FFL software is the program a licensed firearms dealer uses to keep ATF-required records on a computer: the acquisition and disposition record (the "bound book") and Form 4473. Many products also run the register, track inventory and power a dealer website. ATF sets the conditions for electronic records in Ruling 2016-1, but it doesn't approve any product. Dealers end up choosing among three kinds: free or low-cost bound book and 4473 tools, cloud all-in-one subscriptions, and one-time licenses installed on their own PC.
Compare the three kinds · See pricing · Book a demo
What FFL software has to do (the legal floor)
Whatever you buy, the records are yours and so is the responsibility. ATF Ruling 2016-1 lets a dealer keep the A&D record electronically without applying for a variance, as long as every condition in the ruling is followed. Paper stays an option. In plain terms, the software has to let you:
- Record every acquisition and disposition with the fields 27 CFR 478.125(e) requires, including both manufacturer and importer. Acquisitions go in by the close of the next business day; dispositions within 7 days.
- Search by serial number, acquisition date, manufacturer or importer, purchaser name and address, and 4473 transaction number.
- Keep a correction history. A changed entry can't quietly overwrite the original.
- Print or download on request. You must produce records within 24 hours of an ATF officer's request, and download to a device at your premises on a set schedule.
- Back up at least daily.
ATF's position on products is short: the Bureau "does not issue blanket approvals for commercially available software programs nor does it endorse any particular product." Be wary of anything sold as "ATF approved." For the condition-by-condition version, see the ATF Ruling 2016-1 checklist. For the fields and deadlines themselves, see ATF bound book requirements.
Sources: ATF Ruling 2016-1 · ATF, Prescribed Requisites for Computerized A&D Software · 27 CFR 478.125
Form 4473 has its own rulings: Ruling 2016-2 covers completing the form electronically, and Ruling 2022-01 covers storing completed forms electronically instead of on paper, which starts with 60 days' written notice to your ATF area office. Sources: ATF Ruling 2016-2 · ATF Ruling 2022-01
The three kinds of FFL software
Prices below are starting prices from each vendor's own site, as of Sep 25, 2026. They change; check the vendor before you buy.
| Kind | What it covers | How you pay | Where records live | Best for | Examples (as of Sep 25, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free or low-cost bound book and 4473 tools | Bound book and electronic 4473 | Free, or a monthly or annual plan, often tiered by volume | Vendor's cloud | Home-based and low-volume dealers who already take payments another way | FFLSafe (free) · Orchid eBound ($0 Starter tier) · FastBound (from $9/mo) · Logbooks for Guns (from $8/mo) |
| Cloud all-in-one subscription | Compliance plus POS, inventory and often e-commerce | Monthly, usually tiered by features, users or volume | Vendor's cloud | Storefronts that want one vendor for everything and prefer a monthly bill | Bravo (from $99 a month) · FFL-BRO (plans from $79/mo; PRO with POS $249/mo) · Orchid POS (Spark $99 a month) · FFL Boss + POS bundle ($174/mo) |
| One-time local license | Compliance, POS, inventory and a dealer website | Pay once | Your own Windows PC at your premises | Dealers who want to own the software and keep records on their own machine | FFL Command Center ($1,700 Lifetime) |
If you do a handful of transfers a year and already have a register, a free bound book and 4473 tool may be all you need. We sell the third kind, and we'd still tell you that.
Which kind do you need? Four questions
- How many guns do you log a year? A few dozen transfers fit comfortably in a free or entry tier. Several hundred acquisitions a year will push you past most volume caps, so price the tier you'll actually hit, not the entry tier.
- Do you sell retail? If you ring up sales, a system where the sale writes the A&D disposition saves you entering everything twice. If you don't, a POS is money spent on screens you won't open.
- Do you work gun shows or have unreliable internet? A cloud book depends on the connection at the venue. A local install doesn't.
- Would you rather pay monthly or once? A subscription is cheap to start and never stops. A one-time license costs more on day one and then stops costing money. Our cost guide does the three- and five-year math.
Just got your license? Start with software for new FFLs.
Record keeping vs order management: what the terms mean
The two phrases get used loosely, so here's what they mean in a dealer's day:
- Record keeping is the federal part: the A&D record, Form 4473 and keeping both for as long as the law requires. Every product in the table above does this.
- Order management is the business part: customer special orders and purchase orders to your distributors. When those guns arrive, they have to land in inventory and in the bound book.
Here's how it works in FFL Command Center. When you receive a purchase order from a distributor, each firearm goes into the bound book as an acquisition, and the serial number is required before it will commit. Accessories on the same PO go to stock and never enter the book. A customer special order tracks the deposit and payments and links to the PO. When the gun arrives, the special order picks up the inventory record that receiving created. A special order never creates a bound book entry on its own, so the book only changes when a gun is actually received. There's also a distributor registry with price-sheet import.
