Most shop software is priced for a shop you don't run
The big platforms are often built around layers of dedicated staff: service writers, parts people, managers, reporting roles and someone who has time to own the software. They're commonly priced per user and can take weeks to roll out because there's that much of them.
Independent shops tend to run differently. The same person may answer the phone, build the estimate, order parts and walk out to the bay to check the car. The software should fit that reality instead of requiring the business to reorganize around the software.
What an independent shop actually needs
Everyone gets a login, because per-seat pricing backfires
Charge per user and a lean shop starts sharing seats. Then inspections get written on paper and typed up later by whoever has access, which is exactly the work the software was supposed to remove. Underhood is priced per shop, so every tech can work in the system at the car. See digital vehicle inspections.
One screen that says what's happening right now
When the owner is close to the daily work, the question that matters at 9am is which cars are here and what's stopping each one. Underhood's shop floor shows every vehicle on site, its stage, who's on it and what's holding it up. See repair order tracking.
Approvals that don't need a phone call
An independent shop does not need an afternoon of phone tag. Send the estimate with inspection photos attached, let the customer approve from their phone, and get on with the work. See estimates and invoicing.
A price you can work out in your head
$99 a month for the shop, every feature included, first month free. Not a quote, not a tier chart, and not a number that changes every time you hire someone. See the full pricing.
Setup measured in hours, not an implementation project
Add your labor rates and the parts you use most, bring your customer list across and start writing estimates. If your old system can export customers and vehicles, we'll help move them.
Focused instead of bloated
Underhood is not trying to become a franchise-management suite or a giant enterprise platform. The point is to give an independent repair business the core tools it uses every day in one system, without making the owner pay for organizational complexity the shop does not have.