Shop-Ware and Tekmetric are both modern, cloud-based shop-management platforms aimed at independent auto-repair shops, and both bill on a flat, unlimited-user basis rather than per seat. They diverge on pricing transparency and on where each puts its emphasis — Shop-Ware leans hard into AI tooling and analytics, Tekmetric into transparent pricing and employee-performance reporting. Here’s a straight, vendor-neutral breakdown.
Quick verdict (our analysis)
Both charge flat, unlimited-user pricing — the split is transparency and feature emphasis. Tekmetric lists exact plan prices (from $199/mo). Shop-Ware publishes its tier names and what’s in each, but you need a quote for the base price. Shop-Ware pushes AI (AI Parts Matrix, AutoWrite AI) and coaching-group analytics; Tekmetric pushes visible pricing and technician/employee analytics.
- Leaning Tekmetric if you want a price you can see today and strong employee-performance reporting.
- Leaning Shop-Ware if you want its AI-assisted parts/writing tools, the MOTOR labor guide, and analytics/coaching dashboards — and you don’t mind requesting a quote.
At a glance
| Shop-Ware | Tekmetric | |
|---|---|---|
| Base-tier pricing | Not publicly disclosed (quote) | Published — from $199/mo |
| User billing | Unlimited users, every plan | Unlimited users & ROs, every plan |
| Contract | Month-to-month or discounted annual | Month-to-month or discounted annual |
| Tiers | Startup → Pro (most popular) → Master → + marketing | Start → Grow → Scale (most popular) → Enterprise |
| Standout strengths | AI Parts Matrix, AutoWrite AI, MOTOR labor guide, analytics & coaching dashboards | Transparent pricing, employee-performance analytics, real-time dashboard |
| Best for (our analysis) | Shops that want AI-assisted workflow and coaching-group analytics | Shops that want a visible, predictable price and seat-free scaling |
Pricing
Tekmetric (published)
| Plan | Monthly | Annual /mo | Notable inclusions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | $199 | $179 | Inventory & vendor mgmt, digital vehicle inspections, smart jobs, digital authorizations & invoicing |
| Grow | $349 | $309 | + Labor guide, maintenance schedule, time & job clocks, parts/inventory/marketing reports |
| Scale | $439 | $409 | + Two-way texting, real-time dashboard, technician board, employee performance analytics (“Most Popular”) |
| Enterprise | Custom | Custom | + Integrated payments, dedicated account manager, quarterly business reviews |
Key Tekmetric fact: no per-user or per-RO charges; unlimited users and ROs on every plan. Add-ons: multi-shop (+$70/mo/shop), tire suite (+$39/mo/shop), marketing (+$345/mo/shop).
Shop-Ware (packages published, base prices not)
Shop-Ware publishes its tier names and feature sets but does not list the base monthly price for each package on its site — you request a quote. Pricing is per location, month-to-month or discounted annual, with unlimited users on every plan. What each tier adds (per Shop-Ware’s packages page):
| Tier | Adds |
|---|---|
| Startup | Unlimited users, AI Parts Matrix, Digital Vehicle Experience (DVX), Maintenance Builder, limited two-way texting, Shop-Ware Payments |
| Pro (most popular) | Unlimited two-way texting, MOTOR Labor Guide, Native Parts Catalog, OE Specs, API connections, batch payments, AutoWrite AI |
| Master | Business Analytics Suite, monthly inventory value & gross-profit tracking, coaching dashboards |
| + Marketing | High-performance website, SEO, Google Ads enablement, call tracking, CRM, online service scheduler |
Shop-Ware discloses possible extra fees for data migration, Accounting Link integration, and payment-processing transactions. The only base dollar figure published is an add-on: CRM + Online Service Scheduler at $249/mo. For the package prices themselves, you’ll need a quote — ask for the monthly base rate, migration cost and payment rates.
Features, side by side
Both cover the core shop workflow. Notable emphases each vendor highlights on its own site (availability varies by plan — confirm before buying):
| Area | Shop-Ware (per its site) | Tekmetric (per its site) |
|---|---|---|
| AI tooling | AI Parts Matrix, AutoWrite AI writing assistant, AI Receptionist | Not a headline focus |
| Digital inspections | Digital Vehicle Experience (DVX) | Digital vehicle inspections on every plan |
| Labor guide | MOTOR Labor Guide (Pro and up) | Labor guide (Grow and up) |
| Two-way texting | Limited on Startup; unlimited on Pro and up | Two-way texting on Scale and up |
| Analytics | Business Analytics Suite, gross-profit tracking, coaching dashboards | Employee-performance analytics, real-time shop dashboard, technician board |
| User billing | Unlimited users, every plan | Unlimited users & ROs, every plan |
Sources: Shop-Ware and Tekmetric product/pricing pages (see below). We list features each vendor promotes; we haven’t independently tested them.
Which should you choose? (our analysis)
You want a visible price and seat-free scaling: Tekmetric shows exact plan prices and never charges per user, so budgeting and growth are predictable. Its Scale plan’s employee-performance analytics suit larger teams.
You want AI-assisted workflow and deep analytics: Shop-Ware’s AI Parts Matrix and AutoWrite AI, plus its Business Analytics Suite and coaching dashboards, appeal to shops in coaching groups or chasing gross-profit visibility — just be ready to request a quote for the base price.
Either way, run the monthly cost against your labor revenue with our effective labor-rate calculator.
How to decide in one afternoon
- List your must-haves (AI tools, MOTOR labor guide, two-way texting, gross-profit analytics, integrated payments).
- Check Tekmetric’s published plans to see which covers your must-haves and note the real monthly price.
- Request a Shop-Ware quote for the tier that matches your must-haves — ask for the base monthly rate, data-migration cost and payment-processing rates.
- Put both real monthly numbers side by side and divide each by your monthly billed labor hours for the true cost per billed hour.
How we compared (and our limits)
We compared publicly published pricing and feature information from each vendor’s official site (verified 26 August 2026). Shop-Ware does not publish base-tier prices, so we mark those “not publicly disclosed” rather than estimate. We have not run a hands-on trial of either product and don’t publish ratings we didn’t collect. Opinions are labeled “our analysis.” Confirm current details before buying.
Sources
- Shop-Ware packages & features — shop-ware.com/packages (accessed 26 Aug 2026 — base-tier prices not listed)
- Tekmetric pricing — tekmetric.com/pricing (accessed 26 Aug 2026)
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