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Automotive · head to head

Tekmetric vs Tesla

Tekmetric logo

Tekmetric

Automotive

Complete shop management for independent shops

From
$179/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Tesla logo

Tesla

Automotive

Tesla owner app for remote vehicle control, charging and account management, useless without a Tesla

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Tesla has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Tekmetric every price is per shop, and each additional location needs its own plan subscription; Tesla it is entirely hardware bound; there is no function for anyone who does not own or lease a Tesla, so it cannot be evaluated as standalone software.
  • They diverge on capability: Tekmetric covers Work order management, Tesla covers Remote climate and charging control.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Tekmetric and Tesla actually diverge.

Attributes where Tekmetric and Tesla differ
AttributeTekmetricTesla
Starting price$179/monthFree
Pricing modelsubscriptionFree app, hardware bound to a Tesla vehicle, some features need Premium Connectivity
Free tierNoYes
PlatformsWeb, Mobile, AppiOS, Android
Founded2016Unknown

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Automotive).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Tekmetric

  • Work order management
  • Vehicle history
  • Customer management
  • Scheduling system
  • Estimating tools
  • Invoicing
  • Customer portal
  • Mobile application

Only in Tesla

  • Remote climate and charging control
  • Phone as key
  • Vehicle locate and Summon
  • Charging network access
  • Service and software
  • Premium Connectivity features

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Tekmetric

  • Shop management for independent auto repair shops: repair orders, estimates and invoicingnot Tesla
  • Digital vehicle inspections shared with customersnot Tesla
  • Managing parts inventory, vendors and technician job clocksnot Tesla

Tesla

  • A Tesla owner preconditioning the cabin before getting in on a cold or hot daynot Tekmetric
  • An owner using the phone as the car key instead of carrying a separate fob or cardnot Tekmetric
  • Checking charge state and Supercharger availability before a road tripnot Tekmetric
  • Scheduling a service visit or monitoring an over-the-air software update remotelynot Tekmetric

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Tekmetric

  • Every price is per shop, and each additional location needs its own plan subscription
  • Two-way texting, the real-time shop dashboard, the technician board and employee performance analytics require the Scale plan at $439 per month
  • The labor guide, time and job clocks and parts and inventory reports are withheld from the entry Start plan at $199 per month
  • Integrated payments, a dedicated account manager and quarterly business reviews are Enterprise only, and Enterprise is custom priced with no published rate
  • Multi-shop management is a $70 per month per shop add-on on top of a plan subscription at every location
  • The Tire Suite add-on costs an extra $39 per month per shop
  • The Marketing add-on costs an extra $345 per month per shop, more than the Scale plan itself
  • The discounted rates such as $179 per month require annual billing

Tesla

  • It is entirely hardware bound; there is no function for anyone who does not own or lease a Tesla, so it cannot be evaluated as standalone software.
  • Some remote features that owners of other connected cars get included, such as live traffic navigation and live camera viewing, sit behind the paid Premium Connectivity subscription on many vehicles.
  • Which features are free versus paid has changed across model years and firmware versions, so what a new owner reads online may not match what their specific car actually gets.
  • Phone-as-key relies on the phone's Bluetooth and battery; a dead phone or Bluetooth fault can leave an owner needing the physical key card as a backup.
  • App outages, which Tesla has had periodically, can temporarily remove remote access to features like climate preconditioning and vehicle locating that owners have come to depend on.

Pricing, plan by plan

Tekmetric

$179/month
  • Start$199/month
    • Inventory management
    • Digital vehicle inspections
    • Smart jobs
  • Grow$349/month
    • All Start features
    • Labor guide
    • Maintenance schedule
  • Scale$439/month
    • All Grow features
    • Two-way texting
    • Real-time shop dashboard
  • Enterprise$null/month
    • Custom pricing
    • Integrated payments
    • Dedicated account manager

Tesla

Free
  • Standard ConnectivityFree
    • Over-the-air software updates
    • Basic remote lock, climate and location
  • Premium Connectivity$9.99/month
    • Live traffic-based navigation
    • Streaming media and internet browser
    • Live camera viewing and satellite-view maps

Which should you pick?

Choose Tekmetric if

  • You need work order management.
  • You work on Web, Mobile, App.
  • You also want vehicle history.
Tekmetric review

Choose Tesla if

  • You need remote climate and charging control.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on iOS, Android.
  • You also want phone as key.
Tesla review

Questions people ask

Is Tekmetric or Tesla better?
Neither clearly leads. Tekmetric starts at $179/month and Tesla at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Tekmetric or Tesla?
Tesla has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $179/month for Tekmetric and Free for Tesla.
Does Tekmetric or Tesla run on more platforms?
Tekmetric runs on Web, Mobile, App. Tesla runs on iOS, Android.
Can I use Tesla for free?
Yes. Tesla has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Tekmetric starts at $179/month.
What is Tekmetric best used for?
Tekmetric is most often used for shop management for independent auto repair shops: repair orders, estimates and invoicing, digital vehicle inspections shared with customers, managing parts inventory, vendors and technician job clocks. Of those, shop management for independent auto repair shops: repair orders, estimates and invoicing and digital vehicle inspections shared with customers are not what Tesla is typically brought in for.
What can Tekmetric do that Tesla cannot?
Tekmetric covers Work order management, Vehicle history, Customer management, Scheduling system. Tesla covers Remote climate and charging control, Phone as key, Vehicle locate and Summon, Charging network access.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Tekmetric: Are there per-user fees?

No, Tekmetric charges per shop, not per user. All plans include unlimited users, unlimited repair orders (ROs), unlimited support, and no hidden fees.

Source
Tesla: Do I need the Tesla app to drive the car?

No, but many convenience features such as phone-as-key, remote preconditioning and Supercharger payment depend on it.

Tekmetric: Can I pay annually?

Yes, Tekmetric offers both month-to-month and annual subscriptions. Annual billing typically provides savings, and there are no long-term contracts required.

Source
Tesla: Is Premium Connectivity required?

No, but without it several features including live traffic navigation and live camera viewing are unavailable on many vehicles.

Tekmetric: What add-ons are available?

Tekmetric offers Multi-Shop Management ($70/month per shop), Tire Suite ($39/month per shop), Marketing ($345/month per shop), and Integrated Payments (included in Enterprise plan).

Source
Tesla: Can I use the app without owning a Tesla?

No, it has no function without an owned or leased Tesla vehicle.

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