RedAppy vs Tekmetric
Tekmetric is one of the most established 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. Tekmetric plans run $199 to $439 a month, and marketing, multi-shop, and tire tools are paid add-ons on top, with marketing alone at $345 a month.
- Both cover estimates, invoices, digital inspections, and payments. RedAppy includes two-way texting and a shop website on every plan. Tekmetric adds texting on its top plan and does not offer a website.
- Tekmetric has the larger integration catalog and more multi-shop tooling. RedAppy has a 30-day free trial with no card and no sales call.
Two products, two starting points
Tekmetric has been around since 2017 and was built with larger, growing operations in mind. Today it runs in thousands of bays, has a deep integration catalog, and is the name that comes up first in a lot of industry forums. That history shows in the product. It is thorough, and it is priced for shops that already budget for 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 Tekmetric and the monthly invoice, plus the add-ons, has started to feel heavy for the size of your shop. Or you are picking your first real system and Tekmetric is the name everyone mentions, but the price feels like a lot before you have written 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 Tekmetric column with that in mind. We have tried to keep every claim tied to their public pricing and product pages, and we say when Tekmetric is the right call.
What a month costs
Tekmetric prices are from tekmetric.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
Tekmetric plans
- Unlimited users and repair orders
- Digital vehicle inspections
- Digital authorizations and invoicing
- Inventory and vendor management
- Everything in Start
- Labor guide and maintenance schedules
- Time and job clocks
- Parts, inventory, and marketing reports
- Everything in Grow
- Two-way texting
- Real-time shop dashboard and technician board
- Employee performance analytics
- Multi-shop management: $70 per month per shop
- Tire suite: $39 per month per shop
- Marketing: $345 per month per shop
- Integrated payments and a dedicated account manager are reserved for Enterprise
What you get for it
The features that actually change the decision. Where one depends on the plan, the cell says which.
| Feature | Tekmetric | |
|---|---|---|
| Key features | ||
| Monthly price | RedAppy$39 to $149, all in | Tekmetric$199 to $439, plus add-ons |
| Marketing and review tools | RedAppyReview requests included | TekmetricMarketing add-on, $345 per month |
| Free trial | RedAppy30 days, no card | TekmetricDemo first, no self-serve trial |
| Contract | RedAppyMonth to month | TekmetricMonth to month, discount for annual |
| Estimates, invoices, inspections | RedAppyUnlimited, every plan | TekmetricUnlimited, every plan |
| Two-way customer texting | RedAppyEvery plan, pay per message | TekmetricScale plan, $439 |
| Online and in-shop payments | RedAppyEvery plan via Stripe | TekmetricEnterprise, or a third-party processor |
| Shop website included | RedAppyEvery plan, SEO ready | TekmetricNot included |
| Parts ordering | RedAppyNexpart Multi-Seller built in | TekmetricPartsTech and other integrations |
| Labor guides and AI help | RedAppyNitro AI on Professional | TekmetricLabor guide on Grow, $349 |
| Integrations and multi-shop | RedAppyNexpart, Stripe, custom plan for multi-shop | Tekmetric70+ integrations, $70 per extra shop |
Where Tekmetric is the better pick
Integration depth
Tekmetric connects to more than 70 tools, including QuickBooks Online, PartsTech, and most of the marketing and CRM vendors shops already use. If your bookkeeper lives in QuickBooks, that matters.
Multi-shop operations
Tekmetric has years of experience serving franchise groups and multi-location operators, with per-shop add-ons and cross-store reporting built for that use case.
Track record
Tekmetric has been in shops since 2017 and has a large base of verified reviews. If you want the best-known name and price is secondary, 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, with nothing bolted on later. Tekmetric starts at $199 and reaches $439, and that is before add-ons: marketing is another $345 a month, multi-shop $70 per location, and the tire suite $39. Over a year, that gap is $1,900 to $3,500 before add-ons.
Texting and payments on every plan
Two-way texting is on the $39 plan in RedAppy. In Tekmetric it arrives on the $439 Scale plan. Online payments are included on every RedAppy plan through Stripe.
A website is part of the deal
Every RedAppy plan includes a professional, search-ready website for your shop. Tekmetric does not offer one, so that is a separate vendor and a separate bill.
Start today without a sales call
RedAppy has a 30-day free trial with no card required. Tekmetric onboarding begins with a scheduled demo. If you want to try the software before talking to anyone, that is the difference.
Which one fits your shop
Choose Tekmetric if
- You run three or more locations and need cross-store reporting
- Your accounting depends on a live QuickBooks Online sync
- You already use PartsTech and want to keep that workflow
- A budget of $200 to $450 a month per shop 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 top tier
- You need a shop website and do not want to hire a web agency
- You would rather try the software for 30 days than sit through a demo
Switching from Tekmetric to RedAppy
Bring your customers and vehicles
Export your customer and vehicle lists from Tekmetric 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 week
Most shops keep Tekmetric open for one billing cycle while they write new tickets in RedAppy. There is no contract on either 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 Tekmetric if you run multiple locations, lean heavily on integrations like PartsTech and QuickBooks, and have the budget for $199 to $439 a month per shop. 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 sales call.
RedAppy vs Tekmetric: common questions
Is RedAppy cheaper than Tekmetric?
Yes. RedAppy plans run $39, $99, and $149 per month with texting, payments, review requests, and a website included. Tekmetric plans run $199, $349, and $439 per month, or $179, $309, and $409 when billed annually, and marketing ($345), multi-shop ($70 per location), and the tire suite ($39) are separate monthly add-ons.
Does Tekmetric include a free website like RedAppy?
No. Tekmetric focuses on shop management and leaves the website to a separate vendor. Every RedAppy plan includes a professional website for your shop.
Which plan do I need for two-way texting?
In RedAppy, texting is available on every plan and you pay per message with credit packs that do not expire. In Tekmetric, two-way texting is part of the Scale plan at $439 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.
Can I try RedAppy before I cancel Tekmetric?
Yes. The RedAppy trial is 30 days with no credit card, and neither product requires a long-term contract, so you can run both side by side while you decide.
How does RedAppy handle parts ordering compared to Tekmetric?
RedAppy has Nexpart Multi-Seller built in, so you can price and order parts from multiple suppliers without leaving the estimate. Tekmetric relies on integrations such as PartsTech for the same job.
Tekmetric and its logo are trademarks of their owner. Pricing and features are from Tekmetric's public pages as of September 2026. See all comparisons.
Also compare RedAppy with Shopmonkey.
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