SBM Portal vs Tekmetric
A practical comparison for Canadian auto repair shops choosing between a lower-cost operational core and a larger shop-management ecosystem.
Overview
Tekmetric is a US-based shop-management platform with strong reporting, digital inspections, labor data, and integrations. SBM Portal is a Canadian-built platform for booking, inspections, work orders, invoicing, and payments, with plans priced in CAD and support for several service-business types.
Choose Tekmetric if deep shop analytics, labor guides, and parts/vendor integrations drive your decision. Choose SBM Portal if you want customer self-booking, digital inspections, VIN decoding, work orders, invoicing, and payments through your own Stripe or Square account at a lower entry price.
Feature comparison
| Feature | SBM Portal | Tekmetric |
|---|---|---|
| Online booking | Customer self-serve 24/7 | Available |
| Digital vehicle inspections | Built-in with customer approval | Built-in; a core strength |
| VIN decoder | Included | Included |
| Work orders and bay management | Included | Included |
| Invoicing | Created from work orders | Included |
| Reporting | Revenue, busy days, services, and customers | Deeper shop and employee analytics |
| Payment processing | Your Stripe or Square; manual Interac e-Transfer | Tekmetric Payments |
| SMS reminders | Included from Growing, subject to allowance | Plan-dependent; two-way texting from Scale |
| Multi-branch | Included | Multi-shop add-on |
| Pricing | From $29.99 CAD/month | Start: $199/month or $179/month billed annually |
| Evaluation | 14-day free trial, no credit card | Demo and self-guided product tours |
Reviewed October 30, 2026. Tekmetric details and current prices: official Tekmetric pricing. SBM Portal prices come from the active plans table and can change; see current plans.
Where Tekmetric is stronger
- Labor guides and maintenance schedules from the Grow tier
- Technician and shop-performance reporting
- Parts, vendor, and third-party integrations
- Multi-shop reporting and enterprise workflows
These are meaningful differences, not minor feature gaps. A high-volume shop that relies on labor data, parts ordering, and employee analytics may justify Tekmetric's higher price.
Where SBM Portal fits better
- Lower entry cost in CAD without a sales-led signup
- Customer payments settle through your own Stripe or Square account
- Booking, inspections, work orders, and invoicing share one customer and vehicle history
- Interac e-Transfer proof review is available alongside card payments
- The same account can handle other appointment-based services as your business expands
What SBM Portal does not replace
SBM Portal is not a direct substitute for Tekmetric's deepest labor-guide, parts-vendor, and employee-performance capabilities. If those workflows are essential, compare them in a demo before switching.
Migrating from another shop system
- Export customers, vehicles, and services from your current system.
- Review and map the CSV files, then use the supported customer, vehicle, and service imports.
- Configure branches, operating hours, technician availability, and bays before opening booking.
- Connect your own Stripe or Square account and test one booking, inspection, invoice, and payment end to end.
- Keep the old system available during verification so you can reconcile customers, vehicles, and open work.
Contact us before migrating if you need to preserve labor guides, parts inventory, or historical repair orders; those require a separate data review, not a simple CSV import.