If you’re running a shop and still juggling five browser tabs and three phone calls to price one water pump, this PartsTech review is going to matter to you.
PartsTech is a free parts ordering platform built for auto repair shops, and its whole pitch is putting live pricing and availability from every supplier you buy from on one screen. We rate it an STS Gold pick, and the short version is this: for most independent shops, it saves real time and costs nothing to start.
This review answers the questions shop owners actually ask: how much does PartsTech cost, is the free plan enough, what does it connect to, and does it truly cut the time your advisors spend hunting parts. We’ll also cover where it drags, because it isn’t perfect.
Quick Answer
PartsTech is worth it for most independent auto repair shops. The free plan covers unlimited users, unlimited parts suppliers, and 30+ tire suppliers at $0/mo, with paid tiers at roughly $50/mo (Plus) and $95/mo (Complete). It earns an STS Score of 9.1 (STS Gold) for turning multi-vendor price comparison into a single search that pushes straight into your repair order.
STS Verdict
The one parts-and-tire lookup that puts every supplier on one screen, and it’s free to start, which is hard to argue with. Best for any shop tired of juggling supplier logins and phone calls who wants live multi-vendor pricing pushed straight into their RO.
Here’s how the categories shake out. Ease of use scores highest alongside how specific it is to auto repair, because this is not generic B2B software bolted onto vehicles.
Support is the weak spot. You can see where each number comes from in the chart above, and we explain our method on our how we score page.
What Is PartsTech? (And What Changed After the OEC Acquisition)
PartsTech is a free parts procurement platform for automotive repair shops. In plain terms, it’s the tool you use to search, compare, and order aftermarket parts, original equipment (OE) parts, and tires from a single online interface instead of logging into each supplier one at a time.
It is built only for vehicle repair. Not HVAC, not appliances. Everything from VIN lookup to interactive vehicle diagrams to tire comparison is shaped around how a shop actually works the counter.
The scale is the draw. PartsTech connects to more than 300 parts and tire suppliers across 30,000+ supplier locations, with a parts catalog of over 15 million parts and tires from 5,000+ brands, and 50+ tire suppliers accessible across all plans. That’s the widest supplier network we’ve seen in this category.
The big recent news: OEConnection (OEC) acquired PartsTech. OEC is a heavyweight in dealer and OE parts data, and it also runs RepairLink, a tool shops use to order OE parts direct from dealers.
OEC completed the acquisition in February 2025. What does that mean for your shop?
Over time, expect a wider supplier network, access to special pricing and loyalty programs, and tighter fitment data pulled from RepairLink, which should make quoting and ordering OE parts alongside aftermarket smoother. The combined fitment data is the piece worth watching.
No major new features specific to this year have been announced. The most recent product update push came from a mid-year webinar, so if you’re evaluating today, judge it on what shipped in the last cycle, not on a roadmap promise.
PartsTech Pricing: Free Plan, Plus, and Complete Tiers Explained
PartsTech runs a three-tier freemium model. There’s a genuinely usable free plan, then two paid steps up. Here’s what our research puts the numbers at.
Free
- Unlimited users
- Unlimited parts supplier connections
- 30+ tire suppliers
- VIN and license plate lookup
- One-click ordering into your RO
Plus
- Everything in Free
- Unlimited tire suppliers (including premium)
- 10+ job templates
- Preferred brand prioritization
- Spend analytics by supplier and part type
Complete
- Everything in Plus
- User permissions management
- Full analytics suite
One honest catch: the vendor’s pricing page confirms the tier structure and the free plan, but it does not print the dollar figures inline. It directs you to check “My Shop > My Subscription” after you create an account.
Our $50 and $95 figures are what current research supports. Confirm the exact number in your dashboard before you upgrade.
A few things are not publicly disclosed: whether those rates are billed monthly or annually, whether annual billing comes at a different price, and whether there are contract terms. There are no published setup fees, no per-user costs, and no per-location add-ons. That’s a cleaner pricing picture than most shop tools, but ask about billing mode when you upgrade so the first invoice doesn’t surprise you.
