PuroCarro vs MoviAutos: Photos, Featuring Cost and Price Context
If you want to keep one car featured for two months at a single low price, or you want insurance quotes next to the listings, MoviAutos is a sensible choice. If you want to show a car properly without paying, with up to 20 photos, and give buyers a reference for whether your price is fair, PuroCarro is the better fit.
Both are classifieds sites for used cars in Costa Rica with a genuine free tier, so this is a closer comparison than most. The differences are in the details of what free includes and what paying gets you.
What MoviAutos offers, as of October 2026
MoviAutos is operated by Inversiones Movi JJC SRL, with WhatsApp and email support listed on the site. Its pricing page shows two plans for sellers:
- GRATIS, ₡0: no expiry date and immediate publication, limited to 5 photos, and not included in its Facebook and Instagram catalogs.
- MAX, ₡7,500: featured for 60 days, unlimited photos, highlighted on the homepage and in search, promoted on Facebook and Instagram, and two free boosts.
No dealer or agency plan appears on the pricing page.
For buyers, MoviAutos filters by transmission, province (all seven), body style, condition, price, year and drivetrain, and can sort by most recent. You can also browse by 13 body styles, including commercial vehicles, and by brand. It offers saved searches and favourites, a seller directory, a "Conocé el valor de tu auto" valuation tool, and insurance quotes through Somit. Listing URLs include the make, model, year, province, canton, transmission and fuel, which makes them easy to read when shared.
We could not confirm how many cars MoviAutos has listed, because its listing grid loads in the browser rather than in the page we fetched. We make no claim either way about its inventory size or how busy it is.
Feature comparison
| PuroCarro | MoviAutos | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator | Timechain LLC | Inversiones Movi JJC SRL |
| Free plan | 1 active listing | Free listing with no expiry |
| Photos on the free plan | Up to 20 | 5 |
| Paid featuring | Boost: $7 for 7 days, extendable weekly | MAX: ₡7,500 for 60 days |
| Photos when paying | Up to 20 | Unlimited |
| Social promotion | Share previews with photo, price and details on WhatsApp and Facebook | MAX includes Facebook and Instagram promotion |
| Dealer plans | Turbo (5 listings) and Empresarial (100 listings) | None shown |
| Price context on each listing | Compared with similar listings (when 20 or more exist) | Separate valuation tool |
| Market value tool | Bluebook by make, model and year | "Conocé el valor de tu auto" |
| Map search | Yes | Province filter |
| Other extras | Marchamo lookup, services directory | Somit insurance quotes, seller directory |
Photos: 5 against 20
On a free listing, this is the biggest practical difference. Five photos covers the front, back, one side, the dashboard and the engine. It leaves out the interior seats, the tires, the trunk, the documents and any damage you want to be honest about. Buyers who cannot see those will ask for more by message, or skip the car.
PuroCarro allows up to 20 photos per listing on every plan, including the free one. MoviAutos lifts its limit entirely on MAX, so if you are paying anyway, it allows more photos than PuroCarro.
Featuring: what each costs over a real sale
PuroCarro's Boost costs $7 one time and puts the listing at the top of the homepage with a BOOST badge in search for 7 days. It is not a subscription, it works on the free plan, and you extend it a week at a time.
MoviAutos' MAX costs ₡7,500 once and features the listing for 60 days, with social promotion and two extra boosts.
Which is cheaper depends on how long you need. For a car you expect to sell in a week or two, one or two Boosts may be all you need. For a car that may take two months, MAX is likely the cheaper way to stay featured the whole time. Check the colón-dollar exchange rate on the day you pay and compare.
Price context and freshness
MoviAutos offers a separate valuation tool. PuroCarro puts the comparison on each listing: the price is compared with up to 50 similar listings from the last 12 months (same make, similar model, up to 2 years and 50,000 km apart). A bar shows the lowest 25%, middle 50% and top 25%, and cars in the cheapest band get a "Below average" label. It only appears when there are at least 20 similar listings, and it cannot account for condition or history. The Bluebook gives min, max, average and median by make, model and year.
On freshness: a free MoviAutos listing has no expiry date, which is convenient for sellers. For buyers, it means you should confirm a car is still available before you travel to see it, as you would on any site. PuroCarro buyers can save a search and get alerts, including immediate alerts depending on plan, so new matches arrive without checking back.
When MoviAutos makes sense
- You want one payment to keep a car featured for 60 days.
- You want unlimited photos and Facebook and Instagram promotion as part of the paid plan.
- You want an insurance quote while you shop.
- You want a free listing you do not need to renew.
When PuroCarro is the better choice
- You want to show a car with up to 20 photos without paying.
- You want buyers to see where your price sits against similar cars.
- You only need a short burst of visibility: $7 for a week, no subscription.
- You are a dealer or agency and need several listings at once on a published plan.
- You want a map search and alerts when a matching car is listed.
How to plan your photos for either site
If you have 5 photos, make each one count:
- Front three-quarter view in daylight, the whole car in frame.
- Rear three-quarter view from the opposite side.
- Dashboard with the engine on, showing the mileage and no warning lights.
- Front seats and the condition of the upholstery.
- Engine bay.
If you have up to 20, add: the other two corners, both side profiles, the rear seats, the trunk with the spare tire, each tire's tread, the roof, any scratches or dents up close, the service book, and the current marchamo and RTV stickers. Honest damage photos save wasted visits.
On PuroCarro, entering the plate fills in the car's details and marks them for you to review, so you can spend the time on photos instead. Before you set the price, look up the plate with the free marchamo lookup and check the Bluebook. Ready to publish? See selling on PuroCarro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it free to sell a car on MoviAutos?
Yes. As of October 2026 the GRATIS plan costs ₡0, has no expiry date and allows 5 photos. It is not included in MoviAutos' Facebook and Instagram catalogs.
How much does it cost to feature a car on MoviAutos?
The MAX plan costs ₡7,500 as of October 2026 and features the listing for 60 days, with unlimited photos, social promotion and two free boosts.
How many photos can I upload on PuroCarro?
Up to 20 per listing, on every plan including the free one.
How much is a Boost on PuroCarro?
$7 one time for 7 days at the top of the homepage with a BOOST badge in search. You can extend it a week at a time, and it works on the free plan.
Who runs MoviAutos?
The site's footer names Inversiones Movi JJC SRL.
Verdict
MoviAutos is a fair competitor: a free tier that does not expire, a 60-day featured plan at one price, and an insurance tie-in. Its free tier caps you at 5 photos, and we could not confirm how large its inventory is. PuroCarro gives free listings 20 photos, a short and cheap Boost, and price context on every listing with enough similar listings. Listing on both costs nothing on the free tiers. For a site with a name similar to ours, see PuroCarro vs Pura Autos.