OpenAuto review
A free Windows shop system with repair orders, scheduling, parts, and analytics.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
OpenAuto is an open-source automotive shop management system for independent repair shops and garages using Windows desktops. Its local application covers repair orders, estimates, invoices, customer and vehicle tracking, scheduling, parts ordering, technician hours, labor rates, and financial analytics. The product is aimed at shops that want core management functions without monthly software fees and prefer an open-source desktop approach.
The Core application is free and includes no monthly fees, with unlimited users, technicians, and workstations. Optional integrations and services use pay-per-transaction billing at $0.50 per card transaction, with no long-term contracts. OpenAuto lists connections with PartsTech, QuickBooks, Odoo, Plate2vin, SMS notifications, and Square. The Windows-only platform makes it a focused fit for shops standardizing on Windows workstations, while the optional cloud backend supports integrations and callbacks alongside the local application.
Its strongest functional area is the combination of repair-order and estimate management with scheduling, parts workflows, technician time tracking, labor-rate management, and profit-and-loss, COGS, and technician-hours analytics. That gives independent garages a broad operational foundation at the core tier. Shops needing a free, Windows-based system with open-source access should consider OpenAuto. Shops that require broader platform coverage or more extensive inspection, approval, inventory, and vehicle-history workflows should compare alternatives before choosing it.
OpenAuto pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Free core application with no monthly fees
- Repair orders, estimates, invoices, scheduling, and vehicle tracking
- Parts, labor, technician hours, and financial analytics in one system
- Where it doesn't
- Windows-only platform coverage
- Optional integrations and services charge per card transaction
- Broader inspection, approval, inventory, and history needs may require alternatives
OpenAuto fact sheet, pricing and score →
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