Last updated August 11, 2026
A traditional shop means calling for a quote, dropping the car off, and paying up front or at pickup. On Drip you see each detailer's published prices and reviews before you book, the detailer comes to you, and your card is authorized at booking but only charged when the job is marked complete. Same independent professionals — a different way of finding and paying them.
"Call for a quote" is the norm in detailing, and it makes comparison hard: you spend an afternoon on the phone and still cannot line two options up fairly. Every detailer on Drip publishes their service list with real prices, so you compare scope and cost side by side in a couple of minutes.
Those are the detailer's own prices, not a marked-up rate. Independent operators set their pricing; the marketplace does not set it for them. Drip's cut is a 2% platform fee charged to the detailer, plus a booking fee added at checkout that scales with the job size ($2.99 to $17.99).
| Traditional shop | Drip | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting a price | Call around for quotes | Published on each profile |
| Vetting | Word of mouth, scattered reviews | Reviews and past work in one place |
| Location | You drop the car off | Detailer comes to you |
| Scheduling | Phone and callbacks | Pick a time in the app |
| Payment | Cash or card at pickup | In-app, charged on completion (+ booking fee) |
The drop-off is the hidden cost of a shop. A half-day job usually means two trips, a ride, or a second car. A mobile detailer works where the car already sits, so the time cost is close to zero.
This is the part that differs most from a deposit-and-invoice shop. When you book on Drip, your card is authorized — held, not charged. The charge only goes through when the detailer marks the job complete. Nothing is collected for work that has not been done, and there is a record of the booking, the price, and the completion in the app.
Tips are optional and separate, and 100% of a tip goes to the detailer.
Plenty of detailers on Drip run their own shop as well as mobile service. The marketplace is how clients find them and pay them, not a replacement for their business.
Drip is a marketplace connecting vehicle owners with independent mobile detailers. Detailers keep their own brand, set their own services and prices, and keep up to 99% of every job. Clients get published pricing, real reviews, in-app booking, and payment that lands only after the work is finished.
No. Drip is a marketplace. Every detailer on the platform is an independent business that sets its own services, prices, and schedule.
Your card is authorized when you book and charged when the detailer marks the job complete.
No. Detailers set their own prices and Drip does not mark them up — the 2% platform fee is charged to the detailer, not to you. A booking fee is added at checkout, from $2.99 on a small service up to $17.99 on a large one. Tips go 100% to the detailer.
Yes, and for multi-day coating work a controlled indoor space is often the better choice. Many Drip detailers offer both mobile and shop-based service.
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