Compare UK Garage Management Software (2026)
An honest side-by-side. Pricing as of May 2026, features as published or reviewed.
Most “best garage software” lists are written either by the vendor themselves or by an affiliate site that gets paid to put one product first. This page isn’t that. We’re going to walk through the main UK garage management systems, including ours, and tell you what each one does well, where each costs more than its headline suggests, and where the real differences live.
If you’re thinking about Torqueflow, we’d rather you choose us with eyes open than choose us by accident.
- Six vendors covered in detail
- Vendor-published pricing & review-platform sources
- Last updated 3 May 2026
The vendors we cover
AI-first garage management. Voice AI, WhatsApp, customer portal, all hygiene operations included.
UK market leader by install base. Established workshop platform.
Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central platform. Strong community.
Mid-market challenger. AI mechanic (text-based) and unlimited users.
New 2026 entrant for 3–8 bay independents. Flat tiers, no per-user fees.
Modern challenger. Monthly rolling contract, unlimited employees.
Core garage workflow
The basics. Every system on this page does these competently. Use this section to confirm there are no surprising gaps, not to choose between them.
| Feature | Torqueflow | TechMan | Garage Hive | MyGarageCRM | GarageRevs | AutoChain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Job and work order management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Scheduling and diary | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Invoicing with UK VAT | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parts ordering and stock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Pro tier (GSF) | Add-on £15/mo |
| Time tracking | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Growth+ | Yes |
| eVHC / digital vehicle health checks | Yes | Advanced+ | Yes | Yes | Growth+ | Yes |
| Image and video capture | Yes | Advanced+ | Yes | Yes | Growth+ | Yes |
| Customer signature / approval | Yes | Advanced+ | Yes | Yes | Growth+ | Yes |
| Multi-location | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile / tablet access | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
AI features
Where the gap genuinely is wide. Torqueflow is the only platform on this list with integrated voice AI, integrated AI on every messaging channel, and AI invoice scanning shipping today.
| Feature | Torqueflow | TechMan | Garage Hive | MyGarageCRM | GarageRevs | AutoChain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI voice receptionist Answers calls, books appointments, knows your live workshop data | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI on WhatsApp Auto-replies using live workshop data | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI on SMS Auto-replies using live workshop data | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI on customer portal Auto-answers status questions | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI invoice scanning Extracts supplier line items from email / PDF / photo | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
| AI diagnostic assistant Conversational, uses vehicle history | Yes | No | No | “AI mechanic” (text) | No | “Predictive” (not chat) |
| Voice AI privacy controls PIN verification, data-access tiers | Yes | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
The closest UK alternatives for AI voice are standalone AI receptionist services like Electronic Receptionist or Lineshift. Those are separate products that sit alongside your GMS - two systems, two logins, data living in two places. Torqueflow is the only product where the AI receptionist is part of the same system that runs your workshop.
Customer-facing features
What your customers actually experience.
| Feature | Torqueflow | TechMan | Garage Hive | MyGarageCRM | GarageRevs | AutoChain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Customer portal Job tracking, history, approvals | Yes · all plans | Advanced tier+ | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| WhatsApp messaging Two-way customer chat in the workshop inbox | Yes · native | No | No | No | No | No |
| SMS reminders Appointment and follow-up texts | Included | Credits required | Included | Included | Included · allowance | Add-on £15/mo |
| MOT & service reminders Auto-prompts before due dates | Included | MOT data via credits | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Online web booking Public booking widget on your site | Included | Pro tier / extra cost | Partial | Yes | Pro tier | Yes |
| White-label branding Your logo, your domain on customer touchpoints | Yes | Limited | Yes | Limited | Limited | Limited |
The hygiene-credits philosophy: where vendors split into two camps
This is the comparison angle most buying guides skip. UK GMS has split into two distinct philosophies on how to handle the hygiene tasks every garage runs daily - DVLA lookups, MOT data refresh, SMS reminders, mailshots:
Philosophy A · Hygiene included
The operations that have no real per-event cost are bundled into the subscription.
You can run your day without watching a credit meter.
Philosophy B · Hygiene metered
You pay credits or per-event fees for routine lookups, reminders, and mailshots on top of the subscription.
