What it is
Carstio is open-source workshop management software for independent car services and small repair shops. It brings client and vehicle records together with estimates, work orders, repair status, and payment tracking. Workshops can create branded estimate and work-order PDFs for customers and email them using SMTP credentials configured in Settings. Payment records can include partial amounts and outstanding balances for cash, card, and bank transfers.
A scheduled-work calendar, revenue and workload statistics, parts margins, and admin and mechanic roles support day-to-day workshop operations. The interface is available in English, Bulgarian, German, Spanish, and French, and supports multiple currencies. Carstio is self-hosted; its maker says client, vehicle, invoice, and attachment data stays on the user’s machine without a cloud account. The free plan costs nothing (billed €0/ month, forever) and includes unlimited users, clients, and cars, all features, and community updates. Setup is available through Docker or native installation; native installation requires PHP 8.4 or newer and MariaDB 11 or MySQL 8.
Who it suits. Carstio suits independent car services and small repair shops that need to manage customer and vehicle records, estimates, work orders, and payments. Its self-hosted setup may fit workshops that want their data kept on their own machine and need unlimited users, clients, and cars on a free plan.
Good to know
- Free forever, with unlimited users, clients, and cars.
- Tracks estimates, work orders, repair status, partial payments, and balances.
- Creates branded estimate and work-order PDFs for email.
- Includes a scheduled-work calendar and revenue and workload statistics.
- Offers five interface languages and supports multiple currencies.
Watch for
- Self-hosted setup is available through Docker or native installation.
- Native installation requires PHP 8.4 or newer and MariaDB 11 or MySQL 8.
- Warehouse stock movements and separate invoicing documents are out of scope.
- There is no mobile app or multi-location or multi-tenant support.
Choose Carstio if your independent workshop needs estimates, work orders, customer and vehicle records, and payment tracking in a self-hosted system with a free plan. It does not include a mobile app, warehouse stock movements, separate invoicing documents, or support for multiple locations or tenants.
Your product? You can pay for an editorial review of Carstio; CarCody's editors write the verdict · from $99/mo. How it works →
Plans and prices
Free
free€0/ month, forever
Unlimited users, clients and cars · All features included · Self-hosted on your computer or server · Free community updates
From Carstio's own pricing page, read 9 October 2026. Every plan →
Its site
Getting started
- Visit carstio.com and choose Docker setup or native installation.
- For native installation, prepare PHP 8.4 or newer and MariaDB 11 or MySQL 8.
- Install Carstio on your computer or server.
- Configure SMTP credentials in Settings to email offer and work-order PDFs.
- Create workshop records and assign admin or mechanic roles.
Limits
The free plan costs nothing forever and includes unlimited users, clients, and cars with all features. Warehouse stock movements, separate invoicing documents, multi-location or multi-tenant support, and a mobile app are out of scope.
On record
- Purpose
- Carstio is open-source workshop management software for independent car services and small repair shops.
- Workflow
- It manages client and vehicle records, estimates, work orders, repair status, and payments.
- Documents
- It generates branded estimate and work-order PDFs that can be emailed to customers.
- Payments
- It tracks partial payments and remaining balances for cash, card, and bank-transfer payments.
- Workshop features
- Features include a scheduled-work calendar, revenue and workload statistics, parts margins, and admin and mechanic roles.
- Languages
- The interface is available in English, Bulgarian, German, Spanish, and French, with multiple currencies supported.
- Hosting and data
- Carstio is self-hosted, and the maker says client, vehicle, invoice, and attachment data stays on the user's machine without a cloud account.
- Security
- The repository describes login throttling, CSRF-protected logout, and attachment files served through authenticated routes.
- Email integration
- Offer and work-order PDFs can be sent using SMTP credentials configured in Settings.
- Limits
- The repository lists warehouse stock movements, separate invoicing documents, multi-location or multi-tenant support, and a mobile app as out of scope.
- Setup
- The maker offers Docker setup and native installation instructions, with PHP 8.4 or newer and MariaDB 11 or MySQL 8 required for native installation.
- Support
- The maker invites workshop owners to submit questions and feature requests and links to the GitHub project for questions.
- Free plan
- Yes
- Work order management
- Yes
- Estimate approvals
- Yes
- Parts inventory
- No
Questions
How much does Carstio cost?
The Free plan costs nothing (billed €0/ month, forever). It includes unlimited users, clients, and cars, all features, and free community updates.
Is there a free plan or trial?
There is a free plan. No free trial is offered.
What platforms does Carstio support?
Carstio is self-hosted and available on the web. The maker offers Docker setup and native installation.
Is Carstio open source?
Yes. Carstio is open-source workshop management software.
What does Carstio manage?
It manages client and vehicle records, estimates, work orders, repair status, and payments. It can generate branded estimate and work-order PDFs and track partial payments and balances.
Can Carstio email estimates and work orders?
Yes. Offer and work-order PDFs can be sent using SMTP credentials configured in Settings.