Comparisons

Tekmetric Alternatives (2026): 9 Options, Real Prices

Nine alternatives to Tekmetric for independent auto repair shops, sorted by the reason you're looking: texting on the entry plan, unlimited users, accounting, ProDemand, a lower price or missed calls. Prices checked 30 October 2026.

Ijharul Islam October 30, 2026 10 min read

The main Tekmetric alternatives in 2026 are Shopmonkey (two-way texting and a phone number on every plan, from $239 a month), Shop-Ware (unlimited users, MOTOR from $389), AutoLeap (labor guides from $349 plus the AIR receptionist), ShopBoss (texting from $199) and Protractor (accounting built in, from $399). Torque360 and ARI cost less; Mitchell 1 suits ProDemand shops.

More on this topic: Shop software pricing and alternatives, every guide in one place.

Shops usually look past Tekmetric for one of a few reasons: two-way texting needs Scale ($439), online booking and reminders need the $345 Marketing add-on, there's no free trial, or the real problem is the phone. We list each alternative with the reason it fixes. Tekmetric's own plans are broken down in Tekmetric pricing, and its closest rival is compared in Tekmetric vs Shopmonkey.

Key takeaways

If texting is the reason: Shopmonkey and ShopBoss include two-way texting on every plan; Torque360 from $179.99.
If team size is the reason: Tekmetric already has unlimited users; so do Shop-Ware and ShopBoss. Shopmonkey charges $20 per user beyond 3, 4 or 5.
If accounting is the reason: Protractor includes it on every plan; Shopmonkey sells a built-in Accounting add-on.
If price is the reason: ARI from $39.99 and Torque360 from $89.99 billed yearly.
If missed calls are the reason: AutoLeap sells AIR from $99 a month, and BayRobin, which we make, includes an AI receptionist on every plan.

Disclosure: we make BayRobin, one of the tools on this list. Every other product's details come from its public pages or published reviews, checked in October 2026 and linked at the end. We include each tool's real strengths, and say who it suits better than us.

How we compared them

We picked the shop systems independent shops most often compare with Tekmetric, plus BayRobin. Every price is from the vendor's own page on 30 October 2026; where a vendor doesn't publish a price, we say so rather than repeat third-party estimates. We didn't use review-site scores or customer counts.

At a glance

Tool	Starts at	Two-way texting	Labor guide	Users
Tekmetric (for reference)	$199/month ($179 yearly)	Scale, $439	Grow, $349	Unlimited
Shopmonkey	$239/month ($215 annual)	Every plan	MOTOR from Clever, $399	3, 4 or 5; $20 per extra
Shop-Ware	$279/month ($251 annual)	Limited on Startup; unlimited from Pro, $389	MOTOR from Pro, $389	Unlimited
AutoLeap	$199/month ($179 annual) + setup fee	Pro, $349	Pro, $349	Not capped; one device per login
ShopBoss	$199/month ($179 annual)	Every plan	Full guides from Platinum, $349	Unlimited
Protractor	$399/month ($359 yearly)	Not listed on its pricing page	Epicor on every plan	Not stated
Mitchell 1 Manager SE	TeamWorks $348/month, 12-month lease	MessageCenter add-on, $39	ProDemand in TeamWorks	$15 per extra user
Torque360	$89.99/month billed yearly	Turbo, $179.99	Epicor from Turbo	5 on Starter; unlimited on Turbo
ARI	$39.99/month ($33.33 yearly)	Not listed on its pricing page	Not listed on its pricing page	Not stated
BayRobin	$149/month	Every plan, with missed-call text-back	None	3, 8 or 20

The alternatives, one by one

1. Shopmonkey

Best for: Small teams that want texting, a phone number and parts ordering on the entry plan
Price: Basic $239 (3 users), Clever $399 (4), Genius $499 (5) a month ($215, $359, $449 annual); extra users $20

Every plan has two-way text and email, a built-in phone number with call forwarding, appointment reminders, parts ordering through PartsTech, RepairLink and Nexpart, payments and a technician app. MOTOR parts and labor, ALLDATA, inventory and QuickBooks Online start on Clever. CRM Essentials ($314 to $349 a month) adds online booking and a Front Desk Concierge that answers calls. Migration is a one-time $500. Details in Shopmonkey pricing.

