Alternatives to PDI: If PDI Is Sunsetting Your Software, Here Is Where Jobbers, Marketers, Wholesalers, and C-Store Owners Go
I've been in this business since the 1990s, which means I've seen my fair share of companies get purchased by PDI. And you probably have too.
If you run FACTOR, DM2, FireStream, or Pinnacle FuelSmart, PDI Technologies bought your vendor, and the path they may have in mind for you is PDI Enterprise. This article is for the jobber, petroleum marketer, wholesaler, or c-store owner who got that letter, or sees it coming, and wants to know what else is out there.
The short version: PDI Technologies has bought 27 companies since 2016, many of them the back-office systems jobbers, marketers, and wholesalers run on, and folds what it buys into PDI Enterprise. For a jobber, petroleum marketer, wholesaler, or c-store owner who needs less than that suite, the alternatives are FastDragon, Series2K, ADD Systems, AIMS, and Red River. The rest of this article is the detail.
Since 2016 PDI has bought 27 companies, by my count
| Date | Company | What it sold |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2016 | Intellifuel Systems | Order automation and terminal automation for marketers |
| Jan 2017 | The Pinnacle Corporation, back office side only | FuelSmart for fuel marketers, about 125 clients |
| Apr 2017 | FireStream WorldWide | Jobber, lubricant and propane back office, 170 clients |
| Apr 2017 | DataMax Group | C-store back office outside the US |
| Apr 2017 | LOMOSOFT (Germany) | Fuel delivery logistics |
| Nov 2017 | TelaPoint (from WEX) | Replenishment and dispatch, 67,000 sites |
| Jan 2018 | TouchStar Group | In-truck fleet software |
| Apr 2018 | Excentus | Fuel Rewards loyalty program |
| May 2018 | DM2 Software | Wholesale back office, cardlock and lubes, 200 customers, mostly West Coast |
| Sep 2018 | FACTOR (WR Hess), Oklahoma City, founded 1977 | Wholesale, c-store and home heat back office, 330 customers |
| Nov 2018 | Outsite Networks | Points-based loyalty |
| May 2019 | CStorePro | Single-store back office, 2,500 stores |
| Jan 2020 | SwiftIQ | Retail analytics |
| Jun 2020 | ZipLine | ACH and private-label debit |
| Dec 2020 | Cybera | Site networking and SD-WAN |
| Dec 2020 | ControlScan Managed Security | Managed security for multi-site retail |
| Apr 2021 | GasBuddy | Consumer fuel price app |
| Sep 2021 | Orbis Tech | Cloud point of sale |
| Dec 2021 | Koupon | CPG coupons and promotions |
| Jan 2022 | Universe Group, htec, Celtech (UK) | UK forecourt POS and payment terminals |
| Feb 2022 | Azpiral (Ireland) | Loyalty for European retailers |
| Mar 2022 | GreenPrint | Carbon offset programs |
| Feb 2023 | Blue Cow Software (from Repay) | Ignite heating oil and propane back office, about 375 customers |
| Aug 2023 | Skupos | Tobacco scan data for 25,000 independent stores |
| Jun 2024 | Nuspire | Managed detection and response |
| Dec 2024 | Comdata Merchant Solutions (from Corpay) | Truck stop and unattended fueling POS |
| Apr 2025 | P97 Networks | Mobile payments for major fuel brands |
What happens to an acquired product follows a pattern, and PDI has been open about it. Its CEO said in June 2018: "In some cases, we are consolidating features from one product into another. Over the long-term, as PDI further develops its cloud offerings and international presence, the acquired products will converge as global products under the PDI brand."
That is exactly how it has gone since, one product at a time. Anyone who has run FACTOR, DM2, or FireStream these last few years has watched it happen, and the people in this industry know it.
Where PDI is the right answer
PDI Enterprise is a serious system and I'll give it its due. PDI sells the back office, logistics, fuel pricing, loyalty, payments, and network security under one roof, and for an operator who wants one throat to choke across all of it, that is worth a lot. If you run hundreds of sites, have multiple full-time IT people and a full accounting staff, and you use most of those pieces together, the suite earns its price.
What most jobbers, marketers, wholesalers, and c-store owners actually need
The independent wholesaler I've spent 30 years around runs fuel, but that's rarely his only business. Sometimes it's c-stores. Sometimes it's car washes. Other times it's real estate. A handful of commissioned agents. A couple of trucks, or a haul business that grew out of them. Separate books for each one because the accountant said so. And not even the industry giants have the software for all of that, so every one of those businesses got connected to the fuel system with a spreadsheet, a re-key, and hope.
