Pitlane vs Tekmetric

Pitlane vs Tekmetric: a sharper modern alternative at one published price.

Honest comparison: Tekmetric is a cloud shop management system; Pitlane writes the RO too now, plus AI throughout and inline payment, at a flat published price. What you keep, what you give up, when each one wins.

PitlanevsTekmetric

RO #1005In bay

Sandra Pruitt · 2019 Ford F-150 · 64,102 mi

The loopIn progress

Write

02Text

03Pay

04Review

Assign mechanicText customerStart inspectionTake paymentRequest review

Brake fluid flush added, approved by text 10:07a

Front brake pads + rotors

Parts

KM$389

Cabin air filter

Part

KM$39

Labor 0.9h @ $110

Labor

KM$90

Total$0

Margin · gross profit$204

Take payment · $518

Tekmetric is a cloud-based shop management system widely adopted by independent shops over the last few years. The RO workflow is solid: estimates with parts catalogs and labor guides, integrated DVIs, two-way messaging, QuickBooks sync, multi-shop tooling for groups. Pricing started accessible and has climbed through 2024–2025: 2-to-3 bay shops report monthly bills crossing $300 once messaging and reporting modules are on.

Which should you pick?

Pick Tekmetric when

You order parts from suppliers via Tekmetric's integrated catalog daily
You quote labor against the built-in labor guides on most ROs
Your multi-shop group already runs on Tekmetric's location-management tier
Your QuickBooks workflow is tightly wired to Tekmetric's sync

Pick Pitlane when

You want native RO writing with per-line tech, time, cost, and margin
You want AI suggesting lines from the customer's concern + mid-job text authorization
You want a take-payment drawer on the RO (cash, check, or a texted card link)
You want one published price, $200 a month with everything on, instead of climbing quotes
You want 0% Stripe platform fee and month-to-month, no notice period

Side by side

Feature by feature.

Repair-order writing (lines, tech, time, payment)

Pitlane: Native + AI-assisted
Tekmetric: Full RO workflow

Vehicle-aware CRM (VIN, service history)

Pitlane: Core feature
Tekmetric: Built in

Automated Google review requests

Pitlane: Automated 2-hour ask
Tekmetric: Basic

Win-back sequences (90/120/180 days)

Pitlane: Fully automated, included
Tekmetric: Manual campaigns

Declined-work recovery

Pitlane: PitCrew drafts the message, you send
Tekmetric: Manual

Digital vehicle inspections (DVI)

Pitlane: Customer-approval focused
Tekmetric: Yes, integrated with ROs

PitCrew AI morning briefing

Pitlane: Every day, free
Tekmetric: —

PitCrew AI review replies and rewrites

Pitlane: Built in
Tekmetric: —

In-app concierge chat

Pitlane: Included
Tekmetric: —

Two-way customer texting

Pitlane: Included
Tekmetric: Scale plan only ($439/mo, $409 annual)

Stripe platform fee

Pitlane: 0% (you connect your own)
Tekmetric: Varies by processor

Published monthly price

Pitlane: $200/mo, everything included
Tekmetric: $199 / $349 / $439 published (Aug 2026)

Contract

Pitlane: Month-to-month
Tekmetric: Month-to-month, annual discount

Feature	Pitlane	Tekmetric
Repair-order writing (lines, tech, time, payment)	Native + AI-assisted	Full RO workflow
Vehicle-aware CRM (VIN, service history)	Core feature	Built in
Automated Google review requests	Automated 2-hour ask	Basic
Win-back sequences (90/120/180 days)	Fully automated, included	Manual campaigns
Declined-work recovery	PitCrew drafts the message, you send	Manual
Digital vehicle inspections (DVI)	Customer-approval focused	Yes, integrated with ROs
PitCrew AI morning briefing	Every day, free
PitCrew AI review replies and rewrites	Built in
In-app concierge chat	Included
Two-way customer texting	Included	Scale plan only ($439/mo, $409 annual)
Stripe platform fee	0% (you connect your own)	Varies by processor
Published monthly price	$200/mo, everything included	$199 / $349 / $439 published (Aug 2026)
Contract	Month-to-month	Month-to-month, annual discount

The customer side

Your customer approves and pays from their phone.

