How to Choose Repair Shop Software for a Small Shop (2026): Prices, Must-Haves and a Comparison
1. Summary
A small repair shop (1 to 3 people) needs four things from software: a record for each repair filled in at the counter, automatic updates to customers, online estimate approval, and a price that's easy to understand. In 2026 some repair shop software lets you start on a free plan with no time limit. Compare the free option, the monthly price for your team size and how customers hear from you first; everything else comes second.
Updated 2026-11-02. Other vendors' prices and features were checked on their public websites on 2026-10-10; check their sites before you decide.
2. Seven things to check
A free plan you can stay on, not only a trial
A trial gives you a deadline. A free plan lets a small shop run real repairs for months before paying anything, and keeps the records if you never upgrade.
Check: Is the free option a plan with no end date, or a 7, 14 or 30-day trial? How many repairs and logins does it cover? Do you need a card to start?
Monthly billing, and what makes the price go up
Yearly or quarterly billing paid upfront is a bigger commitment than the monthly headline suggests. Per-user, per-ticket and per-message charges change the real cost as you grow.
Check: Can you pay month to month and cancel any time? What raises the price: users, tickets, locations, add-ons, text messages? Work out what a year costs for your team size.
How customers hear from you
Updates that go out from the repair record are logged, so "I never heard from you" has an answer. Updates from your personal phone are not.
Check: Which channels does it use (email, SMS, WhatsApp, LINE), and which one do your customers actually read? Does changing the status send the update? Is each text message charged separately?
Online estimate approval
Waiting for a customer to call back about an estimate is where repairs stall. An approval button on a page they open from their phone, with the time recorded, ends the back-and-forth.
Check: Can the customer approve or decline online, and is the approval time saved on the record? Is there a status page where they check progress without calling?
Mail-in repairs, if you take them or plan to
Repairs by mail need a request link, an arrival check-in, payment and a return tracking number. Doing that by email and spreadsheet is where boxes get lost.
Check: Is mail-in part of the normal repair record, or a separate tool? On which plan, and at what price?
Your trade's words
Each trade has its own item types, jobs and questions. When the software uses another trade's words, the counter staff end up typing everything into notes.
Check: When you sign up and pick your trade, do the item types and common jobs match what you fix? Can you add the fields you ask every time (serial number, string gauge, strap size)?
Bringing your current list in
If you can't bring in the repairs you're holding today, you'll retype them, and switching gets put off.
Check: Can your spreadsheet, another system's export or your paper tickets come in without retyping, whether you import them yourself or the vendor does it for you, and at what cost? Does it happen without messaging your customers? Can you export your data again later?
How to test one real repair in a trial, and the three kinds of software sold as "repair shop software": How to choose repair shop software.
3. Repair shop software compared: prices and features
Published prices per month in US dollars, and what each one does, checked on 2026-10-10.
| Repair Karte | RepairDesk | RepairShopr | Orderry | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry price | $0 on Free, then $25/month (Standard, up to 3 people) | $79/month billed yearly | $59.99/month billed yearly (30-day trial) | $39/month for 100 work orders per 30 days (7-day trial) |
| Free plan | Yes: up to 100 repairs a month, 1 login, no time limit, no card | No free plan. The free trial button leads to a demo booking form | No free plan; 30-day free trial | No free plan; 7-day trial |
| Price for a 3-person shop | $25/month | $79/month billed yearly | $129.99/month billed yearly | From $69/month |
| Customer status page | Yes (All plans) | Yes (Repair Tracker widget and customer portal) | Yes (customer portal by login or email link) | Status widget for your website, lookup by phone number (Startup and up) |
| Online estimate approval | Yes (All plans) | Yes (estimates sent by SMS for approval) | Yes (approve or decline from an email) | Yes, with e-signature |
| Automatic email updates | Yes (Standard and up) | Yes, all plans | Yes | Yes |
| Mail-in repairs | Yes, from $25/month (Standard): request link, arrival check-in, payment and return tracking numbers | Yes, with ShipStation shipping labels; the Mail-in Suite is on Advanced (custom quote) | Yes, with ShipStation and ShipRush | Not listed as a feature on their site (a ShipStation integration is announced as coming soon) |
| Card payments | Yes (Standard and up) | Yes | Yes: Stripe, PayPal, Square and others, including card readers | Yes: Stripe (Startup and up), Square, SumUp, including terminals |
| Support | Email and in-app chat with a person | Live chat, phone and email (24/6) | Phone and knowledge base | Automated chat on all plans; people and onboarding sessions on higher plans |
Where the others are ahead
- RepairDesk, support: Live chat, phone and email (24/6)
- RepairShopr, mail-in repairs: Yes, with ShipStation and ShipRush
- RepairShopr, card payments: Yes: Stripe, PayPal, Square and others, including card readers
- RepairShopr, support: Phone and knowledge base
- Orderry, card payments: Yes: Stripe (Startup and up), Square, SumUp, including terminals
Other free plans
| Software | Free plan | Customer messages on the free plan | Paid plans from |
|---|---|---|---|
| FixyFlow | 5 jobs a month, 1 tech, no card | 20 SMS a month included (US and Canada numbers), tracking page | $19/month (50 jobs a month, 1 tech) |
| RepairFlow | 25 repairs a month, 1 user, no card | No email notifications on the free plan | $39/month (50 repairs a month, 1 user) |
| JC ONE FIX | 50 tickets and 50 customers, 1 technician (Spanish only) | Automatic WhatsApp when ready, customer portal | US$20/month (unlimited technicians) |
One-to-one comparisons: Repair Karte vs RepairDesk, Repair Karte vs RepairShopr, Repair Karte vs Orderry, and free repair shop software compared.