FastDragon is built for that operator. Dedicated to the jobber, the petroleum marketer, the wholesaler, and the c-store owner, direct about the price, modular, and all in one place. Each piece hooks to the others, and you switch on what you run:
- Wholesale distribution. Rack pricing, BOL to invoice in one entry, freight and motor fuel tax pass-through, purchase-to-sales allocation, dealer billing.
- Commissioned-agent stations. Daily settlement of fuel sales, card receipts, rent, and commission.
- Company-owned c-stores. Back office, pricebook, shrink, fuel reconciliation, synced to the POS you already have.
- Accounting and books. A full ledger with multi-entity built in, or posting to the QuickBooks you already run.
- Compliance. Tank, inspection, and permit records with the dates on a calendar.
- Real estate. Leases, rent, and the property side of each site.
- Fleet and haul. Trucks, drivers, and freight billing.
- Fuel rebates, loyalty, and security. Each its own switch.
Run two of those and you pay for two. Add a third when the business does. And the move itself is fast. Think six weeks, not six months, depending on the client, and a couple of months for a complex one. Our team does the data work and you keep running your old system until the cutover.
À la carte
Think of a restaurant that only serves the ten-course dinner. Three desserts, no substitutions, no exchanges, no refunds. Some people want that, and for them it's a fine meal. If you're me, you want to order what you want and you don't want to pay for the baked snails. That's the whole difference. PDI serves the ten courses. FastDragon serves the menu.
Who's behind it
I've been in and around fuel and convenience since the 1990s, on the technology side. I was the tech lead on the Jack in the Box c-store and gas station rollout, working beside their CEO. I also worked at Series2K for over a decade, and still recommend their c-store back office to people it fits. The years since have gone to serving jobbers, who tend to get overlooked by vendors chasing the hundred-site accounts. My marketing guys wanted a paragraph here about deep industry know-how. I'd rather you judge that on a demo.
Alternatives to PDI for a jobber, petroleum marketer, wholesaler, or c-store owner
For the independent jobber, marketer, wholesaler, or c-store owner, FastDragon is the modular option: everything above, switched on a piece at a time and priced to what you run. The established independent systems worth a call are Series2K, ADD Systems, AIMS, and Red River. Our vendor comparison puts them side by side and the buyer's guide has the demo questions to bring to each.
If you've been told it's time to move, send us your date. We'll tell you in one call whether we fit.
Questions people ask
What are the alternatives to PDI for a fuel jobber, petroleum marketer, or c-store owner?
For a large multi-site operator with IT staff, DTN is the other enterprise suite. For a small or mid-size jobber, petroleum marketer, wholesaler, or c-store owner, the independent systems are FastDragon, Series2K, ADD Systems (ADD Energy E3), AIMS, and Red River, all quote priced. FastDragon is the modular one: wholesale, commissioned agents, c-stores, books, compliance, real estate, fleet, and loyalty, each switched on separately and priced to what you run.
Does FastDragon handle everything a jobber or petroleum marketer needs?
It covers wholesale distribution (rack pricing, BOL to invoice, freight and motor fuel tax, allocation, dealer billing), commissioned-agent station settlement, company-owned c-store back office, accounting and books with multi-entity, compliance records, fuel rebates, real estate, fleet, white-label loyalty, and security. Each is a module. You run the ones you need and pay for those.
What happens to FACTOR, DM2, and FireStream customers?
PDI folds the products it buys into PDI Enterprise. Its CEO said so in 2018, and that is how it has gone since, one product at a time. If you run one of those systems you will likely be asked to move onto PDI Enterprise, and the time to look at the alternatives is before that conversation, while the timing is still yours.
How long does it take to move from PDI to FastDragon?
Think six weeks, not six months, depending on the client and how much history comes across, and a couple of months for a complex one. Our team does the data work. We know how important this step is for you.
Sources
PDI press releases: Intellifuel, Pinnacle, FireStream, DataMax, LOMOSOFT, TelaPoint, TouchStar, Excentus, DM2, FACTOR, Outsite Networks, CStorePro, SwiftIQ, ZipLine, Cybera and ControlScan, GasBuddy, Orbis Tech, Koupon, Universe Group, Azpiral, GreenPrint, Blue Cow, Skupos, Nuspire, Comdata Merchant Solutions, P97 Networks. Ownership: PDI, Our Story; Insight Partners, 2019; Bloomberg, March 2025. The 2018 quote: Fuels Market News. Pinnacle's client count: CSP Daily News, January 2017. Fuel Rewards sale: C-Store Dive.