The headline price is rarely what the bill ends up at.
Only AI features (voice, WhatsApp AI, SMS AI, diagnostics) — the things that have a real per-call compute cost.
DVLA lookups, MOT data refresh, mailshots and SMS reminders reportedly require credits per user reviews; telephone integration and web booking are tier-gated.
VRM lookups at 9p each, SMS at 6p each, motor-trade website at +£25/mo.
No built-in accounting — requires Xero (£14–£36/mo) or a Sage subscription on top.
Microsoft Business Central licence at £61.50–£84.60 per user / month on top of the subscription, plus reported setup fees in the thousands.
Free data migration; no metered hygiene.
SMS overage past tier allowance (8p / 6p / 4p per SMS by tier); HaynesPro at £100+VAT per 1,000 tokens if used.
Add-on modules at £15/month each (parts management, tyre management, SMS reminders); £39.99/month for OEM technical data.
The principle behind Torqueflow's model
Credits exist - we use them too - but only for AI features that actually have a real per-event compute cost behind them (every voice call, every AI WhatsApp reply, every invoice extraction is real AI work paid to AI providers). Looking up a registration on DVLA is essentially free at the platform level, so we don't charge credits for it. Sending an SMS reminder that a staff member typed is essentially free at the platform level, so we don't charge credits for it. We charge credits where the cost is real and we don't where it isn't.
For more on how Torqueflow's credits work in practice, see What are AI credits? and How credits are consumed by feature.
Integrations
| Integration | Torqueflow | TechMan | Garage Hive | MyGarageCRM | GarageRevs | AutoChain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Xero Live two-way sync | Sub-minute sync | Export-based | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sage | Yes | Yes | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| QuickBooks | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed | Yes | Not confirmed |
| HaynesPro technical data | Via integration | All tiers | Included | No | Growth+ | £39.99/mo OEM |
| AutoData | Via integration | Included | Included | No | No | No |
| DVLA / VRM lookup | Unlimited | Credits required | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| DVSA MOT history | Unlimited | Credit-gated refresh | Included | Included | Included | Included |
| Stripe online payments | Yes | Limited | Yes | Yes | Pro tier | Yes |
| TakePayments card terminal | Yes | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| GoHighLevel | Yes | No | No | No | No | No |
Pricing model and contract
| Torqueflow | TechMan | Garage Hive | MyGarageCRM | GarageRevs | AutoChain | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing axis | Per bay | Tier · 3 levels | Per organisation + per user (Microsoft licence) | Tier · 3 levels | Tier · 3 levels | Per system · unlimited users |
| Annual rate | £75/bay/mosave 25% | £99 / £189 / £315 / £415 Partner Plan · Starter / Lite / Advanced / Pro · longer commitment | Not published | Not published | £125 / £210 / £280 monthly equivalent · 2 months free | Not published |
| Monthly rate | £100/bay/mo rolling | £99 / £239 / £399 / £529 Flexi Plan · monthly | From £145 + Microsoft per-user licence | £139 / £265 / £365 | £150 / £252 / £336 | £69.99 |
| Per-user fees | None | None | £61.50–£84.60 / user / mo | None | None | None |
| Free trial | 30 days · full features · £1 verification | Demo only | Demo / call | 28 days | 14 days | 30 days |
| Setup / onboarding fee | None | Flexi: £100 / £500 / £1,300 / £1,300 upfront Partner Plan: none | Reportedly thousands | None | None | None |
| Contract | Monthly rolling or annual | Partner (longer commitment, no upfront) or Flexi (rolling + chunky upfront) | Monthly rolling | 28-day trial then monthly | Monthly rolling | Monthly rolling · no lock-in |
| Data migration | TechMan direct import included | Migration assistance available separate fees reported | Structured import (Business Central) | Free from 28+ systems | Free on Pro tier £500 value | Free claimed |
How a real shop's bill works out
The headline number isn't the whole story. Here's what the same garage actually pays at each vendor across 12 months, including realistic hygiene-task usage.
