Comparison

COSTAR mobile vs Shop Commander

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side β€” with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

COSTAR mobile

Streamline automotive shop operations with a mobile tool for technicians and service advisors. Capture vehicle details, perform inspections, and manage work orders digitally, all integrated with your existing management system.

Highlights
  • View and manage work orders
  • Scan VINs via barcode
  • Capture vehicle photos
  • Perform digital vehicle inspections
  • Go paperless with digital workflows
  • Voice and text input for comments
Features
Read full description

View your work orders, take pictures, scan VIN’s, complete vehicle inspections and more. All from the COSTAR Mobile app which is tightly integrated with your existing COSTAR Shop Management System The COSTAR Mobile app is and add on product, developed by COSTAR, to extend the functionality of your COSTAR Shop Management Software. COSTAR Mobile provides In-Bay functionality allowing your technicians and service advisors to be more productive. -Barcode VIN scanning to quickly capture the 17-character VIN. -Take vehicle photos and save them with the Work Order. -Have the Technician enter in the vehicles license plate number, odometer, and colour; or snap a few quick photos so the Service Advisor can enter them later. No more trying to read messy hand writing. -When you’re ready, go paperless. COSTAR Mobile is designed to provide a paperless work flow from your Shop’s front counter into the Service Bays. -Technicians can view all the Work Orders that are assigned to them. -Technicians can complete assigned vehicle inspection forms, attach photos and enter in their comments, by text or voice. -All photos, inspections and Technician comments are automatically returned to the Shop’s front counter for review by the Service Advisor and then presentation to the customer. -Build customer confidence by presenting professional full color inspections forms to your customers clearly showing suggested and required work, including technician comments and photos. -All information is attached and saved with the COSTAR Repair Order for future reference For more information: Contact COSTAR Customer Service. System Requirements: COSTAR Mobile requires you to be running COSTAR Windows desktop Shop Management Software V5.2 or higher and have a COSTAR Mobile subscription. About COSTAR Computer Systems: Established in 1975, COSTAR Computer Systems specializes in providing software solutions to Retail Tire Stores and Automotive Repair shops in the Automotive Aftermarket and to Tire Wholesale Distributors. We have a passion for what we do and provide the finest and most comprehensive products in these industries, all backed by our fanatical customer service. COSTAR Windows desktop software modules include Retail Point of Sale, Appointment Scheduling, Online Appointment Scheduling, Vehicle Inspections, Customer History, Customer Follow-up, Inventory Control, Purchasing, Pricing, Wholesale Point of Sale, Wholesale Online Web Ordering, Accounts Receivables, Accounts Payables, General Ledger, and Reporting. The COSTAR Mobile app is a companion product, developed by COSTAR, to extend the functionality of the COSTAR Retail Tire and Automotive Shop Management Software. REQUIREMENTS: 1. Camera: 8 MP or higher 2. Tablets: 7.9” or larger 3. Wireless and Cellular Internet: WIFI 802.11n or faster / 4G cellular network or faster 4. COSTAR Shop Management Software V5.2 or higher 5. COSTAR Mobile In-Bay Licensing and Activation required 6. Contact COSTAR Technical support for more information

About

Shop Commander

Features
Read full description

Shop Commander puts your entire auto repair shop in your pocket. Built for shop owners, service advisors, and technicians, the app gives you everything from the front counter on your phone: repair orders, the live job board, two-way customer texting, digital vehicle inspections with photos, appointments, and payments. REAL-TIME, EVERYWHERE β€” Every screen updates live. When a customer approves an estimate from their phone, your whole team knows the same second. PUSH NOTIFICATIONS THAT MATTER β€” Estimate approvals, incoming customer texts, new online bookings, job assignments, and customer arrivals β€” even when the app is closed. Choose exactly which alerts you get. DIGITAL INSPECTIONS β€” Document vehicles with your phone's camera. Customers get a link with photos, severity ratings, and one-tap estimate requests. YOUR WHOLE SHOP, ONE ACCOUNT β€” The app, tablet, and web are one system. Notifications, messages, and read-states sync across all of them. Shop Commander is 100% free β€” every feature, every user.

Screenshots

COSTAR mobile4 screens
Shop Commander4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Shop Commander at every 11 days against COSTAR mobile's every 3 months. COSTAR mobile's advantage is iOS requirement (11.0 vs 15.0). On price, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price Β· Rating Β· Positive reviews Β· Number of ratings Β· Update frequency Β· Ads Β· In-app purchases Β· Monetization Β· Best chart rank Β· Devices Β· Requires iOS

CostPrice Β· In-app purchases Β· Ads Β· Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

COSTAR mobile ships an update every 3 months, Shop Commander every 11 days. The most recent releases landed on November 2, 2026 and October 31, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard2 real differences Β· 6 level
COSTAR mobile versus Shop Commander: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterCOSTAR mobileShop Commander
PriceFreeFree
Positive reviews0.0% of reviewsβ€”
Update frequencyEvery 3 monthsEvery 11 days β€” better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeβ€”
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS11.0 β€” better15.0
Further details β€” not scored
Size25 MB40 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperCostarShop Commander Inc.

In-app purchases

None

COSTAR mobile

No in-app purchases

None

Shop Commander

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is COSTAR mobile free?
COSTAR mobile is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Shop Commander free?
Shop Commander is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Do COSTAR mobile or Shop Commander have ads?
Neither COSTAR mobile nor Shop Commander shows ads.
Which is updated more often, COSTAR mobile or Shop Commander?
COSTAR mobile ships an update every 3 months, and Shop Commander every 11 days. Most recently, COSTAR mobile was updated on November 2, 2026 and Shop Commander on October 31, 2026.

Other comparisons