# ADESA vs CarMax Auctions

The clearest difference is rating: ADESA at 2.8 against CarMax Auctions's 1.8. ADESA also leads on update cadence (weekly vs every 6 weeks) and ratings volume (159 vs 5). CarMax Auctions's advantage is device support (3 vs 1) and iOS requirement (12.0.0 vs 17.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and monetization model there is nothing between them.

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ADESA holds the better App Store score, 2.8 against 1.8. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: ADESA has 159 ratings behind it against 5, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 9% of ADESA's written reviews are positive against 0% of CarMax Auctions's.

ADESA ships an update weekly, CarMax Auctions every 6 weeks. The most recent releases landed on October 25, 2026 and October 20, 2026 respectively.

## The numbers

| Metric | ADESA | CarMax Auctions |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Price | Free | Free |
| Rating | **[2.8 (159 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adesa/id1660253652/reviews)** | [1.8 (5 ratings)](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmax-auctions/id6479819758/reviews) |
| Number of ratings | **159** | 5 |
| Positive reviews | **9.3% of reviews** | 0.0% of reviews |
| In-app purchases | No | No |
| Ads | No | No |
| Update frequency | **Weekly** | Every 6 weeks |
| Monetization | Free | Free |
| Size | 82 MB | 1 MB |
| Requires iOS | 17.0 | **12.0.0** |
| Devices | iPhone | **iPhone, iPad, iPod** |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | [ADESA](https://appshunter.io/developer/1710441385) | [Auction Frontier](https://appshunter.io/developer/1090103662) |

## What reviewers say

### ADESA

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adesa/id1660253652)

This app offers a digital auction platform for wholesale car buying. It provides a streamlined experience for bidding and purchasing vehicles from various sales channels, anytime and anywhere. Enhanced search and personalized recommendations help users find and decide on inventory efficiently.

**Highlights:** Digital auction platform, Bid on timed and live auctions, Search and filter vehicle inventory, Vehicle valuation tools, Personalized recommendations, Saved search alerts, Real-time push notifications

**Features:** macOS Compatibility, Vision Pro support

**In-app purchases:** none

**What reviewers like**

- 🚀 Modern and intuitive interface
- 💡 Accurate vehicle recommendations
- 👍 Convenient features like Carvana integration

**What reviewers complain about**

- 🐛 Frequent crashes and bugs
- 🤔 Difficult to navigate and track watched vehicles
- 😕 Missing critical dealer-friendly features
- 🤯 Overly complicated and confusing to use

**Reported bugs**

- Constant log-outs and need to re-enter credentials
- Inaccurate vehicle status and location information
- Inability to filter and search inventory effectively

**Requested features**

- Ability to sort watchlist by lane and run number
- Restore access to past sale reports and vehicle values
- Improve real-time vehicle location tracking


### CarMax Auctions

[App page](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/carmax-auctions/id6479819758)

This app allows licensed dealers to participate in weekly vehicle auctions. Dealers can view inventory, research vehicles, place bids in real-time, and listen to live auctioneer audio.

**Highlights:** Real-time bidding, View vehicle lists, Place notes and watches, Research vehicles, View photos, Live auctioneer audio

**In-app purchases:** none


## Frequently asked questions

### Is ADESA free?

ADESA is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Is CarMax Auctions free?

CarMax Auctions is free to download, with no in-app purchases.

### Which has better reviews, ADESA or CarMax Auctions?

ADESA is rated higher. ADESA averages 2.8 out of 5 from 159 ratings, while CarMax Auctions averages 1.8 from 5 ratings.

### Do ADESA or CarMax Auctions have ads?

Neither ADESA nor CarMax Auctions shows ads.

### Which is updated more often, ADESA or CarMax Auctions?

ADESA ships an update weekly, and CarMax Auctions every 6 weeks. Most recently, ADESA was updated on October 25, 2026 and CarMax Auctions on October 20, 2026.

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*Compared by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/) from daily US App Store data. Review summaries are generated from verbatim App Store reviews.*