Accounting software for auto detailing
Built for tiered packages, ceramic coating jobs, and the supply receipts that quietly add up. From the express wash to the full multi-day correction.
Free desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. No account, no credit card.
Argo Books
Opening Argo Books on Windows
Windows may warn you because Argo Books is a newer app. After the download finishes, here is the last step to open it:
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Open the installer. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
Tiered packages, real margins, less paperwork
Detailing is the package menu (express, full, ceramic coating), the up-charge when the back seat has more dog hair than fabric, and the supply stack that keeps growing in the trailer. Mobile or shop-based, solo or with a few hands, the work that builds the business is repeat customers paying premium for premium work. Argo Books keeps the books, so your time goes to the cars.
Base package and add-ons on one clean invoice
Express, Full, or Ceramic Coating on the top line. Pet hair, heavy dirt, headlight restoration, or engine bay each on their own line. The customer sees the base price and what the extras added, which keeps the up-charge conversation short and the bill itemized.
Quotes the customer accepts online
Price a ceramic coating or a paint correction and send it as a link. The customer accepts or declines on their phone, with nothing to install and no account to make. An accepted quote becomes a draft invoice in one click, and quotes are unlimited on the free plan.
Recurring invoices for memberships and fleet accounts
Monthly maintenance memberships and weekly fleet washes run on the same schedule. Set the client, the package, and the frequency once, and a draft invoice is waiting for you every cycle, ready to check and send.
Card payments straight from the invoice
Every invoice can carry a link the customer pays by card, on either plan. The money goes through your own Stripe or Square account, and a paid invoice is recorded as revenue without a second entry.
Snap a receipt from the detail supply house or the gas station
Take a photo and Argo Books pulls the vendor, date, and amount automatically. Tag it Supplies, Ceramic Products, Fuel, or Equipment so you can actually see what the supply stack costs you each month and price the next package accordingly.
Every customer's history in one place
Each customer has one record: contact details, every job you have invoiced them for, and what they still owe. When a regular calls, you can see what they had last time before you quote the next one.
See which packages earn, and hand tax time to your accountant
Sales by Product shows which packages and add-ons bring in the money. The Income Statement and Tax Summary are built in and free. At year end, send your accountant the statements, every transaction, and the receipts in one go.
Works offline in the driveway, free tier covers solo detailers
Argo Books runs natively on Windows, macOS, and Linux. No internet needed in the customer's driveway, no monthly subscription climbing every year. Mobile detailers can build the invoice with no signal, send it when they're back in coverage. The free tier covers most solo detailers forever.
The tools your business actually runs on
Smart receipt scanning, invoicing, analytics, and inventory tracking, all in one easy app.
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What Argo Books isn't
Argo Books is bookkeeping software, not booking software. It does not run a customer-facing booking calendar, take online appointments through your website, or send "on the way" texts before you arrive. Mobile Tech RX, Urable, and DetailPlus handle that side. It also does not run a dedicated ceramic coating warranty database. If you need either, run them alongside Argo Books: those for booking and warranties, Argo Books for the books. Payroll is for staff in Canada only. If those are dealbreakers, that's fair. If they're not, the desktop app is free, the books stay simple, and your data stays on your computer.
Download FreeStart free, upgrade only if you need more
Most solo detailers and one-shop operations stay on the free tier. Premium adds predictive analytics for slow-season planning, unlimited invoicing, and priority support.
FREE Plan
Just starting out, or you only need the basics? This is the place.
Free forever
- Track every product, customer and sale
- See your numbers update in real time
- Keep every receipt in one place
- Send 25 invoices a month
- Take card payments on any invoice
- Scan 10 receipts a month, no typing
- Import 100 spreadsheets a month
- Import 25 bank statements a month
PREMIUM Plan
Want unlimited invoicing, bigger monthly limits, and forecasts you can act on? Go Premium.
Billed monthly
Billed annually at $150 CAD
Everything in Free, plus…
- Unlimited invoices
- Scan 500 receipts a month, no typing
- Import 500 spreadsheets a month
- Import 500 bank statements a month
- Run Canadian payroll and produce T4s
- Connect your store and apps to the API
- Forecast revenue and spot trends early
- Sign in with your fingerprint or face
- Priority support when you need it
Argo Books for your line of work
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The base package (Express, Full, Ceramic Coating) goes on the top line. Add-ons (pet hair, heavy dirt, headlight restoration, engine bay) each get their own line.
The customer sees what the base price was and what the extras added, which keeps the up-charge conversation short.
Yes. Set the client, the package, and the frequency once. Argo Books generates the invoice on schedule for monthly maintenance memberships or weekly fleet accounts.
You stop forgetting to bill the regulars.
You can record warranty details on the invoice notes and on the customer record, so the information lives with the customer history. Argo Books does not run a dedicated warranty database with expiration alerts.
If that level of warranty tracking is critical, a detail-specific tool like Urable handles it, and you can keep Argo Books for the books.
Yes. The desktop app runs natively on your laptop and does not need an internet connection to build the invoice in the driveway.
You only need internet when you actually send the invoice or take a card payment.
No. Argo Books does not run a customer-facing booking calendar or accept reservations through your website.
Mobile Tech RX, Urable, and DetailPlus handle that side. Run them alongside Argo Books: those for booking, Argo Books for the books.
Yes, forever. The free tier covers all core features and 25 invoices per month.
Premium ($15 CAD/month) adds predictive analytics, unlimited invoicing, and priority support. No credit card to start.
Want the bookkeeping side in plain language? Read our guide to bookkeeping for auto detailing.