Comparison · updated 2026-04
DetailingStack vs Mobile Tech RX
Mobile Tech RX is the default choice for solo mobile detailers — it's capable, it works, and it's been around. This page is for the shop owner asking “is switching actually worth the migration pain?” — sourced from each vendor's public pricing and product docs as of 2026-04. If a row feels wrong, email [email protected] with a source and we'll correct it within a week.
| What you care about | DetailingStack | Mobile Tech RX |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue you stop losing | ||
Lost Saturdays to no-shows 20% no-show rate × 6 jobs/day × $145 avg = ~$43,500/yr leaked | 25% deposit collected at booking via Stripe, included on every plan — shops report ~80% fewer no-shows | Deposits supported, but in-app payment processing carries a 3.25% + $0.15 transaction fee on top of the monthly subscription |
Chasing customers for payment after the job | One-tap Stripe invoice from the phone; customer pays before you've packed up | Invoice + payment supported through the mobile app and desktop |
Repeat customers forgetting you exist | Automatic 90-day rebooking-nudge SMS to dormant customers; sends at tenant-local 9 AM | Manual follow-up; no automated rebooking cadence advertised |
Google reviews you never get around to asking for | Automated post-job review-request SMS with your Google Business Profile link; TCPA-ready, opt-outs honored | Review request feature available but not configured automatically per-job |
Recurring monthly memberships sold to customers Monthly maintenance wash plans — the single biggest untapped revenue lever for a mobile rig. | Customer memberships: tenant defines a plan, customer checks out via Stripe Subscription, a job auto-creates on each renewal (Settings → Memberships) | No recurring-membership product advertised; you'd roll it manually in Stripe outside MTX |
Promo codes for seasonal pushes + first-time-customer discounts | Tenant-defined coupons (percent or amount off, min subtotal, max redemptions, expiry) that work at booking and on ad-hoc invoices | Manual discount lines per quote; no first-class coupon codes |
Billing a customer for incidentals (damage fee, add-on work) | One-off invoices without a parent Job — free-form line items, sent via Stripe, tracked on the unified Payments page | Invoices tied to the job record; ad-hoc billing is a manual workaround |
| Operations — the back-office work nobody markets | ||
One screen that shows every deposit, invoice, and refund | Unified /dashboard/payments: gross / refunded / net tiles + filtered table + CSV export | Payments live across transactions + invoices screens; aggregation is DIY |
In-product conversation with the customer | Message Center (tenant ↔ customer threaded chat) auto-chooses SMS / email / in-app by customer contact | SMS reminders on, but 1:1 conversational thread with attachments isn't first-class |
Tracking consumables (wax, compound, microfiber) | Products catalog + inventory ledger with low-stock alerts; stock deducts on Job completion | No inventory module advertised |
Who changed what, and when | /dashboard/activity renders 90 days of audit rows, filterable by actor / entity / action; CSV export | No tenant-visible audit log advertised |
Undo an accidental delete | Soft-delete by default + 30-day /dashboard/trash with one-click restore | Deletes are permanent in the UI; recovery requires support |
Calendar with agenda / day / week / month | /dashboard/calendar with keyboard shortcuts (T / J / K); status-color-coded jobs | Calendar surface exists; desktop-heavy |
| Time before you're taking real bookings | ||
Signup → first bookable link | < 5 min, self-serve; signup page → booking slug live with no sales call | Sales demo + onboarding walkthrough; days, not minutes |
Pricing you can compare without a phone call | $39 Starter / $89 Growth / $189 Pro posted on /pricing; Stripe Checkout self-serve | Entry plan advertised ~$30/mo; higher tiers quoted after a sales conversation |
Migration from your current tool | Direct MTX CSV importer at /migrate-from-mtx — drops customers + vehicles in one upload | You're migrating AWAY from here |
Signing in without remembering a password | Magic-link signup + sign-in by default — type email, click link, you're in (password optional) | Email + password login flow |
| How it feels to work on-site | ||
Uploading before/after photos from the driveway | Native iOS/Android camera (Capacitor) + offline photo queue that syncs when you hit LTE | Mobile app available; photo capture works on LTE, limited offline-queue behavior |
Quoting ceramic + PPF without filling line items by hand | AI assist drafts per-panel ceramic + PPF quotes from short notes; Stack copilot | Quote templates supported; AI-drafted quoting not advertised |
UI that doesn't feel like 2017 | Modern 2026 UI (Linear-grade), native dark mode, mobile-first on every surface | Functional but visibly older admin surfaces; mobile app carries the modern feel |
| Cost per month (solo mobile rig) | ||
Baseline monthly subscription | $39/mo Starter (1 seat, 75 jobs/mo) or $89/mo Growth (3 seats, unlimited jobs) | ~$30–$90/mo depending on plan and add-ons |
Payment-processing surcharge | Stripe standard pricing (2.9% + $0.30) — nothing extra from us on top | 3.25% + $0.15 per transaction when using in-app payments |
SMS reminders included vs per-message | Generous built-in SMS on Growth+; Twilio passthrough + 20% for overages | SMS bundled with plan; overage rates vary by tier |
| Data you own vs data you rent | ||
Exporting your whole customer book | One-click CSV on every plan + full public REST API + MCP bridge for AI agents | Export tools available via the product UI |
Programmatic access (Zapier, custom scripts, AI agents) | Full /v1/* OpenAPI 3.1 — every CRUD surface is a scoped API key away | Limited public API; integrations are vendor-curated |