SOLODRIVE.PRO vs Empower for Drivers

The core difference is where the rider comes from.

• Empower is a rideshare marketplace. Riders open the Empower app and request a ride, and Empower sends that request to a driver. It takes no per-ride commission and charges the driver a flat monthly subscription instead. It runs in a set of US metro markets.
• SOLODRIVE.PRO is your own booking page. It does not send you strangers. It gives you a link and a QR code so the riders you already meet can book you directly, and it is built around the ones who come back.

If you are in an Empower city and you want an app that generates ride requests for you, Empower is doing a real job that SOLODRIVE.PRO does not do. If you want to build a base of riders who belong to you and book you by name, that is what SOLODRIVE.PRO is for.

Give it a fair look, because for the right driver it is a genuine option.

Empower flips the rideshare model. Instead of taking a percentage of every fare, it charges drivers a flat subscription and takes no per-ride commission at all. Empower says it has handled more than 25 million rides for over 750,000 riders. It has rider-side trust features, like letting a rider request a favorite driver. For a full-time driver in an Empower market, paying one flat bill instead of a cut on every fare can add up.

Two things to know before you weigh it. First, Empower runs only in a handful of US metro areas, so it is not an option everywhere. Second, Empower has faced legal challenges over operating as an unlicensed ride-hail service. New York City has sued to shut it down, and it has been in a long dispute with regulators in Washington, D.C. It remains licensed in some states. If you are considering Empower, check its current status in your own city before you rely on it.

SOLODRIVE.PRO is not a marketplace, and that is the whole point.

Empower still puts an app between you and the rider. A better-paying app, but an app that owns the rider relationship and decides who you get. SOLODRIVE.PRO does the opposite. It gives you a booking page for riders who are already yours.

Here is what that looks like.

• Your own page, your own riders. You share your link and QR code, and a rider books you directly. No app assigns them to you, and no app can take them back.
• Built around the repeat rider. Your weekly commuter or standing medical rider can be set on a recurring booking. Booked once, then they ride on schedule.
• Free to start, anywhere. SOLODRIVE.PRO is not limited to a few metros. You can claim your page and go live for free wherever you drive.
• Your numbers, tax-ready. Your mileage is tracked on every ride, and your earnings stay ready for tax time.

The difference in one line: Empower gives you a cheaper app to depend on. SOLODRIVE.PRO gives you riders you do not have to depend on an app for at all.

Not necessarily.

These two tools are not really the same job, so a driver in an Empower city could use both. Take Empower's ride requests to fill your day, and hand every good rider your SOLODRIVE.PRO booking link so the next ride comes straight to you. The marketplace gives you the introduction. Your booking page is how you keep the rider after it. That is the same move you already make with Uber and Lyft.

The plain comparison, including where Empower wins.

• Who brings the rider. Empower supplies riders through its app. SOLODRIVE.PRO does not. If you have no riders yet and you are in an Empower market, Empower generates demand that a booking page cannot. That is a real advantage for a driver starting cold.
• Where it works. Empower runs in a set of US metros only. SOLODRIVE.PRO works anywhere you drive.
• Who owns the rider. On Empower, the rider belongs to the marketplace. On SOLODRIVE.PRO, the rider books you directly and belongs to your own book of business.
• The fee. Empower keeps no percentage and charges a flat subscription. SOLODRIVE.PRO charges a per-ride platform fee that is a fraction of what the apps take, and it drops to no platform fee at all on the Elite plan. You start free.

Decide by what you need most right now.

Pick Empower if you are in one of its markets, you want an app that sends you ride requests, and paying a flat subscription with no per-ride cut is your main goal. Check its legal status in your city first.

Pick SOLODRIVE.PRO if you want riders who belong to you, a page you can use anywhere, and a way to turn the riders you already meet into regulars who book you by name. Or use it alongside whatever app is filling your day.

What is the difference between SOLODRIVE.PRO and Empower?

Empower is a rideshare marketplace: riders request rides in the Empower app and drivers pay a flat subscription with no per-ride commission, in a set of US metros. SOLODRIVE.PRO is your own booking page for riders you already have, available anywhere, built around recurring riders. Empower supplies the rider. SOLODRIVE.PRO lets you keep the rider.

Does SOLODRIVE.PRO send me riders like Empower does?

No, and it is honest to say so. SOLODRIVE.PRO is a booking page, not a marketplace. It does not assign you strangers. It gives you a link and a QR code so the riders you already meet, through the apps or in person, can book you directly. If you need an app to generate ride requests, that is a different job than the one SOLODRIVE.PRO does.

Is Empower available everywhere?

No. Empower operates in a limited set of US metro areas, and it has faced legal action over operating as an unlicensed ride-hail service, including a lawsuit in New York City and a dispute with regulators in Washington, D.C. Check its current status in your own city before relying on it. SOLODRIVE.PRO works anywhere you drive.

Can I use Empower and SOLODRIVE.PRO together?

Yes. They do different jobs. You can take ride requests from a marketplace like Empower and still hand every good rider your SOLODRIVE.PRO booking link, so the next ride comes directly to you. The marketplace gives the introduction. Your booking page keeps the rider.

Which one keeps more of my money?

Both are built to keep more of the fare than Uber and Lyft do. Empower takes no percentage and charges a flat subscription in its markets. SOLODRIVE.PRO starts free and charges a per-ride fee that is a fraction of what the apps take, dropping to no platform fee on the Elite plan. The bigger difference is not the fee. It is that SOLODRIVE.PRO builds you riders who are yours to keep.