Where it shines: Texting and reminders on Basic, where Tekmetric needs Scale and Marketing.

Watch out for: Users are capped per plan, so a team of seven or more pays more than on Tekmetric for the same features.

2. Shop-Ware

Best for: Bigger teams that want unlimited users and the MOTOR labor guide
Price: Startup $279, Pro $389, Master $499, Ultimate+ $999 a month ($251, $350, $449, $899 billed annually), per location

Every package has unlimited users. Pro adds unlimited two-way texting, the MOTOR labor guide, a native parts catalog and the AutoWrite AI writing assistant. CRM and the online service scheduler are in Ultimate+ or a $249 a month add-on. Migration, Accounting Link and payment fees apply but aren't published, and neither is the AI Receptionist's price. Details in Shop-Ware pricing.

Where it shines: Unlimited users on every package and no annual contract required.

Watch out for: A higher entry price, and several fees you'll only learn in a quote.

3. AutoLeap

Best for: Shops that want shop software and an AI receptionist from one vendor
Price: Essentials $199, Pro $349, Elite $449 a month ($179, $309, $409 billed annually) plus a one-time setup fee; AIR from $1 a call or $99 a month

Two-way texting, labor guides and QuickBooks Online start on Pro; Google reviews and the AutoLeap app on Elite. AIR, its AI receptionist, is $99 a month for 200 calls or $199 for 500 plus 100 free, with $0.75 per extra call, and AutoLeap says it works with other shop software too. The software setup fee isn't published, and there's no free trial. Details in AutoLeap pricing.

Where it shines: Published AI receptionist pricing, in several languages.

Watch out for: An unpublished setup fee, and no two-way texting on Essentials.

4. ShopBoss

Best for: Shops that want unlimited users and two-way texting on the entry plan
Price: Gold $199, Platinum $349, Premier $449, Premier Plus $649 a month ($179, $314, $404, $584 billed annually)

Every package includes unlimited repair orders, unlimited users, unlimited two-way text and email, integrated parts ordering and VIN scanning. Full labor guides with diagrams and comprehensive inspections start on Platinum; Premier adds a website, and Premier Plus online booking and CRM, which are also sold as a $249 a month add-on ($224 annually). Moving your data is a one-time $399 for customers and vehicles or $899 with history and inventory.

Where it shines: Texting and unlimited users from $199.

Watch out for: Full labor guides need Platinum, and data transfer is extra.

5. Protractor

Best for: Shops that would otherwise pay for separate accounting software
Price: Core $399, Performance $599, Prestige $1,099, Elite $1,299 a month ($359, $539, $989, $1,169 billed yearly)

Every plan includes integrated accounting, Epicor parts and labor guides, parts inventory, parts and labor matrices and basic inspections. Performance adds advanced inspections; Prestige a website and marketing suite. CRM and online scheduling are the $249 a month Advanced Tools add-on. Prices are for new customers or upgrades.

Where it shines: Accounting and a labor guide on the entry plan.

Watch out for: The highest published entry price, and the pricing page doesn't mention two-way texting.

6. Mitchell 1 Manager SE

Best for: Shops that diagnose and estimate from ProDemand
Price: TeamWorks (ProDemand Repair, Estimator and single-user shop management) $348 a month on a 12-month lease; Manager SE alone not published

Mitchell 1's store, for new customers, lists ProDemand from $204 a month and add-ons for Manager SE: extra users $15, MessageCenter texting $39 and Accounting Link $69 a month. Inspections, SocialCRM (with online scheduling) and payments are priced by quote. Details in Mitchell 1 pricing.

Where it shines: ProDemand repair information alongside the shop system.

Watch out for: 12-month leases rather than month to month, and texting is an add-on.

