,000 to $40,000 build; $1,500 to $7,500 a month support | mvp.dev |
| DealerRock | Marine CRM and DMS | $390, $490 or $790 a month | Guideflow, July 2026 |
| BiT DMS | Marine DMS | From $238 a month plus $99 for texting | Guideflow, July 2026 |
| Kenect, Podium, Impel | Texting and AI platforms | Not published | See Kenect vs Podium and Impel alternatives |
Two things stand out. The low published prices belong to tools that answer the first message but do not state a follow-up length, channels or integrations; and the agency route costs more than a year of Keelson before the first lead is answered. A CRM or DMS sits underneath all of these and does not answer leads by itself, which the CRM guide for boat dealers covers.
How to tell whether Keelson pays for itself
Keelson pays for itself when it turns enough slow or unanswered leads into appointments to cover one month's fee, which for most dealers means one additional boat sold every few months. The gap it closes is large: the most recent independent study of US boat dealers, from 2011, found an average first response of 26.49 hours, with just over 60% of dealers replying at all (Boating Industry, 2011).
To run the numbers for your own store, enter your monthly lead count, close rate and average gross in the lead response ROI calculator. The full set of response-time studies, with their years and sample sizes, is on the lead response statistics page.
Frequently asked questions
How much does Keelson cost per month?
Keelson costs $795 a month for one rooftop on an annual plan ($875 month to month), $1,495 for a dealer group or brokerage ($1,645 month to month), and $2,495 for a factory-direct brand. Dealer groups add $495 per additional rooftop, and brokerages add $195 per broker beyond five. There are no per-lead or per-appointment fees.
Is there a setup fee for AI lead response at a boat dealership?
Keelson charges $1,500 once per account, and the fee is waived when an annual plan is prepaid. It covers 10DLC registration in the dealership's name, lead routing from every source, the inventory feed, calendar connections, and a review of the persona, policies and message templates. Most rooftops are live within two to three weeks.
Can I cancel Keelson in the off season?
Month-to-month plans are not tied to a term, which suits seasonal stores that want to run one selling season first. Annual plans are 10% cheaper per month and include a 90-day opt-out during the first term, so a dealership can leave within the first three months if Keelson is not working for it.
Does Keelson charge per lead or per appointment?
No. Keelson is a flat monthly subscription per rooftop, firm or brand. A boat show weekend that doubles your leads does not change the bill, and every lead that does not convert still receives the full 90-day follow-up cadence rather than being dropped to save cost.
What does a yacht brokerage with ten brokers pay?
On an annual plan a ten-broker brokerage pays the $1,495 firm price, which covers five brokers, plus $195 for each of the other five, for $2,470 a month. Month to month the same firm pays $1,645 plus $215 per additional broker, or $2,720 a month. The yacht broker page covers how inquiries route to the listing broker.
Is Keelson cheaper than hiring a BDC rep?
For most single-store dealers, yes, because a Starter plan costs $795 a month and answers around the clock, while a person covers one shift and needs cover for days off. Many stores still keep a person for phone calls and trade conversations. The BDC versus AI sales desk guide compares the options.
Sources
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