RedAppy vs AutoLeap
AutoLeap is one of the fastest-growing shop management systems in North America. RedAppy is the newer, lower-cost option that bundles a shop website and texting into every plan. Here is how they line up for an independent repair shop in 2026.
Last reviewed
At a glance
- RedAppy plans run $39 to $149 a month with texting, payments, and a website included. AutoLeap plans run $199 to $449 a month, plus a one-time setup fee, with payments and the AI receptionist sold as add-ons.
- Both cover estimates, invoices, digital inspections, and parts ordering. RedAppy includes two-way texting and a shop website on every plan. AutoLeap adds texting on its Pro plan and sells website building as a separate marketing service.
- AutoLeap has the larger integration list, including QuickBooks and MOTOR, and an AI phone receptionist. RedAppy has a 30-day free trial with no card and no demo call. AutoLeap starts with a demo request.
Two products, two starting points
AutoLeap launched in 2019 out of Toronto and grew quickly on the strength of a modern interface, deep funding, and a long integration list: QuickBooks, MOTOR, PartsTech, Nexpart, and TireHub among them. It collects industry awards, serves franchise networks alongside independents, and recently added an AI receptionist that answers the shop phone. The product is ambitious, and it is priced for shops that already spend on software.
RedAppy came at the same problem from the other end. The shops we kept meeting were one to three bays, run by the owner or a family, and paying for four or five separate tools: management software, a texting service, a payment terminal, a website agency, and a labor guide. None of those tools talked to each other and the total bill was several hundred dollars a month. So we built one system that covers the counter, the shop floor, the customer, and the website, and we priced it so a solo mechanic could justify it.
Why shops compare them
If you are reading this, you are probably in one of two situations. Either you are on AutoLeap and the monthly bill, plus the setup fee and the add-ons, has started to feel heavy for the size of your shop. Or you are picking your first real system, AutoLeap is the name on every awards list, and the entry price is more than you expected to spend before writing a single ticket.
Both are fair reasons to look. The rest of this page lays out what each product costs, what you get for it, and where each one is honestly the better choice. We sell RedAppy, so read the AutoLeap column with that in mind. We have tried to keep every claim tied to their public pricing and product pages, and we say when AutoLeap is the right call.
What a month costs
AutoLeap prices are from autoleap.com as of September 2026 and exclude add-ons. RedAppy prices are current and include everything listed.
plans
- Unlimited estimates and invoices
- Digital inspections and e-signatures
- Online payments
- Two-way texting with credit packs
- Free shop website
- Everything in Starter
- Digital shop board and calendar
- Inventory, expenses, and payroll records
- Priority support
- Unlimited users
- Everything in Growth
- Nitro AI labor guides and diagnostics
- Video uploads and 50GB storage
- Customer kiosk
AutoLeap plans
- Unlimited repair orders and work board
- Standard digital vehicle inspections
- E-signatures and canned jobs
- Integrated parts ordering
- Everything in Essentials
- Two-way texting
- Labor guides and maintenance schedules
- Inventory, time clocks, technician app
- QuickBooks integration
- Everything in Pro
- Next-generation inspections with certified checklists
- Integrated Google Reviews
- Real-time shop dashboard
- One-time setup fee for implementation, data migration, and training; amount not published
- AutoLeap AIR, the AI phone receptionist: from $99 per month
- Payments (text-to-pay, in-person, deposits) sold as an add-on; rates quoted by sales
- Website development sold as a separate marketing service
- Enterprise plan for franchise and multi-location groups is custom priced
What you get for it
The features that actually change the decision. Where one depends on the plan, the cell says which.
| Feature | AutoLeap | |
|---|---|---|
| Key features | ||
| Monthly price | RedAppy$39 to $149, all in | AutoLeap$199 to $449, plus setup fee |
| Free trial | RedAppy30 days, no card | AutoLeapDemo request, no self-serve trial |
| Contract | RedAppyMonth to month | AutoLeapMonthly or annual, discount for annual |
| Estimates, invoices, inspections | RedAppyUnlimited, every plan | AutoLeapUnlimited, every plan |
| Two-way customer texting | RedAppyEvery plan, pay per message | AutoLeapPro plan, $349 |
| Online and in-shop payments | RedAppyEvery plan via Stripe | AutoLeapAdd-on, rates quoted by sales |
| Shop website included | RedAppyEvery plan, SEO ready | AutoLeapPaid website service |
| Parts ordering | RedAppyNexpart Multi-Seller built in | AutoLeapPartsTech, Nexpart, RepairLink integrations |
| Labor guides and AI help | RedAppyNitro AI on Professional | AutoLeapLabor guides on Pro, AI receptionist from $99 extra |
| Review requests | RedAppyIncluded on every plan | AutoLeapGoogle Reviews on Elite, $449 |
| Integrations and multi-shop | RedAppyNexpart, Stripe, custom plan for multi-shop | AutoLeapQuickBooks, MOTOR, TireHub; Enterprise plan |
Where AutoLeap is the better pick
Integration depth
AutoLeap connects to QuickBooks Online for accounting, MOTOR for labor data, and PartsTech, Nexpart, RepairLink, and TireHub for parts. If your bookkeeper lives in QuickBooks or your techs already order through PartsTech, that matters.
