Accounting software for repair shops
Built for the way you actually bill: the diagnostic fee, parts at your markup, and labor at your shop rate, on one clean invoice.
Free desktop app for Windows, Mac, 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, not because it is unsafe. After the download finishes, here is the last step to open it:
-
Open the installer. If Windows shows "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway.
Diagnostic fee, parts, labor, paid
A repair invoice is the diagnostic fee, the labor at your shop rate, the parts at your markup, and sometimes a deposit before the part even leaves the supplier. Whether you fix cars, appliances, small engines, or electronics, Argo Books handles the books so you can stay at the bench.
Diagnostic fee, parts, and labor on one clean invoice
Itemize the diagnostic fee, each part at the price the customer pays, and labor in hours at your shop rate. The customer sees exactly what they paid for, which cuts the awkward conversation at pickup down to a thank-you and a card swipe.
Snap a receipt from the parts supplier or hardware store
Take a photo and Argo Books pulls the vendor, date, and amount automatically. Tag it Parts, Shop Supplies, Tools, or Fluids so when you actually look at margins next quarter, the numbers are sitting where you put them.
Works offline at the bench, your data stays on your computer
Argo Books runs natively on Windows, Mac, and Linux. No internet needed to log a repair or build an invoice, no monthly subscription climbing every year, no website timing out when the shop wifi flakes. The free tier covers most one- and two-person shops forever.
Get paid before the customer drives off
Hand over the keys, swipe the card through Stripe or Square, and the invoice is marked paid. Or email the invoice on the spot and the customer can pay from the parking lot. Either way, you don't carry the balance home.
What Argo Books isn't
Argo Books is bookkeeping software, not shop management software. It does not run a work-order queue, send pickup-ready texts to customers, or look up labor times from a VIN. If you need Shopmonkey, Tekmetric, or RepairShopr for the front-of-shop workflow, run them side by side: those for the queue, Argo Books for your books. It does payroll for Canadian staff, but not for staff outside Canada. 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 one- and two-person shops 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
- Unlimited products, customers, and sales
- See your numbers update in real time
- Keep every receipt in one place
- Send 25 invoices a month
- 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 and online payments
- Scan 500 receipts a month, no typing
- Import 500 spreadsheets a month
- Import 500 bank statements a month
- Run Canadian payroll and produce T4s
- 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. Add each as its own line: a diagnostic fee, each part with quantity and unit price, and labor in hours at your shop rate.
Customers see exactly what they paid for, which cuts down on the "why is the bill this high" conversation at pickup.
Yes, two ways. List parts at the price the customer pays (your cost plus markup) and keep the wholesale cost in the expense record. Or itemize parts at cost with a separate handling-and-stocking line.
Either approach works. Most shops keep the markup invisible and just show the customer-facing price.
Yes. Send a deposit invoice with the parts-cost line, take the payment, and when the repair is done send the final invoice with the deposit already credited.
The remaining balance is what the customer pays at pickup.
Yes. The desktop app runs natively on your shop computer and does not need an internet connection to record expenses or build an invoice.
You only need internet when you actually send the invoice or take a card payment.
Not in the way Shopmonkey, Tekmetric, or RepairShopr do. Argo Books handles the books, the invoice, and the receipt of payment.
If you need a work-order queue, a customer-facing pickup notification, or a VIN-and-labor-guide library, a dedicated shop management tool is a better fit. Many shops run one of those alongside a simpler bookkeeping tool.
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.