Torqueflow vs TechMan.
Considering a switch? Torqueflow imports your TechMan data directly — customers, vehicles, history, invoices.
TechMan is one of the most-installed UK garage management systems with a claimed 17,000+ automotive professionals using it. If you’re on TechMan today, switching feels like a big call – years of customer history, settled team workflows, the “good enough” trap.
This page is for garage owners thinking about that move. We’ve tried to be straight about where TechMan still does well, where Torqueflow has moved ahead, and what the migration looks like in practice.
Torqueflow
Phones answered, supplier invoices scanned, Xero in sync. AI takes admin off you.
A long-running UK GMS with install-base scale and a tiered pricing model.
At a glance
Feature-by-feature, side by side.
| TFTorqueflow | TMTechMan | |
|---|---|---|
| Core positioning | AI-first garage management | Established all-in-one GMS |
| Voice AI receptionist | Yes — built in | No |
| AI invoice scanning | Yes — email / upload / camera | No |
| AI auto-response on portal / WhatsApp / SMS | Yes | Limited |
| Xero integration | Two-way live, sub-minute | Via export |
| AutoData / Haynes Pro integrations | Confirm before publication | Yes — prominent |
| Customer portal | Yes — magic-link, mobile-first | Yes |
| Polish language UI | Yes — staff and portal | English only |
| Install base | Smaller (newer) | 17,000+ professionals |
| Direct TechMan import | Yes — built-in tool | N/A |
| Setup time | Couple of hours | Longer migration |
| Pricing — subscription | £75/bay/month annual£100 monthly · all features | £99–£529/month tieredStarter / Lite / Advanced / Pro |
| Upfront / setup fees | None (£1 card verification only) | None on Partner Plan; £100–£1,300 upfront on Flexi Plan |
| Hygiene tasks (DVLA, mailshots, SMS) | Included | Credits required on top of subscription |
| AI features | Credits at AI’s actual compute cost | n/a (no AI) |
| Best for | Garages tired of typing supplier invoices and answering “is my car ready?” calls | Garages prioritising deep technical-data integrations and the established install base |
| TechMan pricing reflects published rates as of May 2026 (techmangms.com/pricing). Credits-for-hygiene pattern is consistent with Capterra UK reviews and the “*conditions apply” markers on TechMan’s pricing page. Verify before publication. | ||
The credit problem
Paying for the basics.
This is the single most-cited TechMan complaint we’ve heard from switchers, and it’s worth its own section. DVLA lookups, MOT data refresh, mailshots, SMS reminders – the routine hygiene tasks every UK garage runs daily – are billed through a separate credit system on top of the subscription. Capterra and other reviewers consistently flag this as a friction point.
TechMan’s model
Subscription plus credits for routine tasks.
Four tiers (Starter, Lite, Advanced, Pro) under two contract structures: Partner Plan (longer commitment, no upfront fee) and Flexi Plan (30-day rolling, with an upfront fee of £100–£1,300 plus a higher monthly rate). On the surface, all tiers include “unlimited users” and the headline feature set. In practice, the basics cost extra – and Capterra reviewers consistently flag this as a friction point.
Torqueflow’s model
Credits only for AI compute. Everything else included.
Credits exist – we use them too – but only for the AI features that actually have a real underlying compute cost. Hygiene operations are included. Look up a vehicle, send a text reminder, run a mailshot, refresh MOT data – all part of the subscription, unlimited.
| What it costs to do | TMTechMan | TFTorqueflow |
|---|---|---|
| Look up a vehicle on DVLA | Credits required (per lookup) | Included — unlimited |
| Pull MOT history from DVSA | Credit-gated MOT data refresh | Included — unlimited |
| Send an SMS reminder | Credits required (per message) |
Included — unlimited
Staff-written; AI replies use credits
|
| Send a mailshot to your customer base | Credits required | Included |
| Run an MOT / service reminder campaign | Credit-gated | Included |
| Print / email a quote or invoice | Included | Included |
| Customer portal | Available on Advanced tier+ | Included on every plan |
| Telephone integration | Pro tier only or extra cost | Included via Voice AI |
| Online web booking | Pro tier only or extra cost | Included |
| AI voice receptionist answering a call | n/a — TechMan doesn’t have one | Credits — AI compute cost |
| AI replying on WhatsApp / SMS / portal | n/a — TechMan doesn’t have one | Credits — AI compute cost |
| AI extracting a supplier invoice | n/a — TechMan doesn’t have one | Credits — AI compute cost |
Pay credits for things that have a real per-event cost.
Garages should pay credits for things that actually have a real per-event cost behind them — which today means AI inference. They shouldn’t pay credits for looking up a registration number, sending a text reminder, or pulling MOT data, because those operations are essentially free at the platform level. Torqueflow’s credit model is built around that distinction. TechMan’s isn’t.
A 7-bay shop typically saves £50–£100/month.
That’s typical SMS reminder traffic and routine vehicle lookups — on TechMan, accumulated credit consumption on top of the subscription. On Torqueflow, the same activity is included in the per-bay subscription. The AI voice and AI messaging credits on Torqueflow are typically £25–£70/month at typical volumes — and you can choose not to use them at all.
£50–£100/month savedWhy garages switch
The most common things we hear.
“I’m fed up answering the same phone calls all day.”
TechMan doesn’t have a Voice AI receptionist. Torqueflow does. The AI knows your live workshop data, books appointments, escalates the complex calls to your team with full context. Most garages report 60–70% fewer phone interruptions in the first month.
“Typing in supplier invoices is killing my evenings.”