An AI receptionist on the phone
AutoLeap AIR answers the phone after hours and when the counter is busy, captures the caller details and appointment request, and hands the summary to your team. It costs from $99 a month on top of the plan, but nothing in RedAppy does that job today.
Multi-location and franchise tooling
AutoLeap serves franchise networks and sells an Enterprise plan with central controls, custom reporting, and a dedicated account manager. If you run several locations and need one dashboard across them, it is a reasonable pick.
Where RedAppy is the better pick
Price at every tier
RedAppy starts at $39 a month and never goes above $149, and the only thing you buy beyond that is texting credits. AutoLeap starts at $199 and reaches $449, and that is before the one-time setup fee, the AI receptionist, and payment processing. Over a year, that gap is about $1,900 to $3,600 before add-ons. That pays for a technician's tools, or a lot of parts margin.
Texting on the cheapest plan
Two-way texting is on the $39 plan in RedAppy, with credit packs from $3.99 for 100 messages that never expire. In AutoLeap it arrives on the $349 Pro plan. Online payments are included on every RedAppy plan through Stripe, not sold as an add-on.
A website is part of the deal
Every RedAppy plan includes a professional, search-ready website for your shop. AutoLeap sells website development as a separate marketing service, so that is a separate quote and a separate bill.
Start today without a demo
RedAppy has a 30-day free trial with no card required. AutoLeap onboarding begins with a demo request, a sales conversation, and a paid setup. If you want to try the software before talking to anyone, that is the difference.
Which one fits your shop
Choose AutoLeap if
- You already order through PartsTech or RepairLink and want to keep that workflow
- Your accounting depends on a live QuickBooks Online sync
- You want an AI receptionist answering the phone and are happy to pay from $99 a month for it
- A budget of $200 to $450 a month per shop, plus a setup fee, is not a concern
Choose RedAppy if
- You run one to three bays and every dollar of overhead counts
- You are a mobile mechanic and need estimates, payments, and texting from your phone at the customer's driveway
- You want texting, payments, and digital inspections without paying for a mid tier
- You need a shop website and do not want to pay an agency or a marketing service
- You would rather try the software for 30 days than sit through a demo
Switching from AutoLeap to RedAppy
Bring your customers and vehicles
Export your customer and vehicle lists from AutoLeap as CSV and send them to us. We import them before your trial ends so day one is not a blank screen.
Run both for a cycle
Most shops keep AutoLeap open for one more billing cycle while they write new tickets in RedAppy. There is no contract on the RedAppy side, so there is no penalty for overlap.
Your website goes live with your account
Your shop website is generated when you sign up, with your services, hours, and booking links. You can point your existing domain at it or use the one we give you.
Our take
Pick AutoLeap if you want QuickBooks and MOTOR built into your workflow, an AI receptionist on the phone, and have the budget for $199 to $449 a month plus a setup fee. Pick RedAppy if you are a one to three bay shop that wants estimates, invoices, inspections, texting, parts ordering, and a website for $39 to $149 a month with no demo call.
RedAppy vs AutoLeap: common questions
Is RedAppy cheaper than AutoLeap?
Yes. RedAppy plans run $39, $99, and $149 per month with texting, payments, review requests, and a website included, and there is no setup fee. AutoLeap plans run $199, $349, and $449 per month, or $179, $309, and $409 when billed annually, plus a one-time setup fee, with payments and the AI receptionist (from $99 per month) sold as add-ons.
Does AutoLeap include a free website like RedAppy?
No. AutoLeap offers website development as a paid marketing service alongside its software. Every RedAppy plan includes a professional website for your shop at no extra cost.
Does AutoLeap have a free trial?
Not for the shop management software. AutoLeap starts with a demo request and a sales conversation, followed by a paid setup. RedAppy has a 30-day free trial with no credit card, so you can write real estimates on day one and decide for yourself.
Which plan do I need for two-way texting?
In RedAppy, texting is available on every plan, starting at $39, and you pay per message with credit packs that do not expire. In AutoLeap, two-way texting is part of the Pro plan at $349 per month.
Can I use my own domain name for the RedAppy website?
Yes. Every RedAppy account comes with a hosted shop website. You can point a domain you already own at it, or use the RedAppy address you get on signup. The site is built from your shop details and services, is search-ready out of the box, and updates when you change your hours or services in the app.
How does RedAppy handle parts ordering compared to AutoLeap?
RedAppy has Nexpart Multi-Seller built in, so you can price and order parts from multiple suppliers without leaving the estimate. AutoLeap offers the same through integrations with PartsTech, Nexpart, and RepairLink, which you connect and manage separately.
AutoLeap and its logo are trademarks of their owner. Pricing and features are from AutoLeap's public pages as of September 2026. See all comparisons.
Also compare RedAppy with Tekmetric and Shopmonkey.
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