Sources (checked 2026-10-10): RepairDesk pricing, RepairDesk mail-in repair, RepairDesk vs RepairShopr (languages, data migration), RepairShopr pricing, RepairShopr features, RepairShopr mail-in repair, Orderry pricing, Orderry repair shop software, Orderry: Stripe payment link (Startup and up), FixyFlow, RepairFlow, JC ONE FIX. Product names are trademarks of their owners. Repair Karte is not affiliated with the other vendors on this page. If anything about them is out of date, email info@repairkarte.com.
4. By trade
In Repair Karte, the item types and common jobs are set up for your trade when you sign up. Each page below shows the item types, common jobs and an example repair record for that trade.
5. Next step
Repair Karte's Free plan covers up to 100 repairs a month for one login with no time limit. The customer status page and online estimate approval are on all plans; automatic email updates and mail-in repairs start on Standard at $25 a month for up to 3 people. Every new account gets all Pro features for 30 days, no card needed.
The Free plan covers up to 100 repairs a month for 1 staff login, with no credit card, and stays free. Automatic email updates to customers start on Standard. Every new account gets all Pro features free for 30 days.
6. Frequently asked questions
What's the best repair shop software for a small shop in 2026?
It depends on what you sell besides repairs, but a 1 to 3 person shop should look for four things: a record for each repair filled in at the counter, automatic updates to customers, online estimate approval, and a price that's easy to understand. Published prices checked on 2026-10-10: RepairDesk from $79/month billed yearly, RepairShopr from $59.99/month billed yearly (30-day trial), Orderry $39/month for 100 work orders per 30 days (7-day trial). Repair Karte is free for up to 100 repairs a month with no time limit, and $25 a month for up to 3 people on Standard. Run one real repair through a free plan or trial before you decide.
How much does repair shop software cost for a small shop?
On 2026-10-10, the published entry prices were RepairDesk $79/month billed yearly, RepairShopr $59.99/month billed yearly (30-day trial), Orderry $39/month for 100 work orders per 30 days (7-day trial). Several tools also have free plans with monthly limits. Repair Karte is $0 for up to 100 repairs a month, $25 a month for up to 3 people, and $49 a month for unlimited people, billed monthly or yearly.
Is there free repair shop software for a small repair shop?
Yes. Free plans with no time limit checked on 2026-10-10: Repair Karte (100 repairs a month, 1 login, with a customer status page and online estimate approval), FixyFlow (5 jobs a month, 1 tech, no card), RepairFlow (25 repairs a month, 1 user, no card), JC ONE FIX (50 tickets and 50 customers, 1 technician (Spanish only)). Compare how many repairs each covers and how customers get updates on the free plan.
What should I check before choosing repair shop software?
Seven things: whether there is a free plan you can stay on, monthly billing and what makes the price go up, how customers hear from you (email, SMS, WhatsApp), online estimate approval, mail-in repairs if you take them, whether the item types match your trade, and whether your current list can come in without retyping.
Doing this in Repair Karte
- All features What Repair Karte does, and on which plan
The Free plan covers up to 100 repairs a month for 1 staff login, with no credit card, and stays free. Automatic email updates to customers start on Standard. Every new account gets all Pro features free for 30 days.
More guides
By trade