Compare first-year cost and normal 12-month operating cost using the same shop requirements for every vendor. The lowest advertised plan is not the lowest working price if required users, modules, integrations, or exit costs sit outside it.
The short answer
Current public shop-management prices show a wide range of packaging. As of August 23, 2026:
- Shopmonkey publishes monthly plans at $239, $399, and $499. Its plans include three, four, or five user licenses respectively, with additional users listed at $20 per month. It also publishes separate prices for selected add-ons, card readers, and payment processing. Shopmonkey pricing
- Tekmetric publishes monthly plans at $199, $349, and $439. It says users and repair orders are unlimited, while capabilities such as multi-shop management, tire tools, and marketing can be separate add-ons. Tekmetric pricing
- AutoLeap publishes monthly plans at $199, $349, and $449, plus custom enterprise pricing. Its pricing page says there is a one-time setup fee, does not publish the amount, and offers a demo rather than a free trial. AutoLeap pricing
- Mitchell RepairCenter publishes five packages and identifies many items as included, optional, or add-on, but its official product page does not publish dollar prices. Mitchell RepairCenter packages
These products are not identical, and several serve the broader automotive service market as well as repair businesses. The figures are examples of current packaging, not a ranking or a complete market survey. They show why a shop has to compare the working configuration, not the first number on a pricing page.
Build one total-cost number
Use this formula for each option:
First-year cost = subscription + users + required modules + integrations + onboarding + migration + hardware + transaction or usage charges + internal rollout time
Then calculate a normal second year. One-time migration and setup costs may disappear, while renewal increases, new seats, additional locations, messaging volume, or optional services may change the run rate.
1. Start with the subscription structure
Ask whether the price is per location, per user, per repair order, per module, or a combination. A $250 plan can become a different number when ten employees need named access. A higher flat location price can be easier to plan if every advisor, estimator, parts person, technician, and manager is included.
Also compare each vendor's billing period, renewal date, cancellation rule, refund policy, and whether taxes are extra. Record any upfront commitment separately from the advertised monthly price.
2. Price the workflow, not the plan name
Plan names do not tell you whether a collision shop can run its whole process. Build a requirements list first. At minimum, check estimate and supplement imports, repair orders, production, technician assignments, labor time, parts and purchase orders, customer messages, adjuster sharing, payments, closeout, reporting, and accounting export or sync.
If a critical capability sits in a higher tier, use that tier in the comparison. Do the same for add-ons. Tekmetric, for example, publishes separate monthly prices for multi-shop, tire, and marketing products. Shopmonkey publishes add-ons and shows that some features and integrations change by tier. Mitchell's official comparison identifies optional and add-on modules by package. None of those structures is automatically good or bad. They simply need to be in the worksheet.
3. Count every person who needs access
Shared logins make an inexpensive quote look better, but they weaken accountability. A good system should let the shop see who changed a promise date, received a part, sent a message, moved a repair, or recorded money.
Ask for the included user count and the monthly price of every additional user. Include owners, office staff, estimators, parts staff, technicians, bookkeepers, and floating employees. For multiple locations, ask whether a person who works in two shops consumes one license or two.
4. Separate setup from custom migration
Setup can include shop configuration, workflow stages, users, templates, integrations, and training. Historical migration is different. Moving years of customers, vehicles, repair orders, photos, documents, and accounting records can require mapping and cleanup that a normal setup does not.
Ask for both numbers in writing:
- What setup and onboarding are included?
- What historical data can be imported?
- What format must the old vendor provide?
- Who validates totals and attachments?
- What would custom migration cost?
You may not need to move every closed repair. Many shops can preserve the old system or an export for history, then bring customer records and active work into the new platform. The right answer depends on warranty, tax, insurance, and operational needs.
5. List integration and usage charges
An integration can be included, priced separately, or require another subscription from a third party. Ask about estimating-system connections, parts ordering, OEM information, vehicle history, accounting, text messages, email, review tools, and APIs.
Do not assume "integrated payments" means payment processing has no cost. Request card-present, online, ACH, chargeback, reader, payout, and monthly device fees. Shopmonkey's official page, for example, separately publishes online and in-person transaction rates plus reader and device charges. That level of detail makes it possible to model cost from your own payment mix.
6. Put training and shop time in the budget
Even when vendor onboarding is included, your team will spend time preparing and learning. Estimate hours for an owner, manager, front-office lead, parts lead, and technician champion. Include process cleanup, user setup, integration testing, a pilot, and floor support during the first live week.
The cheapest rollout is not the one with the fewest training hours. It is the one that gets the team using the right process without slowing active repairs or creating a second shadow system.
7. Check the cost of getting your data back
Before buying, ask for a sample export. Confirm whether it contains customers, vehicles, repair orders, estimates, parts, payments, messages, audit history, photos, and documents. Ask whether media comes in the main export or a separate download, whether exports are self-service, and how long access remains after cancellation.
A product that lets the owner export usable records without a support ticket reduces switching risk. Still, the shop must run the export before access ends and verify that the files open.
How AutoHound is priced
AutoHound pricing is one plan at $599 per month, per location. The launch offer includes unlimited users and every product feature, with no setup fee. A 30-day free trial creates a live shop account. A payment method is required, but the checkout shows $0 due when the trial begins and the first paid date before confirmation.
AutoHound bills $599 per month, per location. Twelve months of service total $7,188 before tax. Multi-location billing is arranged with AutoHound and keeps one line per location.
Guided onboarding includes four consultation hours with every shop. There is no standard setup fee. If a shop requests a custom historical-data migration, AutoHound defines the scope and provides a separate price before work begins.
AutoHound also states that there is no data lock-in. A shop can self-service export its shop data and download its documents and images without opening a support case or ticket. Complete and verify both before account access ends. Read the billing and subscription terms and the data ownership page before checkout.
A comparison worksheet for your shop
Ask every vendor to complete the same table:
| Cost line | Vendor answer |
|---|---|
| Base subscription price and billing period | |
| Locations included | |
| Named users included | |
| Price for additional users | |
| Required feature tier | |
| Required modules and add-ons | |
| Estimating, parts, and accounting connections | |
| Text, email, storage, or API usage | |
| Payment rates, readers, and device fees | |
| Setup and onboarding | |
| Custom migration | |
| Internal staff hours | |
| Renewal and price-change terms | |
| Cancellation and refund terms | |
| Data and media export process | |
| First-year total | |
| Normal 12-month total |
Questions to ask before signing
- Is this quote for the exact number of locations and people we operate today?
- Which required workflow is not included in this price?
- What can create a usage or transaction charge?
- Are training and implementation hours capped?
- What happens if we add a location or employee mid-term?
- Can we test estimate imports, production, parts, messages, and closeout before buying?
- Can the owner export records, photos, and documents without opening a ticket?
- When does access end after cancellation?
- Which charges are refundable, prorated, or non-refundable?
The bottom line
Collision shop software should be compared on the cost of the working system. Put every required person, workflow, connection, transaction, and exit step on one page. The result may confirm that the lower sticker price is the better value, or it may show that a predictable all-in plan costs less to operate. Either way, the shop can make the decision with open numbers instead of surprises.
Next, use the Collision Shop Management Software Buyer's Guide to score workflow fit, implementation, security, and data access alongside price.
Sources and further reading
- Shopmonkey Pricing, official vendor pricing page, retrieved August 23, 2026.
- Tekmetric Pricing, official vendor pricing page, retrieved August 23, 2026.
- AutoLeap Pricing, official vendor pricing page and FAQ, retrieved August 23, 2026.
- Mitchell RepairCenter, official package and module comparison, retrieved August 23, 2026.