Who should be on each tier? A solo shop or a price-sensitive operator can run entirely on Free and never feel boxed in.
A growing shop that sells a lot of tires or wants faster searches will get its money’s worth from Plus. Complete is for shops with several techs where you need to lock down who can order what and track spend by person.
Is $50 to $95 a month justifiable? For almost any shop doing steady volume, yes.
If PartsTech saves one advisor even an hour a week, the math works before you finish your coffee. Run your own numbers with our shop margin calculator if you want to see how that time translates to the bottom line.
Core Features: What PartsTech Actually Does Inside the Platform
The heart of the platform is multi-vendor price comparison. You enter the vehicle, search a part, and see real-time inventory and pricing from every connected supplier side by side. No more calling around to find who has the part and who’s cheapest.
Every search starts with the vehicle, and you have two fast ways in: VIN lookup or license plate lookup. Both matter because a wrong vehicle ID is how you end up with the wrong part, a return, and a comeback. Getting the vehicle right up front kills most misfits before they happen.
Once you find the part, one-click ordering sends it straight to the supplier, and if your shop management software connects, the part flows onto the repair order automatically. That’s the step that saves the most time: no re-typing part numbers and prices into your estimate.
Visual Search Suite
The Visual Search Suite is PartsTech’s answer to “which exact part is this?” It uses clickable interactive diagrams and 360-degree product views so a tech can point at the component on the diagram and order it directly.
This is a real help for newer technicians who don’t yet have every part name memorized. Instead of guessing at a catalog description, they see the part, click it, and order it. Fewer wrong orders, fewer returns.
Preferred brand prioritization
On the Plus plan, you can set your shop’s go-to brands so they float to the top of every search result. PartsTech says this cuts search time by up to 35% for shops that set it up. That figure comes from the vendor, so treat it as a rough estimate, but the logic holds: if you always run the same brand of brake pads, not scrolling past 40 options every time adds up fast.
Job templates and stock ordering
Plus also brings 10+ job templates: pre-built part lists for common jobs so you build an estimate in a couple clicks instead of adding line items one at a time. Pair that with one-click estimate building and the counter moves faster.
Enhanced Order History lets you pull up past orders with full part and supplier detail, which is gold when a customer comes back and you need to know exactly what went on the car. The Stock Ordering tools let you build reusable stock order templates for the parts you reorder constantly, like oil filters and wipers.
Tire comparison
Tires are a separate world, and PartsTech handles them well. The Free plan already gives you 30+ tire suppliers for side-by-side tire comparison.
Plus and Complete open up unlimited tire supplier access, including the premium tire suppliers some shops need. If tires are a real slice of your revenue, that alone can justify Plus.
PartsTech Integrations: Which Shop Management Systems Does It Connect To?
PartsTech connects to a wide range of shop management systems. That’s the number that makes it stick in a shop’s daily flow rather than sitting as one more tab.
The major ones are here: it works with Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, AutoLeap, and Shop-Ware, among many others.
Here’s how it works in practice. You search and order a part inside PartsTech, and the part, price, and part number drop straight onto the repair order in your shop system.
No manual re-entry, no transposed numbers, no forgetting to add a $40 part to the ticket. That last one alone pays for the tool over a year.
Does PartsTech work with Tekmetric? Yes.
The two connect so parts you order in PartsTech land on the Tekmetric RO. It’s one of the smoother pairings, which is part of why we rate Tekmetric so highly in our full Tekmetric review.
What about Mitchell 1? Also yes. Mitchell 1 Manager SE is a supported integration, so shops on that platform get the same order-to-RO flow.
One thing to set expectations on: integration quality varies by system. Some connect right away.
Others need setup on the supplier’s side that can take a few days to a couple weeks. That’s not usually PartsTech itself dragging, it’s the supplier’s back end getting linked up.
If your shop management software isn’t on the list, you can still use PartsTech as a standalone parts ordering platform. You just lose the automatic RO sync, so you’d copy part numbers over by hand. Still faster than calling five suppliers, but you give up the best part of the tool.
