UPDATED AUGUST 13, 2026 · RATES CHECKED JULY 2026
Fleet maintenance software pricing in 2026: per-vehicle vs per-shop
The headline rates, the minimums and tier traps behind them, and what a 10-, 20-, and 50-unit shop actually pays each month — with the arithmetic shown.
The two ways this industry charges
Per-vehicle (or per-asset) is the default: every unit you manage adds to the invoice, and features are gated into tiers. Fleetio, AutoSist, Whip Around, and Simply Fleet all price this way.
Per-shop bills the location a flat monthly rate with a unit allowance. Mechantix prices this way: $79/mo up to 20 units, $149/mo up to 50, $249/mo unlimited — the bill follows the shop, not the fleet.
Published rates, side by side
| Tool | Published rate* | Minimums | Where work orders + parts live | Equipment billing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Fleet | $2/veh (Essential) – $4/veh (Advanced) | 5-vehicle paid minimum; free up to 5 | Advanced tier ($4/veh) | $0.50/mo small-tools add-on |
| Fleetio | $4–$10/veh by tier | 5-vehicle minimum | Upper tiers (~$7–$10/veh) | Bills at full vehicle rate |
| AutoSist | $6/veh annual ($7 monthly) | $59/mo floor | Included in the all-in plan | Non-vehicle assets $3/mo each |
| Whip Around | $5/asset (Standard) – $9/asset (Pro) | None; free single-asset tier | Pro tier ($9/asset) | Equipment counts as an asset |
| Mechantix | $79 / $149 / $249 flat per shop | None | Every plan (Shop Tickets) | Included — miles or hours, no per-unit fee |
What a shop actually pays
Headline rates hide two multipliers: the tier you need and the units you really run. Here's the arithmetic at three shop sizes, using each vendor's work-order-capable tier — because a shop with its own mechanics isn't buying reminder software.
| Monthly cost | 10 units | 20 units | 50 units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simply Fleet (Advanced, $4/veh) | $40 | $80 | $200 |
| Fleetio (work-order tiers, $7–$10/veh) | $70–$100 | $140–$200 | $350–$500 |
| AutoSist ($6/veh, $59 floor) | $60 | $120 | $300 |
| Whip Around (Pro, $9/asset) | $90 | $180 | $450 |
| Mechantix (flat per shop) | $79 (Starter) | $79 (Starter) | $149 (Pro) |
Published rate × unit count, annual billing where offered, before add-ons. Mixed fleets shift the math where vendors discount non-vehicle assets — e.g. 12 trucks + 8 assets on AutoSist is about $96/mo.
Read the table honestly and both models have a lane. Ten trucks and nothing else? Simply Fleet at $40 beats $79. But at 20 units the per-vehicle range is $80–$200 against $79 flat, and at 50 units it's $200–$500 against $149 — and that's before anyone adds a unit mid-year.
The equipment surcharge
The quiet cost in per-asset pricing is what it does to mixed fleets. A landscaping or construction outfit doesn't just run trucks — it runs mowers, skid steers, compressors, generators, and trailers, and on most per-vehicle platforms every one of them bills like a Freightliner. The result is a penalty for doing the right thing: put your equipment under management and your bill grows; leave it on a spreadsheet and half your fleet is invisible. Per-shop pricing removes that trade-off — a unit is a unit, metered in miles or engine hours, and the 21st unit doesn't change the bill until the plan does.
The tier trap
Entry tiers exist to win comparison tables. Across the per-vehicle vendors the pattern repeats: $2–$5 rates cover reminders, basic inspections, and fuel logs, while work orders and parts inventory — the reason an in-house shop buys software at all — cost $4–$10 per unit. Price the tier you'll actually use, not the one in the ad.
What Mechantix costs, exactly
- Starter — $79/mo per shop location. Shop Tickets + QR Truck Check, up to 20 units.
- Pro — $149/mo per shop location. All four modules, including Repair v Replace and the TV Dashboard, up to 50 units.
- Enterprise — $249/mo per shop location. Everything, unlimited units, priority support, guided onboarding.
Every plan includes unlimited team members — owners, foremen, mechanics, and drivers never add a per-seat fee. For the full head-to-head on features, see the small-shop buyer's guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much does fleet maintenance software cost per vehicle in 2026?
Published per-vehicle rates run about $2–$10 per vehicle per month on annual billing. The catch is tier gating: the $2–$5 entry tiers usually cover reminders and inspections, while work orders and parts inventory — what an in-house shop actually needs — sit in the $4–$10 tiers. Flat per-shop alternatives like Mechantix run $79–$249 per shop location regardless of unit count within the plan's allowance.
What minimums and add-ons should I watch for in fleet software pricing?
Three recur across vendors: fleet minimums (Fleetio and Simply Fleet bill at least 5 vehicles; AutoSist has a $59/mo floor), equipment billing (on most per-vehicle platforms a mower or skid steer bills like a truck — AutoSist discounts non-vehicle assets to $3/mo, Simply Fleet offers a $0.50/mo small-tools add-on), and per-unit add-on tiers such as AutoSist's optional GPS at $28/vehicle/mo.
When is per-shop pricing cheaper than per-vehicle pricing?
Per-vehicle wins for very small all-vehicle fleets: 10 trucks on Simply Fleet Advanced is about $40/mo versus $79 flat. The math flips as units grow or equipment enters the picture: at 20 units, work-order-capable per-vehicle tiers run about $80–$200/mo versus $79 flat, and at 50 units about $200–$500/mo versus $149 flat. The other difference is predictability — a flat per-shop bill doesn't change when you add a unit within your plan.
Why do work orders cost extra on per-vehicle plans?
Entry tiers are priced to look good in comparison tables, so they carry the lightweight features: reminders, basic inspections, fuel logging. Work orders, parts inventory, and purchase orders — the daily tools of a shop with its own mechanics — are the upgrade lever, which is why the tier you actually need usually costs 2–3x the headline rate.
Is annual billing worth it for fleet software?
Usually, if you've validated the tool: most per-vehicle vendors discount roughly 15–20% for annual billing, and some quote annual-only rates in their marketing. Run a monthly plan or free trial first — the published annual rate is the price you keep, not the price you test.
One shop. One bill. Every unit.
Mechantix is free to try — bring your whole mixed fleet, miles and hours alike.
Start free See Mechantix pricing →Published by Mechantix. Competitor rates as published on vendor pricing pages or major review platforms, July 2026, annual billing where offered; the per-shop-size figures are those published rates multiplied by unit count, before minimums and add-ons. Where per-vehicle is the cheaper choice, we've said so. Confirm current pricing with each vendor before buying.