Which auto repair shop software should you pick in 2026?
Every shop software demo looks perfect. The difference shows up on the invoice: per-user fees, setup charges, add-ons you only discover after you sign.
Shop management software runs your repair order (RO) from the first phone call to the paid invoice: estimates, digital vehicle inspections, parts, technician time, payments and follow-ups. For most independent shops with three or more people, Tekmetric is our first pick: one price per shop, unlimited users and unlimited ROs, starting at $199 a month. If you want the most polished customer messaging and can live with per-user pricing, look at Shopmonkey. AutoLeap is a strong third, but ask for its setup fee in writing.
The top Google results for this search are directories that list dozens of tools, and many are paid per click by the vendors they list. We read the pricing pages ourselves, then the shop owner forums, starting with the complaints.
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
The 5 shop platforms side by side
The ranking follows our scores. Look at the billing column first: with five people on the floor, a per-shop price and a per-user price end up hundreds of dollars apart.
| Best for | Billing unit | Free plan | Team size | Visit | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tekmetric | Best overall | Per shop, unlimited users | 4.4/5 | $199/mo | — | Shops with 3 to 20 people | Visit → |
| 2 | Shopmonkey | Best customer experience | Per shop, 3 users included | 4.2/5 | $239/mo | — | Shops with 2 to 5 people | Visit → |
| 3 | AutoLeap | Best for multi-location growth | Per shop, plus setup fee | 4.1/5 | $199/mo | — | Growing and multi-site shops | Visit → |
| 4 | Workshop Software | Most transparent on usage fees | Per shop, extra users paid | 3.9/5 | $119/mo | — | Small shops on a budget | Visit → |
| 5 | Orderry | Cheapest way to start | Per tier, extra staff paid | 3.8/5 | $39/mo | — | One-person or mixed repair shops | Visit → |
Scores on five criteria, explained in the method. Monthly list prices in US dollars, read in 2026 on official vendor pages.
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How we compared and scored
This page is for the owner or service manager of an independent auto repair shop who is replacing paper ROs, a legacy desktop system or a tool that has become too expensive. It covers general repair and maintenance. Collision shops and dealerships have their own needs, which we flag in the cards.
The first filter is the job. A ranked platform must handle the vehicle record, estimates, repair orders, invoicing and payments. A plain invoicing app does not qualify (see our ranking of invoicing software for contractors). The second filter is transparency: the vendor must publish a list price we could read on its own site.
We read each vendor's pricing page line by line, then shop owner threads and user reviews, starting with the negative ones. That is why tools many owners love, such as Protractor or Mitchell 1, sit outside the ranking: we could not read a list price on their sites, and a price copied from a third party would mislead you more than it would help.
- Ease of useHow fast a service writer and a technician get productive, on desktop and tablet.20%
- Value for moneyReal monthly cost for a 3 to 5 person shop, clarity of the price, hidden fees (setup, users, add-ons).20%
- Shop featuresROs, estimates, inspections, inventory, technician board, follow-ups. The core of the job, hence the highest weight.30%
- Support and onboardingTrial or demo, onboarding, data migration and responsiveness reported by users.15%
- Integrations and fitAccounting, payments, labor guides, parts catalogs, multi-shop.15%
The ranking is editorial: a sponsored placement is always labeled on its card, and no affiliate link changes a score.
Vendors change their pricing without notice. Get the updates
Tekmetric
Tekmetric is a cloud shop management system built for independent repair shops. Its pricing is the cleanest in the category: you pay per shop, not per person, and every plan includes unlimited users and unlimited repair orders. Start at $199 a month covers inventory and vendors, digital inspections, digital authorizations and invoicing. Grow at $349 adds a labor guide, maintenance schedules and time clock. Scale at $439 adds two-way texting, a dashboard and a technician board.
That model pays off fast. Five people on Shopmonkey's Basic plan cost $239 plus two extra users at $20, or $279. On Tekmetric, they cost $199, and the tenth hire costs nothing. Onboarding and training are included, and you can pay monthly with no commitment.
Its limits: there is no free trial, only a demo. Add-ons stack up (a second location is $70 a month, Tire Suite $39, the marketing package $345). And one owner on the diag.net forum, who picked it, still complained about "the lack of customization for my particular business."