Onboarding and Setup: What to Expect in Your First Week
Signing up is painless. You create a free account, connect your shop management software, and start adding your supplier accounts. The account itself takes minutes.
The supplier connections are where the real work lives, and where you should set expectations. Some suppliers link within a couple hours.
Others take days to weeks, depending on how the supplier’s system talks to PartsTech and whether anything’s glitching that day. Shop owners consistently name supplier connection delays as the single most annoying part of getting started.
So plan your first week around that. Don’t expect to flip a switch and have every vendor live at 8 a.m. Monday.
A smoother first week looks like this. Connect your highest-volume suppliers first so you get value on day one.
Set your preferred brands early so search results are useful immediately. Build your job templates before you go live so your advisors aren’t learning the tool during a packed Saturday.
For newer techs, lean on the Visual Search Suite diagrams from the start. It shortens the learning curve because they can identify parts visually instead of memorizing catalog language. If you want a broader framework for rolling out any new shop tool, our implementation checklist keeps the switch from turning into a data mess.
Does PartsTech Actually Save Time on Parts?
This is the question in the title, so let’s answer it straight: yes, for most shops, and the mechanism is simple. Instead of calling three to five suppliers one at a time to check stock and price, one search shows you all of them at once.
That’s the core time win. A parts lookup that used to eat 10 minutes of phone tag becomes a 60-second search. Add preferred brand prioritization on top, which the vendor pegs at up to 35% less search time, and busy counters move noticeably faster.
Based on shop owner feedback patterns, advisors consistently report meaningful time savings on parts lookups once the platform is set up, with the biggest gains coming from shops with the most connected suppliers. That’s a soft number and it swings with volume, but the direction is consistent.
How much you actually save depends on two things. First, how many suppliers you’ve connected: more connected vendors, more comparison, more savings. Second, whether your shop management software syncs cleanly, because the RO push is where the biggest chunk of manual work disappears.
Run the ROI yourself. At roughly $50 to $95 a month, saving one hour of advisor time per week almost certainly clears the cost, even at a modest labor rate. Most shops save more than that.
Where time leaks back out: supplier connection bugs, misleading inventory availability, and the occasional order routing error. A part can show as available when it’s actually sitting at a farther warehouse, and orders have gone to the wrong supplier at a higher price. None of that is constant, but it’s why we score support at 8.2 instead of higher, and it’s why the workarounds below matter.
PartsTech Pros and Cons: What Real Users Are Saying
PartsTech holds a 4.6 out of 5 on Capterra across 119 verified shop reviews, which is high for shop software. In this category, anything in the mid-4s means the tool delivers on its main promise and the complaints are about friction, not function. That matches what we see.
Pros
- Free to start with no user limits, so the whole counter can use it
- The widest supplier network in the segment: 300+ suppliers, 30,000+ locations
- Real multi-vendor price comparison in one search saves phone-tag time
- 35+ shop management integrations push parts straight onto the RO
- Visual Search Suite diagrams help newer techs order the right part
- Strong tire comparison, with 30+ tire suppliers even on Free
Cons
- Supplier connections can take hours to weeks and sometimes bug out
- Support can bounce you between PartsTech and the supplier
- Occasional order routing errors send parts to the wrong vendor or a higher price
- Inventory availability can be misleading about which warehouse actually has it
- Some supplier catalogs are incomplete or slow to update
- Rare downtime, though it’s usually fixed fast
Now the part no one else gives you: how to work around the cons.
Misleading availability. When a part shows available with a tight delivery promise, call the supplier to confirm which warehouse it’s shipping from before you promise the customer a same-day fix. Two minutes on the phone beats a blown ETA.
Order routing errors. Before you finalize any order, glance at the supplier name and price on the confirmation.
Most wrong-vendor and wrong-price orders get caught right there. Make it a habit at the counter.
Support runaround. When PartsTech points you to the supplier and the supplier points back, document both responses in one email and send it to PartsTech support together. A single thread showing the loop tends to get it escalated instead of bounced again.
