Collision Software vs. Auto Repair Software

An estimate is only the start

A collision repair rarely ends with the scope first written. Teardown reveals more damage. A supplement changes the approved work. A part arrives late, a sublet needs a report, and the customer wants a new delivery date. The office still has to collect the customer share and the insurer balance.

AutoHound keeps that changing job connected. The estimator, advisor, parts person, and technician have different tasks, but the repair order holds their shared history. The next handoff can start with the record instead of another round of status questions.

Choose the terms, too

The workflow matters. So does the way your software company does business. AutoHound makes its price, included features, subscription terms, and data commitments available before you decide.

• Every product feature included. The shop subscription has no feature tiers to unlock.
• Unlimited users. Give each staff member their own access without adding a per-user AutoHound charge.
• Month-to-month. No long-term software contract. Stay because AutoHound works for your shop.
• Your shop data stays yours. We never sell your shop data or share it for third-party advertising. Use the built-in export tools while your account is active. Read our data commitments.
• Public pricing. No sales call required. The shop plan is $599 per location per month. Read the price and start a private demo on your own schedule. Prefer a conversation or guided walkthrough? We are always happy to talk with shops.

No setup fee, with four onboarding consultation hours included. Your estimating subscription remains separate, and a requested custom historical migration is scoped and quoted separately.

Buy for the repair you manage

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Look past the shop-software label

Mechanical-service platforms commonly emphasize inspections, recommended services, labor lookups, and repeat maintenance. Collision work puts more weight on changing damage estimates, insurer approvals, production dependencies, and split payer responsibilities. Those are different starting points, even when both products advertise estimates, scheduling, and payments.

There is overlap: Shopmonkey explicitly serves body shops, while CCC Repair Workflow and Mitchell RepairCenter are collision-management products. That does not make every workflow interchangeable. AutoHound's case is specific: supported collision estimates feed a repair record that carries the work through the shop and into collection.

Fleet and heavy-duty collision repairs belong in that picture too. AutoHound connects fleet units and account billing and larger-unit collision work without redefining the job as preventive maintenance.

Keep the estimator. Improve the shop

You do not need to replace CCC ONE, Mitchell, Audatex, or AdjustRite to change how the rest of the repair runs. AutoHound's Windows connector picks up supported estimate and supplement files, keeping the source and versions with the RO.

Your estimators keep writing in their supported system. The rest of the team gets the production, parts, messaging, and payment workflow around that estimate. AutoHound does not replace the estimating database or license. See the estimate-import workflow.

One repair. Two responsibilities.

Illustrative workflow with sample shop data, not customer results.

Look at the sample payment record below. The insurer has paid $5,270, but the customer still owes $500. Calling the repair simply “paid” would hide the next collection step. AutoHound keeps the two responsibilities visible on the job.

The estimator can retain the approved scope, the office can identify the remaining payer, and the payment history stays with the repair. That is the kind of detail that makes a collision workflow useful after the vehicle is repaired, not just when the estimate is written.

Keep the money in the workflow. Follow vendor credits, unpaid insurer balances, and optional materials invoices. For a total loss, keep storage, teardown, towing, and other billable fees with the file. AutoHound helps document the amount and the next follow-up; it does not guarantee payment. See total-loss fee tracking.

Start with a workable plan

You can choose a collision workflow without making every tool in the shop part of the change.

1. Keep the right connections. Confirm your supported estimator, QBO setup, and any required interfaces.
2. Prepare active work. Identify open repairs, orders, balances, and documents. Agree who brings them forward and checks the totals; scope historical migration separately.
3. Set up the essentials. Use the guided checklist for shop details, roles, stages, templates, the estimating connection, and capacity.
4. Rehearse a handoff. Have the advisor, parts person, technician, and bookkeeper follow one repair before your chosen cutover.

Four onboarding consultation hours are included. AutoHound's team brings experience in collision repair, automotive refinish, and OEM software. See the switching plan or meet the people behind AutoHound.

Choose a collision-first workflow

Choose AutoHound when changing scope, production handoffs, and insurer-funded repairs shape your day. Keep your supported estimator, give the team one repair record, and follow the money after delivery. The public monthly plan and your control of shop data make that choice straightforward.

Open your private 7-day demo shop and explore realistic repairs without a credit card or a sales call. When you are ready to start your own shop, the 30-day live trial starts at $0 with a payment method required.

See it in AutoHound

• Bring in a supported collision estimate and find its source on the RO.
• Follow a later supplement without losing the earlier version.
• Find a parts blocker and the next assigned staff member.
• Open the same repair context from the office and My Work.
• Keep the insurer balance distinct from the customer share.
• Explore the handoff from recorded payments into QuickBooks Online.