- Unlimited users and repair orders on every plan
- Digital inspections and authorizations from the entry plan
- Labor guide and maintenance schedules on Grow
- Two-way texting and technician board on Scale
- Multi-shop at $70 per extra location
- Onboarding and training included
- ✓The best value in the ranking once you pass four users
- ✓Month-to-month billing, no long contract
- ✓Price list that shows what each plan adds
- ✗No free trial, demo only
- ✗Two-way texting only on the $439 plan
- ✗Users report limited customization
The best pick if your shop has three or more people and you want a bill that does not grow with headcount. Book the demo with three of your own ROs and check which plan includes the texting you need.
Shopmonkey
Shopmonkey is the platform many owners call the most pleasant to use. It covers estimates, ROs, inspections, inventory, purchase orders, scheduling and payments in one browser tab. Clever, at $399 a month, is the real working plan: unlimited inspection templates, inventory, purchase orders, time clock, MOTOR and ALLDATA labor data, and QuickBooks Online sync. Genius at $499 adds automated estimate follow-ups and Google review requests.
Its fans are loud. One owner on diag.net wrote: "it's leaps ahead of all other shop software, we've tried AutoLeap, ShopWare and AutoVitals." The same thread holds the counterpoint: a shop that moved to Tekmetric after two years.
Its limits are price and the entry plan. Basic gives you only two inspection templates and no QuickBooks sync. Each user past the included three costs $20 a month. Users on review sites call it "good but over priced". And one owner noted that the numbers Shopmonkey uses to text customers are not yours: a customer who calls one back reaches nothing.
- Unlimited inspection templates from Clever
- MOTOR and ALLDATA labor data on Clever
- QuickBooks Online sync from Clever
- Automated estimate follow-ups on Genius
- Google review requests on Genius
- Card terminal at $299 plus $10 a month per device
- ✓The most polished interface in the ranking
- ✓Strong inspection and customer messaging flow
- ✓Integrated card payments
- ✗Basic is too limited for most shops
- ✗$20 per extra user adds up fast
- ✗Texting numbers are not your own
A great pick for a small, customer-facing shop that will pay for polish. Skip Basic and budget for Clever, then run the math against Tekmetric if you plan to hire.
AutoLeap
AutoLeap is a cloud shop platform from the US and Canada with unlimited ROs on every plan. Essentials at $199 a month covers the basics. Pro at $349 adds two-way texting, inventory, time tracking, QuickBooks Online and labor guides. Elite at $449 adds the newer inspections, a real-time dashboard and Google review requests. The Enterprise plan is built for groups of up to 10,000 locations.
AutoLeap also sells an AI receptionist, AutoLeap AIR, at $99 a month: it answers the phone when your service writers are busy. For a shop that misses calls at 8 a.m., that can be worth more than another feature.
Its limits are about what you cannot see. There is a one-time setup fee covering migration and training, but the pricing page does not show the amount. There is no free trial. And some options are marked "additional fee" without a number. Get every one of them on the quote before you sign.
- Unlimited ROs on every plan
- Two-way texting and QuickBooks Online on Pro
- Real-time dashboard on Elite
- AI receptionist at $99 a month
- Enterprise plan for up to 10,000 locations
- Migration and training covered by the setup fee
- ✓Pro includes texting at a lower price than Tekmetric Scale
- ✓Built to scale to many locations
- ✓Migration handled by the vendor
- ✗Setup fee amount not published
- ✗No free trial
- ✗Some add-ons priced only on request
The pick for a growing shop that wants texting on a mid-tier plan and a vendor-led migration. Ask for the setup fee and every add-on in writing, then compare the first-year total with Tekmetric.
Workshop Software
Workshop Software comes from Australia and also sells in the US, the UK, New Zealand and South Africa. It covers scheduling, quotes, job cards, inspections and invoicing across three plans. Silver starts at $119 a month, Gold at $149, and Platinum at $249 adds multi-site management and API access.
Its pricing page is honest about the extras. SMS messages and plate lookups are billed on usage, each extra user costs $20 a month, and help importing your old data is paid except on Platinum. Annual billing saves up to 20%, which brings Silver down to $99.
