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The Shop Software Switching Kit (2026)
Picking or switching shop management software? Here's the whole kit, free: the questions to ask in every demo, a data-moving checklist, contract red flags, a 30-day go-live plan and a side-by-side scorecard. Read it here or print the PDF.
From Sal
You already know the sticker price isn't the bill.
You've felt it. The demo looks great. The rep is nice. The number sounds fine.
And then the add-ons show up. And the migration fee. And the contract you skimmed.
So here's the deal. Slow down. Print this. Bring it to every demo.
Ask every question. Write every answer down.
And watch the rep sit up a little straighter.
I'm Sal. I'm not a mechanic and I don't own a shop. I read vendor pricing pages so you don't have to. Every number below comes from a vendor's own published page, linked on our site.
The trap, in one made-up example
Made-up example · real published prices
Say you run five people who all need a login. You see "$215 a month" for Shopmonkey Basic, billed yearly. That plan includes 3 users. Two more at $20/mo each makes it $255/mo. Add the one-time $500 data migration fee and your first year is $3,560, before card readers and processing.
Now look at Tekmetric's entry plan: $179/mo billed yearly, with unlimited users. Neither is "the answer." The point is that the sticker never tells you. The questions do.
Prices from each vendor's pricing page, last checked Oct 21, 2026. See Shopmonkey pricing and Tekmetric pricing.
Part 1. 22 questions to ask in every demo
Write down how many users and locations you have before the call. Then ask these, and get the money answers in writing.
The price
- What's my all-in monthly price for ___ users and ___ locations, on the plan I'd actually need?
- Which features you showed me today are add-ons? What does each one cost per month?
- Is that price billed yearly or month-to-month? What's the difference in dollars?
- Is this an intro or first-year rate? What does it renew at? Put it in writing.
- How much can the price go up at renewal, and how much notice do I get?
Setup and moving in
- Is there a setup, onboarding or training fee? How much?
- Is data migration included? Exactly what moves over, and what does it cost?
- Who does the migration, and how long does it take?
- Can I see a test import of my own data before I go live?
Getting paid
- What's the card processing rate (percent plus per-transaction) for tap/dip, keyed-in and text-to-pay?
- Do I have to use your processor, or can I keep mine?
- What do card readers cost to buy, and per month?
- Are there monthly, PCI or statement fees? How fast do deposits hit my bank?
The contract
- Is there a contract? How long? Does it auto-renew?
- What does it cost to cancel early, and how much notice do you need?
- If it isn't working in the first 30-60 days, can I walk away?
Getting your data back out
- If I leave, can I export everything: customers, vehicles, repair order history, inventory? In what format (CSV, PDF)?
- Is there a fee for that export? How long do I keep access after I cancel?
Does it fit my shop
- Which parts suppliers, labor guide and accounting software connect, and do any cost extra?
- Run three of my real jobs from last week, start to finish, right now. (Bring the ROs.)
- How many devices can one login use at the same time?
- What does support look like: hours, phone or chat, and how long is the wait?
Part 2. The data-moving checklist
Moving your data is the scary part, so make it boring. Ask about every row. Tick "moved" when it's in the new system and "checked" when you've spot-checked it yourself.
| What | Ask about / check | Moved | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Customers | Names, phones, emails, addresses, notes, and texting/marketing opt-ins | ☐ | ☐ |
| Vehicles | Year/make/model, VIN, plate, mileage, and which customer owns which car | ☐ | ☐ |
| Repair order history | Line items, tech notes, recommendations declined, dates. Data you can search, or just PDFs? | ☐ | ☐ |
| Parts inventory | Part numbers, quantities on hand, cost, price, bin locations, suppliers | ☐ | ☐ |
| Open repair orders | Cars in the bays right now. Usually re-entered by hand on go-live day | ☐ | ☐ |
| Accounts receivable (A/R) | Unpaid invoices and fleet balances. Collect or carry over before you cut off the old system | ☐ | ☐ |
| Canned jobs | Your saved job packages with labor times, parts and prices | ☐ | ☐ |
| Labor guide | Labor guides are often licensed per system, so they may not move. Ask what's included and at which plan | ☐ | ☐ |
| Pricing setup | Labor rate(s), parts pricing matrix, shop-supply and environmental fees, tax settings | ☐ | ☐ |
| Everything else | Employees and logins, appointments on the books, inspection templates, accounting (QuickBooks) mapping | ☐ | ☐ |
Part 3. Contract red flags
None of these means "don't sign." Each one means "stop and ask." The real examples come from vendors' own published pages.