A texted estimate, one-tap approval with a signature, a card link, and the review request after. All from your shop’s own number, no app for them to download.

8:39

Pitlane Garage

Approve your F-150 · 8:39a

Hi Sandra, Kenji found 3mm on your front pads. Photos and prices inside, approve what you want.

Approve line by line

Front brake pads + rotors

$389

Authorized

Cabin air filter

$39

Authorized

Labor 0.9h @ $110

$90

Authorized

Authorized total$518.00

Sign to approve

DrawType

Approved $518.00 at 8:39a

Switching from Tekmetric

Pitlane at $200/mo is roughly $1,200/yr cheaper than a typical Tekmetric Pro setup, and there is no module left to add later. Plus 0% Stripe platform fee on every payment, instead of whatever processor margin you're stacking on top.

Native RO writing with AI-suggested lines, per-line tech + time + cost + margin
Mid-job SMS authorization with finger signature, audit trail on every line
Inline payment on the RO: cash, check, or a texted card link. Same page
Combined print packet bundles RO + linked inspections + estimates onto one PDF

Shops migrating off Tekmetric bring their supplier accounts and their own matrix and price parts and labor at their own numbers. Everything around that is native and modern: RO writing, customer relationship, AI, payment, combined print, linked workflow.

Migrate from Tekmetric Start trial, keep Tekmetric

Questions about switching.

Does Pitlane write the RO like Tekmetric does?

Yes, end-to-end as of May 2026. Per-line tech assignment, clock-in/out time tracking, parts cost and margin per line, AI-suggested lines from the customer's concern, mid-job SMS authorization with finger signature, inline payment on the RO header (cash, check, or a texted card link). Parts and labor price off your own numbers: enter a part's supplier cost and Pitlane carries the margin on that line, and labor hours price against the shop rate you set.

Can I import my Tekmetric customer list into Pitlane?

Yes. Export customers, vehicles, and service history as CSV from Tekmetric, upload to Pitlane via /settings/migration, map the columns, and you're live. Most shops migrate in under an hour.

Do I need my own Twilio account or phone number for texting?

No. Pitlane owns the A2P 10DLC carrier registration and includes two-way SMS. Your texts go out on your shop's own local number rather than a toll-free line. STOP and HELP are auto-handled, consent is tracked, and it's TCPA and CAN-SPAM compliant. You don't wire up a separate Twilio account.

What happens to parts pricing if I switch today?

You price it. Your advisor enters the part with its cost, and Pitlane carries the margin on that line and into reporting. Shops switching keep buying from the supplier accounts they already have (NAPA, WorldPac, AutoZone Pro) and price off those invoices, which is what most of them were doing inside the old system anyway.

Does Pitlane replace Tekmetric's DVI?

Pitlane's DVI is built around customer phone approvals: Pass/Attention/Fail per checkpoint, required photos on anything below Pass, item-by-item approval, and declined items you can recover with a PitCrew-drafted follow-up. Tekmetric's DVI is tied more tightly into the estimate workflow. If approval rate and recovery is the goal, Pitlane's workflow is purpose-built for it.

Run your next job on one work order.

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Pitlane vs Tekmetric: a sharper modern alternative at one published price.

Which should you pick?

Pick Tekmetric when

Pick Pitlane when

Feature by feature.

Your customer approves and pays from their phone.

Pitlane at $200/mo is roughly $1,200/yr cheaper than a typical Tekmetric Pro setup, and there is no module left to add later. Plus 0% Stripe platform fee on every payment, instead of whatever processor margin you're stacking on top.

Questions about switching.

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Run your next job on one work order.