Its limits: US shop owners mention it far less than Tekmetric or Shopmonkey in the threads we read, so local peer feedback is thin. And the usage fees mean a shop that texts every customer should estimate its monthly SMS volume before choosing.
- Entry plan at $119, the lowest among dedicated auto platforms here
- Free trial offered
- Multi-site and API on Platinum
- Usage fees disclosed up front
- Up to 20% off with annual billing
- Present in five countries
- ✓Lower entry price than the US leaders
- ✓Clear about what costs extra
- ✓Trial before you commit
- ✗SMS and plate lookups billed on top
- ✗Data import paid outside Platinum
- ✗Smaller US user base
A solid budget pick for a small shop that wants a real workshop system and a trial. Estimate your SMS volume and ask for the import quote before moving.
Orderry
Orderry is an online system for repair shops of all kinds, not only automotive. It handles work orders, customers, inventory, point of sale and staff. Its list prices are the lowest in this ranking: Hobby costs $39 a month for two employees, one location and 100 work orders every 30 days.
Startup, from $69, includes three employees and scales to fifteen at $6 per extra person, with each extra location at $49. Business, from $99, scales to 150 employees. The seven-day trial needs no card and no contract.
Its limits come from being generic. The Hobby cap of 100 work orders is fixed: on order 101 you must upgrade. There are no auto-specific labor guides or parts catalogs. And your data is deleted one year after your subscription expires, so export it before you leave.
- List price from $39 a month
- 7-day trial with no card
- Work orders, inventory, POS and staff in one tool
- Extra employees from $6 a month
- Multi-location from the Startup plan
- 10% off with annual billing
- ✓Lowest entry price in the ranking
- ✓Simple tier-based billing
- ✓Fast trial, no sales call
- ✗Hobby capped at 100 work orders per 30 days
- ✗Nothing auto-specific: no labor guides
- ✗Data deleted a year after expiry
The cheapest way to get off paper if you write fewer than 100 work orders a month. Once you grow, a dedicated auto platform will save more time than it costs.
How to choose your shop software
Three questions cut the list in half: how many people log in, do you need texting from day one, and are you planning a second location.
One-person shop
Orderry Hobby at $39 or Workshop Software Silver at $119. Past 100 work orders a month, Hobby stops scaling, and Workshop Software becomes the cheaper full system.
Three to five people
Run the per-user math. Five people cost $199 on Tekmetric Start and $279 on Shopmonkey Basic. If you need texting, compare Tekmetric Scale ($439) with AutoLeap Pro ($349).
Six people or more
Per-shop pricing wins. Tekmetric charges the same whether you have six or sixteen logins, while per-user plans keep adding $20 a month for every hire.
Planning a second location
Check the multi-shop price before you sign. Tekmetric lists $70 a month per extra shop. AutoLeap and Shopmonkey quote multi-site on request.
Heavy on texting
Texting sits on higher tiers: Tekmetric Scale at $439, AutoLeap Pro at $349. Workshop Software bills SMS on usage, which is cheaper for light senders and costlier for heavy ones.
Switching from another system
Ask who migrates your customers, vehicles and RO history, and at what price. AutoLeap covers it in its setup fee, Workshop Software includes it only on Platinum.
- Is the price per shop or per user, and what does an extra user cost?
- Which plan includes two-way texting?
- Is there a setup or migration fee, and how much?
- Are SMS and plate lookups included or billed on usage?
- Does the plan include a labor guide and parts ordering?
- Does it sync with QuickBooks Online on the plan you pick?
- Can you export customers, vehicles and RO history if you leave?
- Is there a free trial, or can the demo use your own ROs?
Three more systems worth knowing
Shop owners name these tools again and again. They stay outside the ranking because we could not read a list price on their own sites.
Protractor: the long-term loyalty pick
Price on requestProtractor has some of the most loyal users in the category. One owner on diag.net wrote: "we have been using Protractor for almost 20 years and have never seen a occasion to switch." If a peer shop runs it happily, ask for a quote and compare it with Tekmetric's per-shop price.
- Known for
- Long-time loyal users
- Best for
- Shops that value stability
- Watch out
- No list price on its site
Mitchell 1: deep repair data, steeper learning curve
Price on requestMitchell 1 comes up in almost every owner thread about shop software. Owners in the same diag.net thread found it "more difficult to navigate" than newer cloud tools. Worth a demo if a nearby shop already runs it and can show you its daily flow.
