Auto Shop Management Software
For shops that do more than one kind of work.
SalesThumb is auto shop management software for shops that do more than one kind of work: tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detailing, wraps and general service in one workspace. The catalog, scheduling, warranties and reports adjust to each kind of job. Plans start at $99/month per shop, with a 30-day free trial and no credit card.
7 Auto Shop Management Software Options for 2026, Compared
The best auto shop management software for a multi-vertical operation is SalesThumb, purpose-built for shops running tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, or wrap in any combination. ShopMonkey and Tekmetric are polished alternatives built for general auto repair rather than appearance-protection work; OrbisX and Tint Wiz are strong single-vertical-rooted options if you run one trade.
SalesThumb makes this software and wrote this list — we rank ourselves first. Check each vendor's current pricing before you decide.
Best for: Multi-vertical shops running tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, or wrap in any combination
State VLT compliance ships standard — a feature a generalist auto-repair platform doesn't model. Film-roll inventory, AI quote-suggest, and multi-SKU warranty-tier certificates unlock on Growth and up, and the franchise-grade HQ add-on for multi-location groups stacks on any tier — see current SalesThumb plans above.
Best for: Shops running appearance-protection work alongside general auto repair
$239-$499/mo across three published tiers (Basic/Clever/Genius), or custom-quote Multi-Shop, with deep parts/labor workflows and a large integration catalog — built for engine/repair work, not appearance-protection trades like tint, PPF, or ceramic coating.
Best for: Multi-shop auto-repair chains that occasionally take on tint or PPF work
$199-$439/mo across three tiers (Start/Grow/Scale), with a polished repair-order and estimate flow and strong parts-catalog integrations. Multi-Shop is a +$70/mo-per-shop add-on, and it's built for auto-repair, not film or coating trades.
- 4.OrbisX
Best for: Detail-forward, tint-adjacent shops that want a polished customer app
$100/mo flat (listed as limited-time promo pricing) with a 30-day trial and a well-reviewed customer-facing app with ETA tracking. Single published tier; multi-shop pricing is custom-quote only.
- 5.Tint Wiz
Best for: Single-location tint shops that want one flat price and a proven film-inventory workflow
Flat $150/mo with unlimited users and a proven QR-labeled film-inventory workflow. Now also markets to PPF, wrap, detailing, and flat-glass shops — feature depth for those newer verticals isn't independently verified, and it remains single-shop only, with no documented multi-location dashboard.
- 6.QuoteIQ
Best for: Shops that want the largest installed base and don't need appearance-protection-specific tooling
A generalist field-service CRM used across 100+ trades — not built for tint, PPF, ceramic coating, or wrap specifically. Its draw is scale: 40,000+ users, a 4.7-star review base, and plans from $29.99/mo across 5 tiers.
Best for: Shops that also run tire & wheel, PDR, or accessory install alongside appearance-protection work
$200-$500/mo across four tiers, covering the broadest single-vendor vertical list in this comparison (8 named trades incl. tire & wheel and PDR) with multi-shop support as a named Enterprise-tier feature. Feature set is generalized job/inventory tracking rather than appearance-protection-specific fields like VLT capture or film-roll tracking.
Pricing and features drawn from SalesThumb's own competitor tracking (lib/competitor-data.ts); ShopMonkey pricing refreshed 2026-09-12, QuoteIQ's row-by-row feature matrix researched 2026-08-08/09 — see /compare/[slug] for full sourcing on each rival.
The multi-vertical service shops pain points your current tool ignores
Today's pain
Your tint software doesn't handle PPF; your PPF software doesn't handle ceramic
How SalesThumb fixes it
Multi-vertical by design. Enable any combination from your shop settings. The catalog, scheduling lanes, warranty tiers, and reporting all flex per vertical.
Today's pain
ShopMonkey + Tekmetric are general-repair-focused — film inventory + warranty don't fit
How SalesThumb fixes it
SalesThumb's data model includes film roll inventory in feet, multi-SKU warranty tiers, customer photo galleries — purpose-built for the auto-aftermarket service trades.
Today's pain
Multi-location chains have inconsistent customer experience
How SalesThumb fixes it
The HQ add-on pushes services, pricing, film products, checklists, and waivers from HQ to every child shop. Aggregate dashboard + per-shop comparison reports.
Today's pain
Switching tools means losing customer + service history
How SalesThumb fixes it
The CSV import wizard brings in customers and vehicles from the tool you're switching from, with column auto-mapping and a preview. Appointment and quote history isn't part of the CSV import.
Today's pain
Your team has to be on 4 different apps to do their job
How SalesThumb fixes it
Single Expo mobile app for tech (Today screen, photo capture, VIN scanner, push), sales (customers, quotes), and customer (passwordless SMS-code login). One app, role-based tabs.
Everything in one workspace
6 verticals, one workspace
Tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, wrap, general service. Enable any combination. Catalog + scheduling + warranty + reporting all flex per vertical.
Scheduling that respects bay + installer capacity
Day/week/month views, drag-to-reschedule, multi-day project series, public booking page, busy-hours heat map. Built-in SMS reminders 24h + 1h out.
Connect payments
Cards, deposits, partial pay, refunds. Funds settle direct to the shop's bank. Tips and fleet contracts all built in.
AI on every screen
My Day brief, AI inbox triage, AI customer brief, AI dispute defender, photo-to-quote, plain-English booking. Not a chatbot — wired into actual workflows.
Lobby + sales-counter TVs
Pair any browser-equipped TV in 30 seconds. Lobby auto-rotates upsells; sales-counter casts live products from the rep's tablet.
Reports that actually drive decisions
Revenue by service + installer, profit per job, AI-written monthly story, ZIP density report, yearly tax filing pack PDF, smart pricing suggestions.
