Shop Boss
Shop Boss is shop management software for automotive repair businesses, bringing repair orders, communications, parts, reporting, and vehicle records into on…
What Shop Boss is
Shop Boss is shop management software for automotive repair businesses, bringing repair orders, communications, parts, reporting, and vehicle records into one system. All pricing packages include unlimited repair orders and users, two-way text and email, parts ordering, workflows, vehicle lookup and history, technician views, and VIN scanning and license decoding. BOSS Inspect lets technicians use a smartphone or tablet to show customers needed repairs, send inspection reports, and maintain records and updates. BOSS Board provides reports, customizable KPI boards, and comparisons of current and past performance. Shops can order parts from local suppliers and tires from national distributors through the system. The service is web-based and is also listed for Android and iOS. Gold costs $179 a month when billed annually; the page also shows $199/Month. Gold includes embedded payment processing, for which transaction fees apply. Shop Boss has no free plan. Higher-priced plans add options such as digital inspections, tire ordering integration, online scheduling, CRM, and websites.
Good
- Unlimited repair orders and users in all packages
- Includes vehicle lookup and history
- Technicians can send digital inspection reports
- Supports local parts and national tire ordering
- Available on Android, iOS, and web
Watch out
- No free plan
- Embedded payment processing has transaction fees
- Surcharging is not permitted in Connecticut, Massachusetts, or New York
- Gold is $179 a month when billed annually
Who it suits
Shop Boss is aimed at auto repair, collision, heavy-duty truck, RV, tire, powersports, and marine repair shops, as well as fleet management services. It suits businesses seeking repair workflow tools alongside inspections, parts, and vehicle history.
Verdict
Shop Boss brings repair workflows, inspections, parts ordering, and vehicle records together for automotive businesses. Check the annual plan price and payment restrictions against your shop’s needs.
Plans and prices
From Shop Boss's own pricing page, checked 15 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Gold | $199 a month | Calendars & appointments · Inventory/vendor management · Embedded payment processing · Canned jobs/sublets · Time/job clocks · Profit-per-hour forecasting · Parts/labor-guide integrations · monthly; annual option shown as $179/month |
| CRM + Online Service Scheduler | $224 a month | automated customer communication · service reminders · custom offers · online scheduling · annually; page also shows $249/Month |
| Platinum | $349 a month | Everything in Gold · Labor guides with diagrams/procedures · BI dashboard · Digital inspections · DVI integrations · Employee analytics · Real-time dashboard · Tire ordering · AI ProNotes · monthly; annual option shown as $314/month |
| Customer & Vehicle Data Transfer | $399, paid once | customer and vehicle data transfer |
| Premier | $449 a month | Everything in Platinum · Responsive website · Website maintenance/design · Monthly digital reporting · Quarterly digital reviews · Custom one-to-one training · monthly; annual option shown as $404/month |
| Premier Plus | $649 a month | Everything in Premier · 24/7 online booking · Custom scheduling rules · Automated reminders · Declined-work tracking · CRM · Email campaigns · Automated re-engagement · Customer segmentation · monthly; annual option shown as $584/month |
| Customer, Vehicle, Repair History & Inventory Data Transfer | $899, paid once | customer, vehicle, repair history, and inventory data transfer |
The facts
Each one read from Shop Boss's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- API
- Shop Boss exposes a REST API returning JSON for customers, vehicles, repair orders, appointments, employees, parts, suppliers, quotes, inspections, and related records.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API authentication
- API access requires a support-issued API key sent as a Bearer token, with endpoint permissions assigned to each key.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API documentation depth
- Documentation includes an introductory guide, versioning, environments, authentication, rate limiting, error responses, and a reference with client examples for Shell, Ruby, Node.js, PHP, and Python.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API environments
- The documentation lists production at api.shopboss.io and a development environment at dev.shopboss.io with separate development documentation.checked 15 Oct 2026
- API limits
- The documented default limit is 500 calls per minute in production and 100 calls per minute in staging, with HTTP 429 responses when exceeded.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Changelog
- The October 6, 2026 release added Publish RO, parts bin and notes fields, global phone lookup for quotes, and fixes for iPad printing, video playback, inspections, and storage fees.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Customer communications
- Shop Boss supports internal chat, customer texting for updates and estimates, and payment-linked messaging.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Customer portal
- The password-protected portal presents inspections, invoices, photos, messages, updates, service schedules, and payment access.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Dashboard
- BOSS Board provides customizable KPI boards, real-time insights, reports, and current-versus-past comparisons.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Data migration
- The pricing page lists over 130 built-in data transfer integrations and paid customer/vehicle or broader history and inventory transfer options.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Digital inspections
- BOSS Inspect lets technicians perform inspections on phones or tablets, send reports, retain records, and show customers recommended repairs.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Inspections
- BOSS Inspect lets technicians use a smartphone or tablet to show customers needed repairs, send inspection reports, and keep records and updates.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- The product advertises parts and labor-guide integrations, DVI connections to guides/parts/inventory, tire ordering, CARFAX, Kukui, and EService Intelligence connections.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: accounting and inventory
- A Capterra reviewer says the product lacks sufficient accounts-payable and inventory controls.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: mobile performance
- A Capterra reviewer says the mobile app can lag or crash occasionally.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Limit: reliability glitches
- A G2 reviewer reports occasional glitches, including another shop's information appearing after login and phone numbers failing to save.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Parts and tires
- The software supports parts ordering from local suppliers and tire ordering from national distributors through the shop management system.checked 8 Oct 2026
- Parts ordering
- The parts workflow displays supplier stock, places orders from the management system, and synchronizes with other features.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Payment restriction
- Shop Boss says surcharging is not permissible in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New York because of state laws.checked 8 Oct 2026
The company
- Company founded and headquarters
- CB Insights lists Shop Boss as founded in 2012 and headquartered at 9915 Businesspark Avenue, Suite C, San Diego, California 92131.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Company identity
- The Shop Boss privacy policy identifies CSB Technologies, a Vehlo Purchaser, LLC entity, as owner and operator.checked 15 Oct 2026
- Headquarters
- 2035 Lakeside Center Way, Suite 100, Knoxville, TN 37922, United Stateschecked 28 Sep 2026
- Notable company news
- Vehlo says it began in 2019 and reports more than 30,000 customers and over 50 million annual repair orders across its automotive technology products.checked 15 Oct 2026
Money
- Free trial
- The vendor offers a free trial but requires a form and meeting to complete trial setup; no duration is stated.checked 15 Oct 2026
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