Bravo Store Systems vs AIM
AIM by Tri-Tech is a long-running, modular retail point of sale. Bravo is a pawn and FFL-first platform with native layaway, special orders that stay in inventory, repairs and work orders, used-gun auto-publishing, and built-in ATF compliance. Here is the honest breakdown.
Feature Comparison
AIM has been in the market for decades and covers core pawn and retail. The day-to-day gaps stores feel are in the workflows around the sale: layaways, special orders, repairs, and getting used guns online. Bravo builds those in, alongside native ATF compliance.
| Feature | Bravo | AIM |
|---|---|---|
| Native ATF E4473 & A&D book | Built in | Via FastBound sync |
| Layaway management | Native, on the same ticket | Cumbersome |
| Special orders tracked in inventory | Yes, real inventory record | Rung as a misc sale |
| Repairs & gunsmith work orders | Built in | No |
| Auto-publish used guns to web & Guns.com | Yes, auto-delist on sale | Manual listings |
| Pawn loan management | Yes | Yes |
| Buy/sell/trade intake | Yes | Limited |
| AI used-gun pricing | Yes, real transaction data | No |
| One vendor for point of sale, compliance & eCommerce | Yes | Multiple integrations |
| Starting price | $99/mo | Custom quote |
Where Each Platform Wins
Bravo Wins On
Native layaway with payment schedules and reminders. Special orders that become real inventory the moment you take them. Repairs and gunsmith work orders tracked end to end. Used guns that auto-publish to your website, Guns.com, UsedGuns, and Buya, then auto-delist on sale. Native E4473 and A&D book with no separate sync to drop a transaction. AI used-gun pricing from real transaction data. Transparent $99/month pricing.
AIM Wins On
Decades in the market with a deep, configurable feature set and a modular approach that lets stores add capabilities over time. Established core pawn, retail, and inventory tracking that long-time AIM staff know well.
Who Should Choose Which
Stay on AIM if your store runs straightforward retail and pawn, you do not take many special orders or layaways, you do not do in-house repairs, and selling used guns online is not a priority.
Choose Bravo if layaways and special orders are part of your business, you have a repair or gunsmith bench, you want used guns to publish themselves to your website and Guns.com, and you want ATF compliance native to the point of sale instead of riding on a separate FastBound sync.
Our Recommendation
Bravo Store Systems
AIM is a capable, long-running system. But the workflows around the sale, layaway, special orders, repairs, and used-gun eCommerce, are where stores lose time and revenue. Bravo builds those in and ties ATF compliance directly to the ticket, so nothing rides on a sync that can quietly drop a transaction.
Switching from AIM to Bravo
Switching to Bravo keeps you compliant from day one. Bravo migrates your inventory, customers, transaction history, and A&D book records, and rebuilds your open layaways and special orders as real inventory so nothing is lost in the cutover. Most stores are fully live within 30 days. See the full onboarding experience → Get the 30-day FFL switching guide →
Frequently Asked Questions
FFL proof
FFL dealers trust Bravo when the ATF comes knocking
0 FFL licenses lost by Bravo customers. Here is what gun retailers say about staying audit-ready with a digital 4473 and A&D book.
When the ATF shows up to do an audit, it can be a scary day. But Bravo's digital 4473 and integrated A&D books simplify ATF compliance and audits.
Bravo E4473 allows the process to go through with a lot fewer human errors and it allows us to make sure that a majority of the stuff we're doing is 100 percent.
Bravo E4473 is a solution we signed up for and it basically just takes all of the guesswork out of forms. All of the hard work is done for you on E4473.
See How Bravo Compares, Live
30-minute demo built around your store and your workflows.
✓ No obligation · ✓ No credit card · ✓ 30-minute call