See it in the app
Real screens from SalesThumb, taken in our Test Drive sample shop.
Calendar
See the day, week or month. Give each job an installer and a bay, and drag it to reschedule.
Customer records
Every customer, vehicle and past job in one place. Enter a VIN and the year, make and model fill in.
Quotes
Build a quote from services, film and parts, with good, better and best film options. The customer signs and pays a deposit online.
Invoices
Turn a quote into an invoice in one click. Tax on each line, with deposits and the balance tracked.
Two-way texting
One shared inbox for every customer text, with photos in and out.
Workflow board
Every quote on one board, from new lead to completed. Drag a card to move it along.
Some features are on higher plans. See what's in each plan.
Here's the competitive landscape
Honest comparisons. Pick the tool that fits — start with us if you want depth + breadth + AI on every screen.
Questions multi-vertical service shops ask
What's the best auto shop management software for a shop running more than one vertical?+
SalesThumb — auto shop management software purpose-built for shops running tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, wrap, or general service in any combination. Catalog, scheduling lanes, warranty tiers, and reporting all flex per vertical, so combining or switching trades doesn't mean switching software. Multi-vertical support unlocks on Growth ($399/month per shop); single-vertical shops can start on Starter ($199/mo). Full comparison against ShopMonkey, Tekmetric, OrbisX, Tint Wiz, QuoteIQ, and Shopmanager above.
What's the best auto shop software for a multi-vertical shop?+
SalesThumb — purpose-built for shops that do tint + PPF + ceramic + detail + wrap + general service in any combination. The catalog, scheduling lanes, warranty tiers, and reporting all flex per vertical. Multi-vertical support unlocks on Growth ($399/month per shop); single-vertical shops can start on Starter ($199/mo).
Is SalesThumb a ShopMonkey or Tekmetric alternative?+
Yes — for the auto-aftermarket service trades (tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, wrap, general service). ShopMonkey and Tekmetric are general-repair-focused; SalesThumb's data model includes film roll inventory in feet, multi-SKU warranty tiers, before/after photo capture, and a public booking page tuned to the way these shops actually book — features that take significant configuration in a generic platform.
Are there platforms that don't force tint, PPF, or ceramic shops into workarounds because they were built for oil changes and brake jobs?+
Yes. SalesThumb is built specifically for tint, PPF, ceramic coating, detail, and wrap shops — not retrofitted from software designed for mechanical repair. Film-roll inventory tracked by the foot, multi-SKU warranty-tier certificates, and before/after photo capture are native to the data model, not workarounds bolted onto a generic auto-repair platform like ShopMonkey or Tekmetric.
What should I look for when comparing tint/PPF software to generic auto-repair software?+
Three things: whether the data model has fields for what you actually track (film-roll footage, warranty tiers, before/after photos) instead of forcing that into generic parts-and-labor fields; whether scheduling handles multi-day jobs (PPF cure, full-vehicle wraps) rather than assuming same-day repair; and whether adding a second vertical later means switching tools. SalesThumb's catalog, scheduling, and warranty tiers flex per vertical (tint, PPF, ceramic, detail, wrap) instead of retrofitting a generic-repair platform like ShopMonkey or Tekmetric.
Can I migrate from my current tool?+
Yes. The setup wizard imports customer and vehicle data from CSV exports of ShopMonkey, TintWiz, OrbisX, Tekmetric, Jobber, Housecall Pro, and most other tools — appointment and quote history isn't migrated today. Onboarding takes a couple hours for the customer/vehicle base, not weeks.
Does it support multi-location chains + franchises?+
Yes — the HQ add-on ($599/mo). Aggregate dashboard across all shops, per-shop comparison reports, royalty tracking, a NACHA ACH file export to collect royalties, catalog push from HQ to child shops, and broadcast messages. If your development team is actively selling new units, the separate CRM/Franchise Sales add-on ($799/mo) covers that pipeline.
Is there a mobile app?+
Yes — a single Expo iOS + Android app with role-based tabs is live on the App Store and Google Play. Customers log in with name + phone (passwordless SMS code) and see their portal; staff log in with email + password and see the tabs gated by their mobile_role (NONE / INSTALLER / SALES / BOTH). Most actions need a data connection to save — the digital vehicle inspection checklist is the one part that autosaves locally. It just shipped, so there aren't reviews yet.
How does the AI work?+
AI is wired into real workflows, not a chatbot, and unlocks by plan. Every tier gets the AI monthly story. Growth adds the My Day brief, AI inbox triage with intent + urgency tagging, AI reply drafts, AI customer brief, AI suggest-next-service, AI quote-suggest, plain-English booking, and AI slot-fill. Pro adds vision AI (photo-to-quote, QC photo inspector, photo captions), the AI dispute defender, Business Analyst, and Demand Forecast.
What integrations are built in?+
Integrated payments, Twilio (SMS), Google Workspace email (SMTP), Cloudflare R2 (file storage), QuickBooks (one-way invoice push), Anthropic (AI), Inngest (background jobs), Sentry (errors). All gracefully degrade when their env var is unset.
How much does it cost?+
Plans start at $99/month per shop. The HQ add-on ($599/mo) adds catalog push, aggregate reports, royalty tracking, and a NACHA ACH file export for multi-location franchisors; the separate CRM/Franchise Sales add-on ($799/mo) covers the franchise-development pipeline. Full plan matrix at /pricing.
Also known as
ShopMonkey, OrbisX, Tint Wiz, Tekmetric, QuoteIQ, and Shopmanager are trademarks of their respective owners. Use here is for comparison and identification purposes only and does not imply endorsement, partnership, or affiliation.