Garage 61 vs Z1 Dashboard
Quick summary
Garage 61 has a verified free tier; Z1 Dashboard does not.
Verdict
Which one should you pick?
Choose Garage 61 when you want free iRacing reference laps — it has a verified free tier.
Worth knowing: iRacing-only, and top drivers can set their data private, shrinking the reference-lap pool; official site states paid tiers are coming (FAQ: 'Will it stay free? Not all of it')
Choose Z1 Dashboard when you want an in-sim AI instructor on a budget — verified pricing: From $3.99/mo.
Worth knowing: No perpetual free tier (demo only), and the Standard tier restricts the AI instructor to a single car/track combo
No universal winner — both entries are human-verified (dates in the Verification row below); weigh the limitations against your own setup.
Field by field
The verified fields
What it is
Garage 61
Z1 Dashboard
Pricing
Garage 61
Free (alpha)
- Everything free during alpha (official docs: 'Is it free? Yes, all of it')
- Optional Pro plan — €5/mo (± $6) when subscribing yearly, per garage61.net/pro — unlocks extras like advanced lap-search filters, custom display units and unlimited data storage (free plan: one year)
Z1 Dashboard
From $3.99/mo
- Standard $3.99-$4.99/mo
- Track $7.99-$8.99/mo (adds AI instructor + track walk)
- Pro $17.99-$19.99/mo (commercial use)
Free access
Garage 61
Z1 Dashboard
Platforms
Garage 61
Z1 Dashboard
Standout feature
Garage 61
Compare against community-shared telemetry/reference laps from other drivers across most car/track combos, all free right now
Z1 Dashboard
In-sim AI driving instructor with track-walk mode and live telemetry comparison (Track and Pro tiers)
Limitations
Garage 61
iRacing-only, and top drivers can set their data private, shrinking the reference-lap pool; official site states paid tiers are coming (FAQ: 'Will it stay free? Not all of it')
Z1 Dashboard
No perpetual free tier (demo only), and the Standard tier restricts the AI instructor to a single car/track combo
Verification
Garage 61
Z1 Dashboard
“—” means the official site does not state it — we leave it blank instead of guessing.
Straight answers
Common questions
Do Garage 61 or Z1 Dashboard have a free tier?
Garage 61 does, and Z1 Dashboard does not. A free tier can mean the whole product or a heavily capped version, so check the pricing detail on each card rather than the yes or no alone.
How much does Garage 61 cost?
Garage 61 has a free tier, and its paid pricing starts at Free (alpha) as listed on its own pricing page. Tiers change — the card above shows every tier we verified, with the date we checked.
How much does Z1 Dashboard cost?
From $3.99/mo, as listed on Z1 Dashboard's own pricing page on the verification date shown above. We record the tiers a site publishes and leave anything it does not publish blank.
What does Garage 61 support?
Garage 61's own site lists iRacing. We only record platforms a site names explicitly — a generic "100+ games" claim is not counted as support for any particular title.
What does Z1 Dashboard support?
Z1 Dashboard's own site lists iRacing, Assetto Corsa, Assetto Corsa Competizione, Automobilista, RaceRoom, rFactor, EA F1. We only record platforms a site names explicitly — a generic "100+ games" claim is not counted as support for any particular title.
What are the drawbacks of Garage 61 and Z1 Dashboard?
Garage 61 — iRacing-only, and top drivers can set their data private, shrinking the reference-lap pool; official site states paid tiers are coming (FAQ: 'Will it stay free? Not all of it'). Z1 Dashboard — No perpetual free tier (demo only), and the Standard tier restricts the AI instructor to a single car/track combo. These are the limitations each product's own materials made plain, not a verdict on quality.
Is Garage 61 or Z1 Dashboard better?
Neither is better in the abstract, and this page does not name a winner. They differ on the verified fields above — price, free tier, platform support and stated limitations — and which of those matters is a question about your setup, not about the products.