Torqueflow has AI invoice scanning. Forward an email, snap a photo, drop a PDF the AI extracts every line. TechMan doesn’t have an equivalent.
“My accountant keeps asking me for spreadsheets.”
Torqueflow has live two-way Xero sync. Sales invoices, purchase invoices, payments – they flow into Xero in real time. TechMan-to-Xero is via export.
“My customers want to message me on WhatsApp, not phone.”
Torqueflow runs AI on WhatsApp, SMS, the portal, and voice – same intelligence on every channel. TechMan’s customer-comms story is more limited.
“My UI is in English but half my mechanics speak Polish at home.”
Torqueflow’s staff dashboard and customer portal both ship in Polski. TechMan is English-only.
“I’m tired of paying credits for DVLA lookups.”
TechMan charges credits for hygiene operations — DVLA, MOT data refresh, mailshots, SMS. Torqueflow includes all of those in the subscription. For a busy 7-bay shop the saving is typically £50–£100/month vs TechMan’s credit consumption.
Where TechMan still wins
And four places we’d pick AutoChain.
17,000+ professionals using it
Real install-base scale. There’s a community, there are forum answers to the niche questions, there’s a “lots of people use this so it must work” comfort. We’re not at that scale yet and we won’t pretend.
AutoData and Haynes Pro integrations
TechMan leans heavily on technical-data partnerships, which matter to technicians dealing with unfamiliar manufacturers.
Familiarity for your existing team
Switching software has a real change-management cost. If your team is already trained on TechMan, that’s not zero. Torqueflow’s interface is intentionally simpler, but “simpler” still means “different”.
Established support and migration assistance
TechMan offers dedicated migration help. We do too – but their team is bigger.
The TechMan → Torqueflow migration
Switching is the hardest part of a software change.
Torqueflow is built around making this specific switch easy.
What transfers
Direct TechMan import. No CSV fiddling.
What you redo (small)
A handful of light setup tasks — measured in minutes.
Typical timeline
Sign up, run setup wizard (about 2 hours), import data overnight.
Review imported data, configure team and Voice AI, take first new bookings.
Run new bookings on Torqueflow, finish old bookings out on TechMan.
Switch over fully. Cancel TechMan at end of contract.
Pricingin practice
Per-bay all-in, vs tiers plus credits.
| TFTorqueflow | TMTechMan | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing modelHow you’re charged | Per bay | Per tierStarter / Lite / Advanced / Pro |
| Annual rateBilled annually | £75 per bay/month | Partner Plan: £99 / £189 / £315 / £415 per monthLonger commitment, no upfront fee |
| Monthly rateRolling, no commit | £100 per bay/month | Flexi Plan: £99 / £239 / £399 / £529 per month30-day rolling + upfront fee |
| Upfront / setup feesTo get started | None £1 card verification on trial | Partner Plan: None Flexi Plan: £100 / £500 / £1,300 / £1,300 upfront |
| Hygiene tasksDVLA, MOT, SMS, mailshots | All included | Credits on top |
| Customer portalWhite-labelled access | All plans | Advanced tier or above |
| Telephone / web bookingInbound traffic | Included via Voice AI | Pro tier or extra cost |
| Free trialBefore you commit | 30 days Full features · £1 card verification | Demo-only |
| ContractLock-in terms | Monthly rolling or annual | Partner Plan (longer commit) or Flexi Plan (rolling + upfront fee) |
| Migration assistanceSwitching cost | Built-in TechMan import, no extra cost | Migration available, separate fees reported |
Worked example — 7-bay shop, 12 months, vs TechMan Pro Flexi
The rolling-monthly version of TechMan’s top tier.
| Torqueflow Annual | TechMan Pro Flexi | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | 7 × £75 × 12 = £6,300 | £529 × 12 = £6,348 |
| Upfront / setup fee | £0 (included) | £1,300 upfront |
| Hygiene credits (DVLA, MOT, SMS, mailshots) | £0 (included) | ~£600–£1,200 (~£50–£100/month) |
| AI feature credits (voice + WhatsApp/SMS + invoice scanning) | ~£600–£1,000 typical | n/a — no AI features available |
| Year-1 total | ~£7,000 | ~£8,348–£8,948 |
| What you can actually do with it | Full AI receptionist, AI WhatsApp/SMS replies, AI invoice scanning, customer portal, web booking, telephone integration, all hygiene operations | Garage management with hygiene operations metered through credits |
The honest comparison — vs TechMan Pro Partner
The longer-commitment, no-upfront contract structure. This is where TechMan looks cheaper on paper.
| Torqueflow Annual | TechMan Pro Partner | |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription (12 months) | £6,300 | £4,980 |
| Upfront fee | £0 | £0 |
| Hygiene credits | £0 (included) | ~£600–£1,200 |
| AI feature credits | ~£600–£1,000 | n/a |
| Year-1 total | ~£7,000 | ~£5,580–£6,180 |
When TechMan is still the right answer
We’re not going to suggest everyone should switch.
Some signals it’s worth staying.
You’re heavily dependent on AutoData or Haynes Pro through TechMan’s integrations and we don’t have a parity story (yet).
You have a large team trained on TechMan and the change-management cost is genuinely high.
You’re a multi-million-pound operation where established install-base scale matters more to your governance / risk side than AI features.
You’ve recently signed a fresh annual contract and are locked in.
Frequently asked
The questions garages ask before they switch.
Ready to test it?
Start a free trial. Import your TechMan data on Day 0. Decide based on a real two weeks of using it, not a sales pitch.