A 3-bay growing independent
~80 vehicles/mo · ~250 inbound calls · ~200 SMS reminders · ~150 DVLA lookupsA 7-bay established independent
~150 vehicles/mo · ~400 inbound calls · ~400 SMS reminders · ~300 DVLA lookupsAt ~£7,020/year, Torqueflow does the work of a £10–22k receptionist.
Torqueflow Annual includes an AI receptionist that handles ~70% of inbound calls plus AI auto-replies on WhatsApp, SMS and the customer portal — work that would otherwise need a £10–22k/year human hire. That's £3k–£15k saved every year, with most of a receptionist's job actually being done.
For context: Torqueflow sits between TechMan's two Pro tiers (Pro Partner ~£5,580–£5,820, Pro Flexi Y1 ~£8,368 with a £1,300 upfront). For that bracket you get AI features no Partner Plan has shipped, a credit model where the basics are free, and no upfront fee.
Where each vendor genuinely wins
- You’re heavily dependent on AutoData / HaynesPro through TechMan’s deep technical-data integrations.
- You value an established 17,000-professional install base for governance / risk reasons.
- Your team is already trained on TechMan and the change-management cost is genuinely high.
- You’re already a Microsoft Business Central shop and want garage software that lives inside that platform.
- You value a strong community and case-study volume above sticker price.
- Your accountant is already comfortable with Business Central financial workflows.
- You want simple flat pricing with unlimited users and a 28-day trial.
- You already have a feature-set wishlist and MyGarageCRM hits it without you needing AI.
- You’re a 3–8 bay independent and the lower flat-tier rate beats per-bay maths at your size.
- You want founder-led onboarding and explicit “no per-user fees, no lock-in” framing.
- You don’t need AI features yet and think the price gap to AI-first products is too big to bridge.
- You’re a 1–2 bay shop who wants the absolute lowest price for core garage management without AI.
- You’re happy with add-on modules at £15/month each as you grow.
- You’re a smaller shop and the £50/month entry price is unbeatable in your evaluation.
- You’re willing to manage credits for VRM lookups and SMS in exchange for a lower base subscription.
- You’re losing bookings to missed calls and the AI receptionist’s job description matches the receptionist you’d otherwise hire.
- Your customers want to message you on WhatsApp, not phone, and you want one inbox for all channels.
- You hate paying credits for DVLA lookups and mailshots, and you want a credit model where the basics are free.
- You want to test for 30 days at £1 verification rather than book a sales call.
- Polish UI matters because half your team or customer base speaks Polish at home.
If a relevant UK vendor is missing from this page, drop us a line and we’ll add them. We’d rather have an accurate page than a flattering one.
Frequently asked
The questions that come up.
Anything else, drop us a line - we’ll answer plainly. No “contact sales for pricing”.
We've covered the most-evaluated UK GMS systems above (TechMan, Garage Hive, MyGarageCRM, GarageRevs, AutoChain) plus a "Other UK options" section noting Motasoft, MAM Autowork, Dragon2000, GDS, WorkAuto, Mentor and AGN. If a relevant vendor is missing, contact us and we'll add them.
Pricing and feature data captured 2026-05-03 from each vendor's published pricing page or current 2026 buying-guide articles. Where pricing is "POA" (Mentor, AGN, partial Garage Hive) we've noted that and used independent reviewer estimates where available. Specific feature claims are based on vendor websites and review platforms; functionality may have changed since.
Yes, in the sense that we wrote it. We've tried to keep the bias-meter dialled down by being explicit about where each vendor genuinely wins and by quoting sourced figures rather than vague claims. If you spot a factual error, contact us and we'll correct it.
Head to a vendor-specific comparison page: Torqueflow vs TechMan, Torqueflow vs Garage Hive, Torqueflow vs AutoChain. Each goes into more detail on switching, migration, and feature parity.
Start a free trial with the two or three you're seriously considering. Run real bookings through each for a week. The comparison page will only get you so far - the day-to-day feel of each system, and how your team takes to it, is the deciding factor. Torqueflow's 30-day trial with full features and £1 card verification is designed to make this kind of side-by-side evaluation easy.
Ready to test it?
30 days, full features, £1 to verify your card.
Run real bookings through Torqueflow for a month. If it's not for you, walk away. No awkward cancellation calls, no retention offers, no hassle.