Hard to tell if you are using it for personal reasons or a shop setting.
All in all, they are all good systems. Will they all have what you want to look at 100% of the time? No. Will the be good enough 95% of the time yes.
I think information systems are just another tool. Like all tools you get it and you get familiar with it and how to use it, and use it the best that you can.
Like others have said Mitchell, shop key and some others are the same thing. I would look at the Mitchell system from a Mitchell representative. Their commissions are driven about the services they sell, and they want you happy with their product. Teaching you how to use it the best.
I am not sold on any of them for management software. Although most will let you drop parts from electronic cataloging right onto the invoice. Because of that most larger parts stores will offer a break on pricing if you use one.
Again it is all how you use it. I use quickbooks. You have to kind of set it up in how you do business. I have kind of taylors mine to do what I want it to do.
I think the one place information management systems fall short on is the business side of things. Most every shop owner I know that has one, still has a quick books side that they pay wages and taxes on. While they may not be doing individual invoicing, they do enter it as sort of a batch, on a daily or weekly basis.
Most systems are subscription based, and I have asked these owners what happens to you business records when you give that up or change. They just kind of get that deer in the headlights look. When it comes to the business side I want that stuff, until I want to get rid of it.
No matter what system you have, you will always have those few websites to look at more. It is just a part of fixing vehicles.
