Paper, a dealer system, a repair-shop app, or ReedPort.
ReedPort is small engine repair shop software for the counter, made by North Trestle LLC. Here is how it stacks up against what most shops already run.
| Paper and spreadsheets | Dealer management system | Repair-shop app built around the phone | ReedPort | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| History on the serial, across owners. | Only if the paper is filed with the machine and someone digs it out. | Yes. Full lifecycle tracking is a core feature. | Usually tied to the customer, more than the serial. | Yes. History follows the serial number, so it survives a change of owner. |
| Work orders and invoices. | A handwritten pad or a manual invoice, with no link between the two. | Yes, plus purchasing, general ledger, and payroll most shops don't run. | Yes. This is the core of the category. | Yes. Write the ticket, finish it as an invoice, or leave it open. |
| Photos on the work order. | A phone photo nobody can find later. | Varies by vendor. | Common, often texted straight to the customer. | Yes. Captioned photos on the machine's ticket, never on the customer's invoice. |
| Hours and purchase history on the machine. | Whatever gets written down, if anything. | Varies by vendor. | Inconsistent. | Yes. Hour-meter reading and purchase date, with the invoice for machines sold here. |
| Charge accounts and aging. | A notebook of who owes you, no aging math. | Yes, typically full aging. | Inconsistent. Some have invoicing only, no aging buckets. | Yes. Accounts with 0-30, 31-60, 61-90, and 90+ aging. |
| Tax-exempt customers. | Manual. Easy to miss an expired exemption. | Yes, typically. | Inconsistent. | Yes. Exemption number and expiry tracked on the customer. |
| Parts in and out, with barcode. | Manual count, no barcode. | Yes, with OEM parts catalogs. | Increasingly common. | Yes. A USB barcode scanner works as a keyboard wedge on any field. |
| Print that fits a long ticket. | Whatever the pad or printer does. | Varies by vendor. | Rarely a stated design goal. | Yes. A tight header block, built for long rebuild lists. |
| Card processing. | Whatever terminal you already have, recorded by hand. | Often bundled or integrated. | Frequently bundled with a required processor. | Optional, through Stripe: a payment link, a reader, or tap to pay, at Stripe's published rates. ReedPort adds no fee. |
| Texting and review requests. | None. | Rare, sometimes a paid add-on. | Frequently a headline feature. | Not included. |
| Accounts payable and payroll. | Whatever your bookkeeping method already does. | Yes, often a core module. | No. | No, by design. ReedPort is the counter, not the back office. |
| OEM price files or warranty claims. | No. | Yes, a defining feature. | No. | No, by design. |
| Price. | Free to low-cost. | Rarely published; quotes reported in the thousands. | Commonly $40 to $500+ a month, per-user fees common. | $40 a month per shop, flat, one plan. |
| Employees on the plan. | Unlimited, informally. | Often per-seat pricing. | Frequently per-seat pricing above an entry tier. | Every employee included, no per-user fee. |
Named prices, checked 2026-09-02
The table above names no incumbent. These four are general repair-shop and ticketing tools that also serve small engine shops, with their own published entry prices.
| Product | Entry price | Source, checked 2026-09-02 |
|---|---|---|
| RepairShopr | $59.99-$69.99/mo Starter, 1 user, 75 tickets/mo. | repairshopr.com/pricing. |
| RepairDesk | ~$99/mo Essential (published price; confirm current tier on their site). | repairdesk.co/pricing. |
| Orderry | $39/mo Hobby, 2 employees, 100 orders/30 days. | orderry.com/pricing. |
| Bench | $79/mo Starter. | toolbench.shop/pricing. |
Prices and terms change. Confirm current pricing directly with each vendor before you decide.
Is ReedPort a dealer system?
No. Dealer systems are built for franchised dealers: purchasing, factory price files, warranty claims, payroll, general ledger, and a quote to install it. ReedPort is the part of that day that happens at the counter: customers, machines, tickets, and invoices. If you need the whole suite, stay on a dealer system.
Is ReedPort a POS system?
Not in the sense of owning the payment. ReedPort writes work orders, tracks equipment by serial, and finishes a ticket as an invoice. Card payment is optional: turn it on in Settings and take a card through Stripe, by payment link, reader, or tap to pay. Stripe charges its own rates and ReedPort adds no fee. Cash and check work without it.
See the pricing page for the full price list, or start with a work order template and a invoice template while you decide.