Shop Desk vs Tekmetric, From Both Sides' Own Pages
Tekmetric is popular, well built shop software priced for a shop with bays. Shop Desk was built by a mobile shop and starts free. Here is a fair look at both, using only what each company publishes.
Free plan, not a trial. No card. We look at every new shop ourselves and switch it on, usually the same day.
The Honest Answer in Three Lines
Tekmetric starts at $199 a month and offers demos, not free trials. Shop Desk has a free plan and Pro at $149 a month.
Tekmetric has parts ordering, a labor guide and over 50 integrations. Shop Desk has none of those built in yet.
Shop Desk texts back missed calls inside your shop hours on Pro. We did not find that on Tekmetric's pages.
Shop Desk and Tekmetric, Line by Line
Everything about Tekmetric below comes from Tekmetric's own website, read on 3 October 2026. Everything about Shop Desk comes from our own software and sign up page on the same day.
| Shop Desk | Tekmetric | |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest price | Free plan. Pro $149 a month | Start, $199 a month, or $179 a month on annual |
| Other plans | None | Grow $349, Scale $439, Enterprise custom pricing |
| How it is priced | Per shop | Per shop, unlimited users. Their page says they do not charge by user or by repair order |
| Free plan or trial | Free plan, no card | Their page says free demos but not free trials |
| Contract | Cancel at the end of any month | No long term contracts required, month to month or annual |
| Two way texting | Yes, on Pro with a shop number | On the plan cards it first appears in Scale |
| Missed call text back | Yes, on Pro | Phones through RingCentral. No text back advertised on the pages read |
| Digital inspections | Yes, on both plans | Yes, on every plan |
| Parts ordering | No, not yet | Integrated parts ordering |
| Labor guide | Links to your own ProDemand or ALLDATA, plus an AI suggested time | Labor guide from the Grow plan |
| Multi location | No | Yes, $70 a month per extra shop |
| Built for mobile work | Yes, by mobile mechanics | A mobile app for advisors and techs. No mobile mechanic page found |
Prices and plans change. Check Tekmetric's current pricing page before you decide. We will update this page when either side changes.
What Tekmetric Does That We Do Not
Tekmetric is a mature product and it is good at a lot. If these matter most to your shop, it may be the better pick.
- Integrated parts ordering inside the repair order
- A labor guide built in on the Grow plan and up
- More than 50 third party integrations
- Payments of its own, with tap to pay and text to pay
- Multi shop accounts for more than one location
- Unlimited users on every plan
What Shop Desk Does Differently
Shop Desk was built by a working shop for shops like it. That shows in what it does and in what it costs.
- A free plan with no clock and no card
- Pro at $149 a month, below Tekmetric's lowest published plan
- Missed call text back inside your shop hours, with one follow up
- Built phone first for mechanics working out of a van
- Quotes the customer signs on their own phone before the job can start
- Run every day by the shop that wrote it
Pick by How Your Shop Actually Runs
Pick Tekmetric if
you run several bays with a service advisor at the counter, you want parts ordering and a labor guide inside the repair order, or you have more than one location.
Pick Shop Desk if
you are a mobile mechanic or a small shop, you want to start free, and the phone you cannot answer is costing you more work than parts lookups are.
Questions About Tekmetric and Shop Desk
How much does Tekmetric cost?
Does Tekmetric have a free trial?
Is Tekmetric good for a mobile mechanic?
What is a cheaper alternative to Tekmetric?
Can I move from Tekmetric to Shop Desk?
Other Comparisons and Guides
- Auto Repair Shop SoftwareFree to start, built in our own shop
- Mobile Mechanic SoftwareRun the van from your phone
- Free Auto Repair SoftwareWhat is free, and what is a trial
- Missed Call Text BackAnswer the call you could not take
- Shop Desk vs ShopmonkeySeats, fees and texting
- Shop Desk vs AutoLeapSetup fees and the AI phone
- How to Start a Mobile Mechanic BusinessThe order to do it in
Ask a Mechanic Who Uses It
Not ready to sign up? Tell us how your shop runs and what your software gets wrong today. One of us will call you back, and we will tell you straight if Shop Desk is not the right fit.
- A person reads it, usually the same day
- No sales sequence and no drip emails
- We run our own shop on this software
Rather email? Write to hello@yourshopdesk.com