ARI

What it is

ARI is cloud software for running auto-repair shops, dealerships, mobile mechanics, and related auto-care work. The system brings together appointments, customer and vehicle files, job cards, inspections, estimates, invoicing, payments, inventory, accounting, reminders, and reports. Customers can approve work, arrange visits, and settle invoices in a browser portal.

Who it suits. Independent repair shops needing one cloud workspace Mobile mechanics and technicians working across devices Shops wanting online approvals and customer payments

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What ARI is

Its toolkit targets mobile mechanics, independent technicians, repair shops, dealers, and other auto-care operations, covering bookings, diagnosis, estimates, inspections, invoicing, payments, and promotion.

Its records cover customers, vehicles, jobs, parts, expenses, labor time, service history, and reports. Inspection workflows can use checklists, damage reports, photographs, AI assistance, and written annotations.

What it includes

ARI runs on Android, iOS, Linux, macOS, the web, and Windows. Vehicle tools include VIN decoding, license-plate reading, OBD scanning, and diagnosis.

Customers follow repair progress, review proposed work, schedule another visit, and pay invoices from a browser link, without installing an app or creating an account.

What ARI costs

ARI offers a Free plan that allows up to five invoices, clients, vehicles, and inspections. It includes limited activity logs and accounting, supports one user, and provides no customer support. A free trial is also available.

The monthly Pro subscription is $39.99, or $399.99 when paid yearly. Pro Plus is $59.99 per month or $599.99 annually. The yearly Pro price works out to $33.33 a month; yearly Pro Plus works out to $49.99 a month. Paid accounts have no monthly invoice limit and no limit on users or devices.

How ARI compares

ARI puts shop records, work orders, inspections, accounting, payment processing, vehicle information, and customer messaging into one cloud service. Its connections include Square, 360Payments, PayPal, Stripe, Helcim, PartsTech, CarFax, CarMD, QuickBooks, and Wisetack.

Who ARI suits

ARI fits a shop that wants online booking, digital inspections, estimates, approvals, invoices, payments, inventory, time tracking, reminders, and reporting across phones and computers.

It also suits businesses that want customers to handle approvals and payments through a browser portal, or that need vehicle data and parts ordering connected to shop documents.

Trade-offs to weigh

The Free plan limits several core records to five, allows one user, offers limited accounting and activity logs, and includes no support. The paid plans remove invoice, user, and device limits but require a subscription.

ARI's accessibility self-assessment reports partial support for several WCAG criteria, and dynamic status messages currently do not announce updates to assistive technologies. Certain integrations also need credentials, including a PartsTech username and API key.

Verdict

ARI gives a small or growing repair operation a broad set of shop-management tasks in one cloud workspace. The browser portal can reduce back-and-forth when customers need to approve work or settle an invoice. Its free tier is useful for a very small operation testing the workflow, but the five-item caps arrive quickly. Paid plans add the practical limits and support most established shops need, while accessibility gaps and integration setup deserve a check before committing.

Getting started

1. Visit https://ari.app/ to get started.
2. Choose the free plan or trial, or select an ARI Pro or ARI Pro Plus plan.
3. Use ARI on Android, iOS, web or Windows.
4. Set up client and vehicle records, appointments, estimates and inspections.
5. Connect payment or business services such as Square, PartsTech or QuickBooks if needed.

Limits

The free trial allows up to five invoices, estimates, inspections, clients, vehicles and other items. Paid accounts have no monthly invoice limit and no limit on added users or devices.