- An "intro" or "first-year" price with no written renewal price. R.O. Writer's published rates are first-year rates, and the renewal price isn't published. Get the year-two number on paper.
- A long term tied to the low price. Bolt-On's lower rates need a 13-month contract, and Mitchell 1's online store sells software on 12-month leases. Fine if you know it going in. Not fine as a surprise.
- Auto-renewal with a tiny cancel window. Find the notice period and put a reminder on your calendar the day you sign.
- "Pay the rest of the term" if you leave early. Ask for the early-cancellation cost as a dollar figure.
- Setup or migration fees that are "TBD." Shopmonkey lists a one-time $500 data migration fee, and Shop Boss lists $399 (customers and vehicles) or $899 (with history and inventory). AutoLeap's FAQ confirms a setup fee but doesn't publish the amount. Get yours in writing.
- Processing lock-in. You must use their payment processor, and the rate isn't in the contract.
- No clean way out with your data. No export, a fee to export, or repair history only as PDFs you can't search.
- Per-user pricing that grows with your crew. Shopmonkey charges $20/mo for each user past the ones included. Mitchell 1's store lists $15/mo per additional user. Count every login before you compare.
- Promises that aren't in the contract. "We'll waive that" is worth exactly what's written down.
Part 4. The 30-day go-live plan
Four weeks. One job per week. No heroics.
Days 1-7
Decide and sign
- Fill in the scorecard after every demo. Pick one.
- Get the final quote in writing: monthly, one-time fees, processing rate, term, renewal price.
- Read the contract against the red flags above.
- Pick a go-live day early in a week (not month-end, not your busiest day). Tell the crew.
- Ask your old system how to export your data, and in what format.
Days 8-14
Build it
- Send the export for migration (or start the import).
- Set up labor rates, parts pricing matrix, fees and taxes.
- Rebuild your top canned jobs.
- Connect parts suppliers, card processing and accounting.
- Create every login. Spot-check 10 customers and 10 vehicles after the import.
Days 15-21
Practice
- Everyone writes five practice ROs, start to finish, in the new system.
- Set up inspection templates and text messages.
- Run a text-to-pay with a staff card.
- Print or save open ROs and A/R from the old system.
Days 22-30
Go live
- Cut over on go-live day. Re-enter open ROs.
- Keep the old system read-only until A/R is collected and your export is checked.
- Day-30 review: are reports, canned jobs and rates right? Fix what's off.
- Cancel the old system in writing, inside its notice window. Save the confirmation.
Part 5. The demo scorecard
One column per system. Fill it in right after each demo, while it's fresh. The cheapest sticker loses more often than you'd think.
| System A: ________ | System B: ________ | System C: ________ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-in monthly price for my users | |||
| One-time fees (setup, migration, hardware) | |||
| Card processing rate | |||
| Contract length and cancel terms | |||
| Price in year two (in writing?) | |||
| Data export if I leave | |||
| Labor guide / repair info included? | |||
| Works with my parts suppliers | |||
| Two-way texting and inspections | |||
| Accounting (QuickBooks) link | |||
| Ran my real jobs in the demo (1-5) | |||
| Easy for my techs (1-5) | |||
| Support: hours and how fast (1-5) | |||
| First-year total cost ($) | |||
| Gut feeling (1-5) |
Free printable PDF
Print it. Bring it to every demo.
Demo questions, data checklist, contract red flags, 30-day plan and a side-by-side scorecard. Print one per demo.
- Free, no strings
- Prints clean on plain paper
- Comes with ShopStack Weekly: one short email a week from Sal
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