Cloud vs local: where your records live
Cloud. You can reach the records from anywhere with a browser, and the vendor runs the servers. They're only there when the internet and the vendor are. Ruling 2016-1 adds conditions for hosted records: the host must have a business premises in the United States and be subject to U.S. legal process, records must be readily accessible from your premises during business hours, you notify your ATF area office within 30 days of contracting with or changing a host, and you download to a device at your premises at least daily.
Local. The records sit on a PC at your licensed premises. FFL Command Center works this way: inventory, the bound book, Form 4473 and POS all keep working with no internet, and the electronic 4473 works offline at gun shows. Internet is only needed for the optional cloud backup and the website module. If you use off-site or cloud backup, ATF Rulings 2016-1 and 2016-2 require notifying your ATF Area Office of the host facility within 30 days. We'll give you the details to include.
Neither is right for everyone. Pick the one whose failure mode you'd rather live with.
What FFL Command Center includes
FFL Command Center is Windows 10/11 FFL dealer software, built by Dana Fales, who runs Fales Guns, an FFL in Coral Springs, Florida. One license covers:
- Electronic bound book. The A&D record on your own PC, with a read-only inspector login and a reason and before-and-after trail on every correction. → Electronic bound book software
- Electronic 4473. The buyer's form, sealed when complete and linked to its bound book entry. → Electronic 4473 software
- Point of sale. Ring up sales on the same system that holds your book. → Gun store POS
- Inventory. Firearms and everything else on the shelf. → Inventory
- Dealer website. Your inventory online. → Dealer website
What it doesn't do: it doesn't submit NICS checks (it records the result and NTN you receive), and it doesn't file eForms with ATF. It isn't built for multi-location chains. It runs on Windows 10 and 11 only for now. Mac version coming.
One Windows PC holds your records. A second register or the 4473 tablet can connect over your shop network in a browser. It is not a multi-server or synced multi-PC system.
What it costs
FFL Command Center is $1,700 one-time for a Lifetime license, with no required monthly fee, or $175 a month if you'd rather pay monthly. New licensees can get the New FFL Starter, $1,950 with remote setup included. For how that compares with the rest of the market over three and five years, see how much FFL software costs and pricing.
Compare FFL Command Center with…
FastBound · FFL Boss · Orchid · FFLSafe · Bravo · Best FFL software 2026 · How to switch FFL software
FAQ
What is FFL software?
FFL software is the program a federally licensed firearms dealer uses to keep ATF-required records electronically, mainly the acquisition and disposition (A&D) record, often called the bound book, and the Form 4473. Many products also run point of sale, inventory and a dealer website. ATF allows electronic A&D records when the licensee follows the conditions of ATF Ruling 2016-1.
Is any FFL software ATF approved?
No. ATF does not approve, certify or endorse commercial FFL software. ATF Ruling 2016-1 lists the conditions for a licensee's electronic A&D records, and the licensee is responsible for following them. Be cautious of any product marketed as "ATF approved."
What kinds of FFL software are there?
There are three broad kinds: free or low-cost tools that handle only the bound book and Form 4473; cloud subscriptions that add point of sale and e-commerce; and one-time licenses installed on your own computer. The right one depends on how many guns you log, whether you sell retail, and whether you prefer to pay monthly or once.
Do I need a POS or just a bound book?
If you mainly do transfers or a few sales a year and already take payments another way, a bound book and electronic 4473 may be enough. If you sell retail, a POS that writes the A&D disposition when you ring the sale saves double entry.
What is FFL order management software?
In FFL software, order management usually means tracking customer special orders and purchase orders to distributors, so incoming firearms are expected, received into inventory and logged in the bound book. In FFL Command Center, receiving a purchase order writes each firearm to the bound book with a required serial number, and a special order tracks the customer's deposit and links to that purchase order.
Does FFL Command Center work without internet?
Yes. Inventory, the bound book, Form 4473 and point of sale all work with no internet, and the electronic 4473 works offline at gun shows. Internet is needed only for optional cloud backup and the website module. If you use off-site or cloud backup, ATF Rulings 2016-1 and 2016-2 require notifying your ATF Area Office of the host facility within 30 days. We'll give you the details to include.
Does FFL Command Center run on a Mac?
Not yet. FFL Command Center runs on Windows 10 and Windows 11 only for now. Mac version coming.
Book a demo · See pricing · Or call 954-774-7776.
Quick answers
FFL software is the program a licensed firearms dealer uses to keep the ATF-required acquisition and disposition (A&D) record, the "bound book", and Form 4473 electronically. Many products also run point of sale, inventory and a dealer website. ATF allows electronic A&D records without a variance when the dealer follows the conditions of ATF Ruling 2016-1, but ATF does not approve any software product. Dealers typically choose between free or low-cost bound book and 4473 tools, cloud all-in-one subscriptions, and one-time licenses installed on their own Windows PC, such as FFL Command Center ($1,700 one-time).