Last updated: August 15, 2026
NextCarHub is a $49/month alternative to Shopmonkey for shops that mainly need a shared calendar and customer history rather than a full shop management platform. Shopmonkey's entry plan is $239/month with one user licence included and $20/month per additional user; NextCarHub is $49/month flat with unlimited users.
Be honest about the trade first
Shopmonkey is a good product and it does far more than NextCarHub. It has estimating, invoicing, parts catalogues and ordering, inventory, digital vehicle inspections, customer messaging and integrated card payments. NextCarHub has none of that.
So this is not a like-for-like swap. It is only a sensible move if you looked at your Shopmonkey subscription and realised your shop mostly uses the calendar and the customer records, and invoices somewhere else anyway.
Price comparison
| NextCarHub | Shopmonkey Basic | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly price | $49 | $239 |
| Users included | Unlimited | 1 licence |
| Each extra user | $0 | $20/mo |
| Cost for a 5-person shop | $49/mo | $319/mo |
| Cost for an 8-person shop | $49/mo | $379/mo |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Demo-led |
| Annual contract | No | Optional, ~10% saving |
Feature comparison
| Feature | NextCarHub | Shopmonkey |
|---|---|---|
| Shared appointment calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Customer & vehicle records | Yes | Yes |
| Service history per vehicle | Yes | Yes |
| Technician scheduling | Yes | Yes |
| Photo & document attachments | Yes | Yes |
| Unlimited users included | Yes | No |
| Estimates & invoicing | No | Yes |
| Parts ordering & inventory | No | Yes |
| Digital vehicle inspections | No | Yes |
| Integrated payments | No | Yes |
Switch if…
- Your team mostly opens Shopmonkey to look at the schedule.
- You invoice through QuickBooks, your accountant, or a paper pad, and you're happy with it.
- You're paying for user licences for people who only need to see the calendar.
- $190/month back in the business matters more than the modules you don't open.
Don't switch if…
- You build estimates and invoices inside Shopmonkey every day.
- You rely on digital vehicle inspections to sell work.
- Parts ordering and inventory are part of your daily flow.
- You take card payments through the platform.
In those cases, stay where you are. Saving money by losing the tools that make you money is a bad trade, and we'd rather tell you that than sell you a subscription you'll cancel.
Trying it costs nothing
NextCarHub gives every shop 14 days free with no card required, so you can run next week's schedule in it alongside Shopmonkey and see whether you miss anything. See the pricing page or the full cost guide for the wider market.
Sources
Prices above were taken from each vendor's own pricing page on August 15, 2026 and are quoted in USD for a single shop: Shopmonkey pricing, Tekmetric pricing. Vendor pricing changes — check the current figures directly before making a decision. Where a vendor does not publish a price, we have said so rather than estimating.
Common questions
What is a cheaper alternative to Shopmonkey?
NextCarHub is $49 per month per shop with unlimited users, compared with Shopmonkey's Basic plan at $239 per month including one user licence plus $20 per month for each additional user. NextCarHub covers scheduling, customers, vehicles and service history, but not estimating, invoicing or parts inventory.
How much does Shopmonkey cost?
As of August 2026, Shopmonkey's published plans are Basic at $239/month with one user licence, Clever at $399/month with three, and Genius at $499/month with four. Additional users are $20/month each on all three plans, and annual billing saves up to about 10%.
Is NextCarHub a full replacement for Shopmonkey?
No, and it would be misleading to say otherwise. Shopmonkey includes estimating, invoicing, parts ordering, inventory, digital vehicle inspections and integrated payments. NextCarHub does none of those. It replaces Shopmonkey only for shops that were using it mainly as a calendar and customer database.
Can I move my data from Shopmonkey to NextCarHub?
There is no automated importer today. Most shops switching start fresh with their upcoming appointments and add customer and vehicle records as those customers come back in. If you have an export and want help loading it, email hello@nextcarhub.com.
Does NextCarHub charge per user like Shopmonkey?
No. NextCarHub is a flat $49 per month for the whole shop, with unlimited logins. Adding staff never changes the bill.
See if it fits your shop
14 days free, no card required. Put a real week of work into it before deciding.