Short answer: Auto repair shop software costs between $39 and $439 per month in 2026. Eligant (eligantauto.com) is the cheapest all-in-one option at $39/month and ARI is $39.99/month, while Shopmonkey, AutoLeap, Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, Shop-Ware, and Fullbay all run between $150 and $439 per month. For a small independent shop with 1 to 5 bays, expect to pay $39 to $99 per month for a complete platform. Shops paying more than $180 per month are usually buying multi-location or enterprise features they don't use.

Most vendors in this category don't publish their pricing. You fill out a form, wait for a sales call, and only then find out the number. That makes it genuinely hard to budget. Below is what each major platform actually charges as of 2026, verified from vendor pricing pages and current third-party listings.

Auto Repair Shop Software Pricing Comparison (2026)

Platform	Starting price	Top tier	Pricing model	Website included?
Eligant	$39/mo	$99/mo	Flat, per shop	Yes, all plans
ARI	$39.99/mo	$59.99/mo	Flat	No
Mitchell 1 Manager SE	~$150/mo	~$300/mo	Varies	No
Shopmonkey	$179/mo	$427/mo	Tiered	No
AutoLeap	$179/mo	$409/mo	Tiered	No
Fullbay	$188/mo	$318/mo	Per seat, annual agreement	No
Tekmetric	$199/mo	$439/mo	Per location	Separate paid product
Shop-Ware	$279/mo	Quote	Tiered	No

What Each Platform Actually Charges

Eligant — $39 to $99 per month

Three plans: Starter $39, Pro $69, Expert $99. Flat pricing per shop, month-to-month with no contract and a 14-day free trial. Every plan includes a website builder, online booking, invoicing, CRM, and QuickBooks sync. SMS marketing starts on Pro; automated Google review collection is on Expert. Built bilingual in English and Spanish. Best for independent shops with 1 to 5 bays.

ARI (Auto Repair Invoicer) — $39.99 to $59.99 per month

Pro is $39.99/month, Pro Plus $59.99/month. Includes invoicing, estimates, customer management, digital vehicle inspections, an OBD code scanner, and offline access. No website builder and no marketing automation. Best for solo and mobile mechanics.

Mitchell 1 Manager SE — roughly $150 to $300 per month

Pricing varies by configuration and which repair-information modules you add. Mitchell 1's real strength is OEM repair data and labor guides, which is why many shops run it alongside another tool. The interface is dated and there are no modern marketing or website features.

Shopmonkey — $179 to $427 per month

Basic Monkey around $179, Clever Monkey around $292, Genius Monkey around $427. Polished interface, strong parts integrations and digital vehicle inspections. Many of the more useful features sit on the higher tiers. No website builder. Full Shopmonkey comparison here.

AutoLeap — $179 to $409 per month

Essentials $179, Pro $309, Elite $409. Modern interface with solid inspection workflows. Annual commitments are common. No website builder.

Fullbay — $188 to $318 per month, per seat

Basic $188, Pro $258, Elite $318 — but note this is per seat, on an annual agreement, with additional users at $89 to $119 each per month. A three-person shop can land well past $400/month. Fullbay is also built specifically for heavy-duty, diesel, and truck repair rather than general auto repair, so for most passenger-car shops it isn't the right category of tool regardless of price.

Tekmetric — $199 to $439 per month, per location

Start $199, Grow $349, Scale $439, priced per location. Strong multi-location reporting, inventory, and digital vehicle inspections. Websites are available through the separate Tekmetric Marketing product, not the base plans. Full Tekmetric comparison here.

Shop-Ware — $279+ per month

Starts around $279/month with higher tiers by quote. Best-in-class digital vehicle inspections and a steeper learning curve. Aimed at larger, higher-volume shops.

The Hidden Cost Most Comparisons Miss

The sticker price isn't the real number. Most of these platforms manage your shop but leave your customer-facing tools to you. A typical independent shop using one of them also pays for:

A website: $30 to $100/month (Wix, Squarespace, GoDaddy, or a web designer)
An SMS marketing tool: around $50/month
A Google review tool like Podium or Birdeye: $30 to $300/month
A separate online booking system: around $25/month

That's $135 to $475 per month on top of the software itself. So a shop on Shopmonkey's $179 plan is realistically spending $300 or more once the stack is complete. This is the single biggest reason shop owners feel like their software costs more than the price they were quoted.

