Free Aircraft Detailing Software: What You Get and When to Upgrade | Shiny Jets

Free Aircraft Detailing Software: What You Get and When to Upgrade

Most software companies offer a free trial. Shiny Jets CRM offers a free plan — not a trial, not a limited demo, but a permanent free tier you can use to run your detailing business from day one.

Here's exactly what's included, what's not, and how to know when it's time to upgrade.

Why a Free Plan Exists

I built Shiny Jets CRM because I needed it. After 15 years detailing aircraft I got tired of quoting from spreadsheets, chasing payments by text, and losing track of which customers were due for service.

When I built the tool I wanted every detailer to have access to the core features — not just the ones who could afford a $150 monthly subscription on day one. The free plan exists because a detailer just starting out deserves the same professional tools as someone running a six-figure operation.

What the Free Plan Includes

• 5 quotes per month — enough to get started and close your first jobs
• FAA tail number autofill — type the tail number, aircraft make and model populates from the FAA registry automatically
• 300+ aircraft hours database — real labor hours by make, model, and service type so your quotes are accurate from day one
• Professional customer quote portal — customers receive a branded link to view and accept their quote online
• Before and after photo uploads — document every job professionally
• Customer account creation — clients can log in and see their full service history
• Directory listing — get found by aircraft owners searching for detailers in your area
• Intake flow builder — customize the questions customers answer when requesting a quote
• 1 user

No monthly charge. No credit card required. No expiration date.

Pricing

Free forever. A 5% platform fee applies to jobs processed through the platform. Upgrade to Pro to reduce the fee to 2% and unlock unlimited quotes and online payments.

What's Not Included on Free

• Stripe online payments — customers can view quotes but pay offline
• Google Calendar sync and auto-scheduling
• Automated review requests
• Recurring service reminders
• Team members
• Dispatch module

When to Upgrade to Pro ($79 Every 4 Weeks)

The moment you're sending more than 5 quotes a month, Pro pays for itself. At that volume you're running a real business and you need real tools.

Pro adds Stripe online payments — customers pay directly from their quote link, no invoicing back and forth. It adds Google Calendar sync so the system auto-suggests your next available slot based on how long the job will take. And it adds automated review requests that fire 7 days after every completed job.

Pro also reduces your platform fee from 5% to 2% — on a $5,000 ceramic job that's $150 back in your pocket compared to the free plan.

When to Upgrade to Business ($149 Every 4 Weeks)

When you have more than one person working jobs, you need Business. The dispatch module lets you assign jobs to crew members and track who's on what in real time. Recurring service reminders go out automatically to customers whose service interval is coming up. Team management keeps everyone on the same page without group texts.

Business drops your platform fee to 1%. For a shop processing $20,000 a month in jobs that's $200 in savings versus Pro — more than the cost of the upgrade.

When Enterprise Makes Sense ($899 Every 4 Weeks)

Enterprise is a different category entirely. It's built for FBOs, corporate flight departments, and detailing companies operating at scale.

The anchor feature is FlightAware integration — automatic flight hour tracking per tail number. Combine that with the fuel receipt upload portal and you can generate pre and post-ceramic coating fuel burn comparisons. That data becomes an ROI report you hand to aircraft ownership showing exactly what a clean aircraft saves in fuel costs annually. No other detailing software does this.

Enterprise also includes white label branding, unlimited team members, custom intake questions, and 0% platform fee — keep every dollar you earn.

Platform Fee Summary

• Free: 5% platform fee
• Pro: 2% platform fee
• Business: 1% platform fee
• Enterprise: 0% platform fee

The Bottom Line

Start free. Upgrade when the math makes sense. Every tier of Shiny Jets CRM is built around one goal — helping aircraft detailers run a more professional, more profitable business.

Start free today at crm.shinyjets.com — no credit card required.