Incomplete catalogs. Keep one or two backup suppliers connected for the categories where your primary vendor’s catalog is thin. If a part doesn’t show, a second connected supplier usually has it.
One more pattern worth naming: a few longtime users feel the platform got shakier through some update cycles. We’d weigh that against the OEC acquisition, which brings more resources behind the product. Whether that steadies things is worth watching, but it’s not a reason to skip the free plan today.
PartsTech vs. Alternatives: How It Compares
If you’re weighing PartsTech alternatives, the real choices are Nexpart, PartCat, and simply ordering direct from suppliers like AutoZone, NAPA, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. Here’s how they stack up.
| Criteria | PartsTech | Nexpart | Ordering Direct |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to start | Free ✓ | Varies by distributor | Free |
| Multi-vendor price comparison | 300+ suppliers, one screen ✓ | Limited to connected distributors | None, one vendor at a time |
| Shop management integrations | 35+ ✓ | Fewer | Depends on vendor portal |
| Tire comparison tools | 30+ suppliers, unlimited on paid ✓ | Limited | Per vendor only |
| VIN and license plate lookup | Yes ✓ | Yes | Varies |
| Free plan available | Yes ✓ | No standard free tier | N/A |
PartsTech vs. Nexpart
Nexpart is a solid ordering platform, especially if you’re tied into the distributors that back it. But it doesn’t match PartsTech on supplier network breadth or the number of shop management integrations. PartsTech is the wider, more flexible net, and the free entry point is hard to beat.
PartsTech vs. ordering direct
Ordering direct from AutoZone, NAPA, or O’Reilly Auto Parts still makes sense for one thing: your account-specific pricing and the supplier relationship. If you’ve negotiated sharp pricing with one wholesale auto supplier and buy 80% of your parts there, their own portal may show numbers PartsTech can’t. Where PartsTech wins big is speed and visibility: you see every vendor at once instead of logging into each.
Our take: use PartsTech as your comparison and ordering hub, and keep your one or two direct portals for the vendors where your negotiated pricing beats everything.
PartsTech vs. PartCat
PartCat leans more toward being a catalog and fitment tool. PartsTech is the ordering and procurement layer that sits on top of your suppliers.
They solve different problems. If you need multi-vendor pricing and ordering that flows into your RO, PartsTech is the one.
Want to see where every parts and shop tool we’ve scored lands? Our full software comparison chart puts them side by side.
Who Should Use PartsTech, and Who Should Look Elsewhere
PartsTech is a strong fit if you’re an independent auto repair shop that wants to stop wasting counter time on parts lookups. It’s built for exactly this segment, and the free plan is aimed right at it.
It’s an easy yes if any of these describe you:
- You already run Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, AutoLeap, or Shop-Ware and want parts flowing onto the RO automatically
- You have multiple service advisors who each call suppliers separately today
- You want to start free and only pay if you actually need the extra tire suppliers, analytics, or permissions
- Tires are a meaningful part of your revenue and you want fast tire comparison
It’s a weaker fit if:
- You buy nearly everything from one vendor whose direct portal already gives you sharp pricing
- You’ve had a chronic, unresolved connection problem with a specific supplier you can’t buy from any other way
- Your shop management software isn’t on the integration list and you need the RO sync to justify the switch
Is PartsTech good for independent repair shops? Yes.
The free plan was clearly designed for independents, and the paid tiers scale sensibly as you grow. If you’re still choosing your core shop platform first, start with our guide on how to choose auto repair shop software, then layer PartsTech on top.
One forward-looking note: with the OEC acquisition, PartsTech is now part of a larger enterprise. That usually means more resources, but it can also shift product priorities over time. Worth keeping an eye on if you’re planning years out.
What Shop Owners Are Asking
“Do I really need the paid plan, or is Free enough?”
For a lot of shops, Free covers it: unlimited users, unlimited parts suppliers, and 30+ tire suppliers. Move to Plus mainly if you sell a lot of tires and need the premium tire suppliers, or you want preferred brand prioritization and job templates to speed up the counter.
