What MyPlates.com does

MyPlates.com is the operating brand of License Plates of Texas, LLC, a privately held Texas LLC founded in November 2009 that holds an exclusive contract with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to design, market, and sell specialty license plates in the state. The company serves two primary customer segments: Texas vehicle owners seeking personalized or themed license plates for passenger vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, and private buses; and Texas organizations (universities, sports teams, charities) that benefit from specialty plate programs. Its core offering, My Plates Select, comprises over 500 design backgrounds with personalization options of up to 7 characters, available in 1-, 3-, or 5-year terms, supplemented by State Sponsored plates for non-profit programs, Premium Embossed variants, the GR8PL8S pre-made message collection, the Premium Reserve exclusive-message collection, layaway payment plans, an auction platform for rare messages, and a pre-order pipeline for upcoming designs.

The underlying technology is a web-based e-commerce platform (the Web Sales Facility) integrated with Texas.gov as the official state payment engine, with physical fulfillment handled through the statewide network of 254 County Tax Assessor-Collector offices. Customer engagement is driven by the PL8 News email newsletter, SMS marketing with an automatic telephone dialing system, live chat support (Mon-Fri 8am-8pm), and a phone-based inside-sales customer service center (888-769-7528). Flat-print plates are manufactured by offenders at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Wynne Correctional Unit; embossed plates are sourced outside of TDCJ.

MyPlates generates revenue through one-time and multi-year plate sale fees (with multi-year terms offering up to 49% customer savings), $50-$75 restyle/upgrade fees, layaway cancellation fees, and auction transaction revenue on exclusive messages. Pricing varies materially by tier: State Sponsored plates start at $30, standard personalized plates range from $150-$495, and Premium Embossed plates range from $520-$570 across multi-year terms. A portion of each purchase flows to the Texas General Revenue Fund, with the company operating as the authorized for-profit vendor. Since inception, the program has generated over $180M for the state fund.

Name

MyPlates.com

Legal name

License Plates of Texas, LLC

Website

https://myplates.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MyPlates.com is the exclusive Texas specialty license plate vendor under contract with the TxDMV, offering 500+ customizable plate designs to Texas vehicle owners through an e-commerce platform with Texas.gov payment integration and statewide county office pickup.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. License Plate Sales: One-time and multi-year fees for specialty license plate purchases. Revenue split between My Plates service fees and Texas state fees. A portion of each purchase goes to the Texas General Revenue Fund. Multi-year terms offer discounts up to 49% compared to annual pricing.
2. Layaway Plans: Interest-free 5-payment installment plan for multi-year plate purchases. Free to complete; $25 cancellation fee if cancelled. Allows customers to reserve plate messages while paying over time.
3. Plate Restyle and Upgrade: One-time fees for changing plate background designs ($50 for flat print, $75 for Premium Embossed) or upgrading to Premium Embossed designs ($75 plus new category pricing).
4. Auction Plates: Revenue from auctioning highly sought-after reserved and never-before-released plate messages. Supports Texas General Revenue Fund.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

MyPlates.com is the exclusive authorized vendor under contract with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) to design, market, and sell specialty license plates in Texas. Customers can personalize plates with up to 7 characters, choose from over 500 background designs including premium embossed variants, and select terms of 1, 3, or 5 years. The company also offers layaway plans, plate auctions, restyle/port services, and ISA disability plates, with orders fulfilled through the website and delivered to local county tax offices for customer pickup.

Product overview

MyPlates.com is an official Texas specialty license plate vendor operated by License Plates of Texas, LLC under contract with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV). The core offering is My Plates Select, a comprehensive portfolio of customizable license plates featuring over 40 design backgrounds, including Premium Embossed variants with raised text. Customers can personalize plates with up to 7 characters, select from Background Only options, or choose from specialty collections like GR8PL8S (immediately available messages) and Premium Reserve (exclusive messages). The service supports multiple vehicle types (Passenger, Motorcycle, Trailer, Private Bus) with terms of 1, 3, or 5 years. Additional offerings include Layaway (5-payment plan), Auction (for exclusive messages), Pre-Order plates, Restyle/Port services for design changes, and ISA disability accessibility options. State Sponsored plates for non-profit programs are also available. The company has generated over $180M for Texas state general revenue since November 2009.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• My Plates Select Official Texas specialty license plates offering various design backgrounds, personalization options up to 7 characters, and multi-year terms (1, 3, or 5 years) for passenger vehicles, motorcycles, trailers, and private buses.
• Premium Embossed Plates

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $180M in revenue generated for Texas General Revenue Fund since November 2009
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Texas Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary government partner. TxDMV awarded My Plates the contract to design, market, and sell new specialty license plates in Texas. My Plates operates under TxDMV oversight and all plate messages require TxDMV approval. Revenue supports the Texas General Revenue Fund.
• Texas.govcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial payment engine of the State of Texas used for all purchases. My Plates uses Texas.gov for transaction processing. The platform does not support up-front discounting but enables rebate offers through promo codes.
• Texas County Tax Assessor-Collector OfficescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStatewide network of 254 county offices where customers pick up their specialty plates. Offices also handle registration fees and plate transfers. Multiple counties participate in the program.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• CarID: Online retailer of automotive parts, accessories, and personalization products including custom license plate frames. Comparable to MyPlates in the vehicle-customization e-commerce model and target buyer (vehicle owners seeking personalization), but is a private retailer without a state-vendor mandate.

Broad incumbents

• Cimpress (Vistaprint parent): Mass-customization printing and personalized products platform operating brands like Vistaprint. Comparable to MyPlates in mass customization, multi-SKU design tooling, and online ordering infrastructure, though at vastly greater scale and across broader product categories.
• Zazzle: Large online marketplace for customized and personalized products across many categories. Comparable to MyPlates in the customization/personalization commerce model and direct-to-consumer e-commerce infrastructure, but operates across a much broader product catalog rather than a single niche.
• Etsy: Online marketplace heavily weighted toward personalized, custom, and made-to-order goods. Comparable to MyPlates in the consumer mindshare around purchasing customized/personalized items online, although Etsy is a multi-seller marketplace rather than a single-vendor retailer.

Regional players

• California DMV Special Interest Plates: California's specialty and special interest license plate program administered by the state DMV. Comparable as another large-state specialty plate offering; however, like Florida, it is run directly by the DMV rather than by a private contracted vendor like MyPlates.
• Ohio BMV Specialty Plates: Ohio's specialty license plate program run by the state Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Comparable as another US state's specialty plate offering with personalization options, but differs from MyPlates in being operated directly by the state agency rather than by a contracted private vendor.
• Florida HSMV Specialty License Plates: Florida's state-run specialty license plate program. Comparable because it sells personalized and cause-affiliated specialty plates to a single state's residents, but operates under direct DMV control rather than a private vendor model, making MyPlates' privatized vendor approach distinctive.

Direct peers

• Personalization Mall: Online retailer specializing in personalized and customized consumer products. Comparable to MyPlates in that the entire business revolves around letting consumers attach custom messages or designs to standardized base products via an e-commerce storefront.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/myplates
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/myplates
• Facebookfacebook.com/myplates
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/myplates

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MyPlates.com