Auto Repair Shop Software in Canada: 2026 Buyer’s Guide

A lot of auto repair shop software is priced in U.S. dollars and set up for U.S. state and local taxes. A Canadian shop can make almost any of it work, but the details that cost you money later are Canadian ones: the exchange rate on your subscription, the taxes on every invoice (GST/HST, PST or QST), kilometres on the odometer, software that runs in French if your shop needs it, and a fall tire rush that fills every bay at once.

This guide covers what to check before you sign, and a simple plan to test any system in 7 days.

What is different about buying auto repair shop software in Canada?

The core of the job is the same on both sides of the border: open a repair order, write an estimate, get approval, do the work, invoice, keep the vehicle’s history. What changes is everything around that core.

The price moves with the exchange rate

A subscription priced in U.S. dollars costs you a different amount in Canadian dollars every month, and many Canadian credit cards add a foreign currency conversion fee on top. Over a year that is a real line in your budget, and it is one you cannot control. A price billed in Canadian dollars doesn’t move with the exchange rate.

Your invoices show GST/HST, PST or QST

Your customers expect to see the tax on their estimate and invoice, under the name used in your province. Some software built for the U.S. lets you rename the tax, but check three things: that you can set your own rate, that you can mark parts or services as non-taxable, and that the label prints the way you want it on the PDF the customer receives.

If your province charges a provincial tax separately from the GST, as in British Columbia and Saskatchewan (PST), Manitoba (RST) and Quebec (QST), ask how the system shows both taxes on one invoice and test it with a real job before you go live. In the HST provinces, Alberta and the territories, one rate covers it.

Kilometres, postal codes and Canadian formats

Check that odometer readings show in kilometres, that the customer file takes a Canadian postal code and that dates print in a format your customers read the right way. It sounds trivial until you print a few hundred repair orders that look American.

English or French

If your shop works in French, check that the whole system runs in French, not just the sales page. In Garage, your shop’s administrator sets the language, English or French, and it applies to the whole shop.

A season that fills every bay at once

Fall tire changeovers and the first cold snap bring weeks where every bay is booked. The system has to make the schedule visible at a glance and let you open repair orders fast, from the floor, without walking back to the counter. In Garage, shop scheduling is part of Premium.

10 questions to ask before you sign

1. What will I pay per month in Canadian dollars, all in? Per user, per location and add-on fees change the real cost more than the headline price.
2. Can I set my GST/HST rate and mark items as non-taxable? Every invoice your customers see depends on it.
3. How does it show both taxes if my province has GST and PST or QST? Test it on a real invoice.
4. Does it run in French? If your shop works in French, the whole system should, not just the sales page.
5. Does it work on a phone in the bay, not only at the counter? Repair orders get written where the car is.
6. How many repair orders can I open per month on my plan? Some entry plans cap volume, and the fall rush is when you hit the cap.
7. Can I send estimates and repair orders to customers by text, WhatsApp or email? Approval by message is faster than a phone call during a busy week.
8. Is there a contract or a setup fee? Month to month lets you leave if the software does not fit.
9. Who answers when something goes wrong, and how? Email-only support is fine for some shops, not for others.
10. Can I export my data? Reports for your accountant, and a way out if you ever switch.

Subscription or one-time price?

Some shops still look for software they can buy once and own. It is a fair instinct: a one-time price feels cheaper over five years. Before you compare, add up what the one-time price leaves out: paid upgrades when the software changes, a computer that has to stay on and backed up, and repair orders you cannot open from a phone in the bay.

A cloud subscription bundles those costs into the monthly price. The honest comparison is the total over three to five years, including the hours someone in your shop spends keeping the system running.

How to test any shop software in 7 days

A free trial only tells you something if you use it on real work. This plan fits in a normal week:

1. Day 1: set up your shop name, logo, taxes and any shop fees. Print a test invoice and read it the way a customer would.
2. Day 2: add the parts and services you sell most, with your labour rate.
3. Day 3: write three real repair orders from your phone, in the bay, while the cars are on the hoist.
4. Day 4: send an estimate to a customer by text, WhatsApp or email and see how long approval takes.
5. Day 5: look up a returning customer’s vehicle and its service history.
6. Day 6: let someone else in the shop try it and tell you where they got stuck.
7. Day 7: pull a sales report and send it to your accountant. Decide.

Where Garage fits

Garage is built for independent shops, from a one-person bay to a team of seven. It runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or the counter computer, and in the Garage Pro app. The plans are priced in Canadian dollars:

• Essential, $53 CAD/month: 1 user and up to 100 repair orders per month, with estimates, unlimited customers, vehicles, parts and services, 6 GB of photo storage and email support.
• Premium (see the current price): up to 7 users with role-based permissions and unlimited repair orders, plus the VIN scanner, inspection checklists and technical reports with photos, shop scheduling, inventory, point of sale, employee commissions, time and job clocks, secure data backup, a customer recovery list that shows who hasn’t come back within the time frame you set (you decide who to call), 16 GB of photo storage, and live chat, text and email support.
• Both plans: your province’s taxes already set up (GST/HST, PST, or GST and QST in Quebec), with as many taxes and fees as you need, each with its own label; repair orders and estimates sent by email, iMessage or WhatsApp; month to month. Runs in English or French. The 7-day free trial needs no credit card, and every feature is unlocked during it, including Premium.

Frequently asked questions

Is Garage priced in Canadian dollars?

Yes. The Essential plan is $53 CAD/month and the Premium plan is listed on the plans page for Canada. Both start with a 7-day free trial, no credit card needed.

Can I use Garage in French?

Yes. Garage runs in English or French. Your shop’s administrator sets the language, and it applies to the whole shop.

Does Garage handle GST/HST, PST and QST?

Yes. Garage comes with your province’s taxes already set up (GST/HST, PST, or GST and QST in Quebec). You can add and edit as many taxes and fees as you need, each with its own label, and mark any part or service as non-taxable.

Is there a one-time price instead of a monthly subscription?

No. Garage is a monthly subscription, month to month, with no contract. The subscription covers updates, access from any device and, on Premium, secure data backup.

Do I need to sign a contract?

No contract. You can start the trial today, set up your shop yourself and cancel anytime.

Does it work on a phone in the bay?

Yes. The full software runs in the browser on a phone, a tablet or the front-counter computer, and there is a Garage Pro app for iPhone, iPad and Android.