- Known for
- Frequent owner mentions
- Best for
- Shops comparing demos
- Watch out
- Older interface
Shop-Ware: on every owner's shortlist
Price on requestShop-Ware shows up in most US directories and in owner threads, often among the tools a shop trialed before settling on another. Ask for its pricing in writing and compare it with the five platforms above.
- Known for
- Cloud shop management
- Best for
- Shops comparing several demos
- Watch out
- No list price on its site
Six tips to pay less and switch safely
Taken from vendor pricing pages and shop owner threads, these tips cut the bill more often than haggling does.
Price it at your real headcount
Count everyone who will log in, including the front desk and part-time techs. Per-user plans look cheap at three seats and get expensive at six.
Bring your own ROs to the demo
Tekmetric and AutoLeap have no free trial. Bring three real repair orders (an oil change, a diagnosis, a big job) and ask the rep to build them live. Count the clicks.
Get the setup fee in writing
AutoLeap charges a one-time setup fee it does not publish. Ask for the amount, what it covers and whether it is waived on an annual plan.
Go annual after a full month
Annual billing saves up to 10% at Shopmonkey and Orderry and up to 20% at Workshop Software. Run a full month of real work first, then switch.
Check whose number texts your customers
Some platforms text from numbers you do not own. Ask whether customers can call the number back, and whether you keep it if you leave.
Export your history before you cancel
Export customers, vehicles and RO history before you cancel. Orderry deletes data a year after expiry. Your vehicle history is what lets you tell a customer what was replaced last time.
A new shop platform deserves a spot? You will read it here first
Go further
These pages cover the rest of a small shop's toolkit.
Quotes and invoices, no shop floor.
You want faster quotesQuoting software for tradespeopleOnline signatures and follow-ups.
You want to take cardsCard readers for contractorsTransaction fees compared.
You service company vehiclesFleet management softwareWhat your fleet customers use.
You sell parts over the counterPOS systemsCheckout and stock at the counter.
You need accountingAccounting software for SMBsKeep your own books.
Auto repair shop software FAQ
Tekmetric or Shopmonkey: which is better?
Tekmetric for shops with three or more people, Shopmonkey for small shops that want the most polished customer flow. Tekmetric bills per shop with unlimited users from $199. Shopmonkey starts at $239 with three users and $20 per extra seat.
How much does auto repair shop software cost?
From $39 a month for a one-person tool like Orderry to $449 to $499 a month for top tiers at AutoLeap and Shopmonkey. Most shops land between $199 and $449. Add setup fees, extra users, texting and payment hardware to get the real figure.
Is there free auto repair shop software?
None of the platforms ranked here has a free plan. Orderry offers a seven-day trial without a card, and Workshop Software offers a free trial. Free desktop tools exist, but you take on backups and updates yourself.
What is the best shop software for a small shop?
For one person, Orderry Hobby or Workshop Software Silver. For two or three people, Shopmonkey Basic includes three users, but check its two-template inspection limit. Past four people, Tekmetric's per-shop price usually wins: that is the break-even point against per-user plans, while its sweet spot, as the table shows, runs from 3 to 20 people.
Do any of these platforms offer a free trial?
Orderry (seven days, no card) and Workshop Software do. Tekmetric and AutoLeap offer demos only. Ask the vendor to run the demo on your own repair orders so you see real workflows, not a scripted one.
What features does a shop management system need?
Vehicle history, estimates that turn into ROs without retyping, digital inspections with photos, invoicing and payments. After that, texting, a labor guide and accounting sync matter most. Check which plan includes each one: they are often split across tiers.
How do I switch shop software without losing data?
Export customers, vehicles and full RO history first. Ask the new vendor who imports it and at what cost: AutoLeap covers it in its setup fee, Workshop Software only on Platinum. Keep read access to the old system for a month.
Does shop software integrate with QuickBooks?
Yes on most mid-tier plans. Shopmonkey adds QuickBooks Online from Clever, AutoLeap from Pro. Shopmonkey Basic does not include it, so factor that in if your bookkeeper relies on it.