Stokpax vs ARI
An honest Stokpax vs ARI comparison: ARI is repair-shop software from $33.33/month with a 5-invoice trial cap, not a parts-store inventory tool.
ARI (also sold as ARI Auto Repair Software) is a mobile-first repair-shop app — VIN decoder, license-plate scanner, vehicle service history, automated reminders, digital inspections and online appointment booking, with spare-parts inventory and invoicing built in to support that workflow. It bundles a lot into two flat-priced plans with unlimited users, which is genuinely competitive for a solo or small shop. The catch: its inventory exists to support a job card, not a standalone counter or wholesale parts sale, and its "free trial" isn't measured in days — it's capped at 5 invoices, estimates, inspections, clients and vehicles combined. Stokpax is the other shape — inventory, invoicing, customer/supplier accounts and cash for a business that sells stock, with a full 7-day trial and no repair-order workflow to work around. Here is a straight comparison, including where ARI is the better fit.
The honest verdict
If you run a repair shop and want VIN decoding, license-plate lookup, digital inspections and online appointment booking in one mobile-first app with unlimited users, ARI is a well-priced, dedicated choice from $33.33/month billed annually. But if you are a parts store or wholesaler with no repair orders to track — just stock coming in and invoices going out — its job-card-first billing and a free trial capped at 5 invoices rather than days make it a mismatch. Stokpax covers inventory and invoicing natively for that business, from $29/month with a full 7-day free trial.
Frequently asked questions
Does ARI have inventory management?
Yes — ARI includes spare-parts inventory tracking, but it exists to support job cards and repair orders, not a standalone parts-counter or wholesale sale with warehouse-level barcode stocktaking.
How much does ARI cost compared to Stokpax?
ARI Pro is $39.99/month ($33.33/month billed annually), and Pro Plus is $59.99/month ($49.99/month billed annually). Stokpax is a single plan from $29/month covering inventory, invoicing, customer/supplier accounts and cash.
What is ARI's free trial actually limited to?
ARI's trial isn't a fixed number of days — it caps you at 5 invoices, estimates, inspections, clients and vehicles combined, which a busy shop can use up in a single day. Stokpax gives a full 7-day trial with no invoice or feature cap.