7. Torque360

Best for: Small shops on a tight budget
Price: Starter $89.99, Turbo $179.99 a month billed annually; Supercharged quoted

Starter has advanced inspections, PartsTech and Nexpart and one-way texting for five users. Turbo adds two-way texting, Epicor repair times and parts ordering, QuickBooks Online and Enterprise, a technician app and unlimited users. No setup fee. Payments ($499) and the appointment scheduler ($999) are listed as add-ons without saying whether those are one-time or recurring.

Where it shines: Two-way texting and labor times for $179.99 a month.

Watch out for: Only annual-billing prices were shown, and the add-on terms aren't clear.

8. ARI

Best for: One-bay and mobile mechanics
Price: Pro $39.99 a month ($399.99 a year), Pro Plus $59.99 ($599.99 a year); free for up to 5 records

Both plans include invoicing, inspections, inventory, accounting, appointments, reminders, time tracking, payments, reporting and a booking page. No contracts, and you cancel from the app's settings.

Where it shines: The lowest price we found.

Watch out for: Built for small operations rather than multi-bay shops.

9. BayRobin (if missed calls are the reason you're looking)

Best for: Small shops losing work to voicemail, or any shop that wants its phone answered and booked
Price: Starter $149 (3 users), Pro $249 (8), Shop $399 (20) a month; free until your first 10 booked jobs

BayRobin, which we make, is an AI receptionist and front office rather than a full shop system. Its AI receptionist answers every call, gets the year, make, model and concern, and books an open time; missed calls get a text back. Behind it are inspections, repair orders approved by text, invoices and a dispatch board on every plan. Moving over is a one-time CSV or spreadsheet import of customers, jobs and invoices; see switching from your shop software. Compare it in BayRobin vs Tekmetric.

Where it shines: Answering, booking, text-back and reminders included on every plan, month to month, with no setup fee.

Watch out for: No labor guide, parts ordering, inventory, accounting sync or financing, and it's new, with no independent reviews yet.

How to choose

Write down the one or two things Tekmetric doesn't do for you at the plan you can afford, and shortlist only tools that fix those.
Price the tier that has them, then add users, texting, booking and reminders, payments and any setup or migration fee.
Ask each vendor what it migrates from Tekmetric and what it charges; Tekmetric, Shop-Ware and AutoLeap all advertise migration from many systems, but only Shopmonkey and ShopBoss publish a price.
Compare yearly totals, and ask whether a yearly plan can be cancelled early.
Run a demo with your own repair orders, and check the effect on your margins with our effective labor rate calculator. Every vendor's price list is in auto repair shop software pricing 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best alternative to Tekmetric?

It depends on why you're leaving. Shopmonkey for texting on the entry plan, Shop-Ware for unlimited users with MOTOR, AutoLeap for an AI receptionist from the same vendor, Protractor for built-in accounting, and ARI or Torque360 for a lower price.

Is there a cheaper alternative to Tekmetric?

Yes. As of 30 October 2026, ARI starts at $39.99 a month and Torque360 at $89.99 a month billed yearly, against Tekmetric's $199. ShopBoss and AutoLeap start at the same $199.

Which Tekmetric alternative includes two-way texting on the cheapest plan?

Shopmonkey ($239 for three users) and ShopBoss ($199, unlimited users). On Tekmetric, two-way texting starts on Scale at $439.

Can I move my data from Tekmetric?

Most vendors offer migration: Shopmonkey charges a one-time $500, ShopBoss $399 or $899, and Shop-Ware and AutoLeap include or quote it. BayRobin imports customers, jobs and invoices from a CSV or spreadsheet export.

Is Tekmetric better than Shopmonkey?

Neither is better across the board. Tekmetric is cheaper for big teams and the labor guide; Shopmonkey is cheaper for small teams that want texting. See our Tekmetric vs Shopmonkey comparison.

Try it on your own shop's phone

If missed calls are why you're shopping, put BayRobin's receptionist on your line next to whichever system you keep. Set up your services and hours, make a test call about a real car, and listen to how it handles it. BayRobin is free until your first 10 booked jobs, no card up front. Start free or see pricing.

Sources

Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.

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