“Will it slow my advisors down while they learn it?”
Not much, if you set it up before go-live. Connect your top suppliers, set preferred brands, and build a few job templates first. Newer techs pick it up fast because the diagram search shows them the part instead of making them guess at part names.
“A part showed in stock but took three days. What happened?”
Availability can reflect a farther warehouse, not the closest one. Before you promise a same-day repair, call the supplier to confirm which location it ships from. It’s the most common gripe, and a quick call heads it off.
“We keep our own supplier pricing. Will PartsTech show our real cost?”
For connected suppliers, it pulls the pricing tied to your account. If you’ve negotiated special pricing with one vendor through their own portal, double-check that PartsTech reflects it, and keep that direct portal for the parts where your negotiated deal wins.
“Is it worth setting up if I only use two suppliers?”
The value grows with the number of connected suppliers, since comparison is the point. With only two vendors and a direct portal you like, the time savings are smaller. Even then, the RO sync and one search view still cut steps, and Free costs nothing to try.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is PartsTech free to use?
Yes. PartsTech offers a genuinely usable free plan at $0/mo that includes unlimited users, unlimited parts supplier connections, VIN and license plate lookup, one-click ordering, and access to 30+ tire suppliers. Many shops run entirely on Free without hitting a wall.
How much does PartsTech cost per month?
Free is $0/mo. Paid tiers run about $50/mo for Plus and about $95/mo for Complete. The vendor’s pricing page confirms the tiers but doesn’t print the dollar figures inline, so confirm your exact rate under My Shop > My Subscription after signing up.
How many suppliers does PartsTech have?
PartsTech connects to more than 300 parts and tire suppliers across 30,000+ supplier locations, with a catalog of over 15 million parts and tires from 5,000+ brands. It’s the widest supplier network in the shop parts ordering category.
What does PartsTech integrate with?
PartsTech connects to a wide range of shop management systems, including Tekmetric, Mitchell 1, AutoLeap, and Shop-Ware. Parts you order flow straight onto the repair order in your shop system, so you skip re-typing part numbers and prices.
Does PartsTech work with Tekmetric?
Yes. PartsTech and Tekmetric connect so parts ordered in PartsTech land on the Tekmetric repair order automatically. It’s one of the smoother integrations, which cuts double entry between ordering and estimating.
Is PartsTech good for independent repair shops?
Yes. The free plan is clearly aimed at independent shops, and the paid tiers scale as you grow. Shops with multiple advisors who each call suppliers separately today see the biggest time savings.
What are the best alternatives to PartsTech?
The main alternatives are Nexpart, PartCat, and ordering direct from suppliers like AutoZone, NAPA, and O’Reilly Auto Parts. PartsTech usually wins on supplier network breadth, integrations, and its free plan, while direct ordering can win if you have negotiated pricing with one vendor.
Final Verdict: Is PartsTech Worth It?
PartsTech is worth it for most shops, and the free plan removes almost all the risk of finding out. It delivers real time savings by turning a round of supplier phone calls into one search, and the supplier network behind it is the largest in the segment. For a parts ordering platform, that combination is hard to beat.
The friction is honest and worth planning around: supplier connections can drag, support sometimes bounces you between PartsTech and the vendor, and availability and routing aren’t perfect. None of it is a dealbreaker, and the workarounds above keep it from costing you at the counter.
Our recommendation is simple. If you’re an independent shop tired of juggling supplier logins, sign up for the free plan, connect your top suppliers, and run it for 30 days before deciding whether Plus or Complete earns the upgrade. Most shops will find the free tier does more than they expected.
You can start at PartsTech, and if you spot anything in this review that needs updating, let us know. For where it sits against everything else we rate, browse our auto repair software reviews.
Shop standards referenced in our scoring: Automotive Service Association (ASA).
STS Verdict
The one parts-and-tire lookup that puts every supplier on one screen, and it’s free to start, which is hard to argue with. Best for any shop tired of juggling supplier logins and phone calls who wants live multi-vendor pricing pushed straight into their RO.