How Much Should Your Shop Pay?

Solo or mobile mechanic: $39 to $60/month. ARI or Eligant Starter.
1 to 3 bay independent shop: $39 to $69/month. Eligant Starter or Pro.
3 to 5 bay shop focused on growth: $69 to $99/month. Eligant Pro or Expert.
5+ bays, multiple technicians: $179 to $427/month. Shopmonkey or AutoLeap.
Multi-location chain: $199 to $439/month per location. Tekmetric.
Heavy-duty, diesel, or truck shop: $188+/month per seat. Fullbay.
Need deep OEM repair data: add Mitchell 1 at ~$150 to $300/month.

The honest rule: paying more than about $180/month only makes sense once you have multiple technicians, multiple locations, or a genuine need for advanced inventory and inspection workflows. Below that, you're paying for capacity you won't use.

Why Eligant Is the Cheapest Complete Option

Eligant (eligantauto.com) is the only platform on this list under $100/month that includes shop management, a website builder, online booking, QuickBooks sync, two-way SMS, and automated Google review collection in a single subscription. There's no per-seat or per-location multiplier, no annual contract, and a 14-day free trial on every plan.

It isn't the right tool for everyone — it has no OBD scanner, digital vehicle inspections are still on the roadmap, and a 20-technician multi-location operation will outgrow it. But for an independent shop with 1 to 5 bays, it covers what you actually use at a fraction of what the enterprise platforms charge. See full pricing or view a live demo shop at qualityautoservice650.eligant.tech.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does auto repair shop software cost?

Auto repair shop software costs between $39 and $439 per month in 2026. Budget options like Eligant ($39/month) and ARI ($39.99/month) sit at the low end. Mid-market platforms including Shopmonkey, AutoLeap, and Fullbay run $179 to $427 per month. Tekmetric runs $199 to $439 per month per location. A small independent shop should expect to pay $39 to $99 per month for a complete platform.

What is the cheapest auto repair shop software in 2026?

Eligant is the cheapest complete auto repair shop software in 2026 at $39 per month, including a website builder, online booking, invoicing, CRM, and QuickBooks sync. ARI is $39.99 per month but covers invoicing and diagnostics only, without a website or marketing tools.

How much does Tekmetric cost per month?

Tekmetric costs $199 to $439 per month per location in 2026: Start at $199, Grow at $349, and Scale at $439. Because pricing is per location, multi-shop operators pay that amount for each site.

How much does Shopmonkey cost per month?

Shopmonkey costs roughly $179 to $427 per month in 2026: Basic Monkey around $179, Clever Monkey around $292, and Genius Monkey around $427. Many advanced features are only on the higher tiers, and no plan includes a customer-facing website builder.

How much does Fullbay cost?

Fullbay costs $188 per month for Basic, $258 for Pro, and $318 for Elite, priced per seat on an annual agreement. Additional users cost $89 to $119 per month each. Fullbay is built for heavy-duty, diesel, and truck repair shops rather than general auto repair.

How much should a 2-bay shop pay for software?

A 2-bay independent auto repair shop should pay between $39 and $69 per month for shop management software. At that size you need estimates, invoicing, customer records, online booking, and a website — not multi-location reporting or advanced inventory. Platforms charging $179 or more per month are built for larger operations.

Is there free auto repair shop software?

There is no truly free all-in-one auto repair shop software in 2026. Free tools generally cover a single function, such as basic invoicing, and lack booking, website, and marketing features. The closest practical option is a paid platform with a free trial — Eligant offers a 14-day free trial on every plan starting at $39 per month.

Why don't most shop software companies publish their pricing?

Most auto repair software vendors require a demo or sales call before quoting a price, which lets them vary pricing by shop size and negotiate per customer. It also makes comparison harder for buyers. Eligant and ARI both publish flat pricing publicly, so you can compare before talking to anyone.

How Much Does Auto Repair Shop Software Cost in 2026? (8 Platforms Compared)