Comparison · TechMan alternative

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.

Built-in TechMan import · runs overnight

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Torqueflow Torqueflow
AI-first garage management

Phones answered, supplier invoices scanned, Xero in sync. AI takes admin off you.

£249/month– £2490 annual
All features · all hygiene tasks included · 30-day trial
Voice AI receptionist
AI invoice scanning
DVLA & MOT lookups – included
SMS reminders & mailshots – included
AI takes admin off your plate
Credits used only for AI compute, never for basics
VS
TechMan
Established all-in-one GMS

A long-running UK GMS with install-base scale and a tiered pricing model.

£99–£529/ month · tiered
Starter / Lite / Advanced / Pro · Partner or Flexi contract
No Voice AI receptionist
No AI invoice scanning
DVLA & MOT lookups cost credits
SMS & mailshots cost credits
17,000+ automotive professionals
Real install-base scale & community

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 Haynes Pro built in (repair times, service schedules, part categories) Yes – prominent
Customer portal Yes – magic-link, mobile-first Yes
Polish language UI Yes – staff and portal English only
Install base New in 2026, growing 17,000+ professionals
Direct TechMan import Yes – built-in tool N/A
Setup time Couple of hours Longer migration
Pricing – subscription £249/monthevery feature included, any number of bays £99-£529/month tieredStarter / Lite / Advanced / Pro · Partner or Flexi contract
Upfront / setup fees None None on Partner Plan; £100-£1,300 upfront on Flexi Plan depending on tier
Pricing – hygiene tasks (DVLA, mailshots, SMS) Included Credits required on top of subscription
Pricing – AI features Credits used 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.

TM

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
For staff-written messages; 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 used (AI compute cost)
AI replying on WhatsApp / SMS / portal n/a (TechMan doesn’t have one) Credits used (AI compute cost)
AI extracting a supplier invoice n/a (TechMan doesn’t have one) Credits used (AI compute cost)
The principle

Garages should pay credits for things that actually have a real per-event cost behind them – which today means AI inference. They should not 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.

What this means for your bill

A 7-bay shop sending typical SMS reminder traffic and looking up vehicles routinely can accumulate £50-100/month of TechMan credit consumption on top of their subscription. On Torqueflow, that 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 if you don’t want AI on your phone or messaging channels.

For more on how Torqueflow’s credits actually work, see What are AI credits? and How credits are consumed by feature.

Why garages switch from TechMan to Torqueflow

The most common things we hear.

Reasons we hear from switchers

“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, offers callers a time from your real diary, and 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 TechMan.

TECHMAN advantages

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 integration

TechMan partners with AutoData as well as Haynes Pro. Torqueflow has Haynes Pro built in (manufacturer repair times, service schedules, part categories) but no AutoData, which matters if AutoData is the reference your technicians reach for.

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.

  • Customer records – full history, contact details, vehicle list per customer.
  • Vehicle records – registration, VRM lookup data, MOT history, service history.
  • Work order history – past jobs, line items, technicians, dates.
  • Sales invoices – historical record kept queryable for HMRC retention.
  • Purchase invoices – supplier links preserved.
  • Suppliers and parts catalogue – your catalogue and supplier records come across intact.

What you redo (small)

A handful of light setup tasks – measured in minutes.

  • Workshop stages – Torqueflow’s kanban is configurable; you’ll likely want to redesign columns to match how you actually work, rather than copy TechMan’s defaults.
  • Voice AI persona – TechMan doesn’t have one, so this is genuinely new. 5 minutes to configure.
  • Customer portal branding – set up your subdomain, logo, and colours once.
  • Integrations – connect Xero (one click), Stripe (3 minutes), TakePayments if relevant.

Typical timeline

D0
Day 0

Sign up, run setup wizard (about 2 hours), import data overnight.

D1
Day 1

Review imported data, configure team and Voice AI, take first new bookings.

W1
Week 1

Run new bookings on Torqueflow, finish old bookings out on TechMan.

W2
Week 2

Switch over fully. Cancel TechMan at end of contract.

We don’t recommend running both systems in true parallel for more than a couple of weeks — the reconciliation overhead isn’t worth it.

Pricing

Per-bay all-in, vs tiers plus credits.

  TFTorqueflow TMTechMan
Pricing modelHow you’re charged One subscription, scales with workshop size Never per user Per tierStarter / Lite / Advanced / Pro
Annual rateBilled annually From £2490/year (two monts free)Exact figure on the demo Partner Plan: £99 / £189 / £315 / £415 per monthLonger commitment, no upfront fee
Monthly rateRolling, no commit From £249/month, rolling Flexi Plan: £99 / £239 / £399 / £529 per month30-day rolling
Upfront / setup feesTo get started None Partner Plan: none
Flexi Plan: £100 (Starter) / £500 (Lite) / £1,300 (Advanced) / £1,300 (Pro) upfront
Hygiene-task costsDVLA, MOT data, SMS reminders, mailshots All included Credits required on top
Customer portalWhite-labelled access All plans Advanced tier or above
Telephone integration / web bookingInbound traffic Included via Voice AI Pro tier or extra cost
Free trialBefore you commit 30 days, full features Demo-led or self-serve Demo-only
ContractLock-in terms Monthly rolling or annual Partner Plan (longer commitment) or Flexi Plan (rolling + upfront fee)
Migration assistanceSwitching cost Built-in TechMan import, no extra cost Migration available, separate fees reported

What a 7-bay shop actually pays TechMan over 12 months

  TechMan Pro Flexi TechMan Pro Partner
Subscription £529 × 12 = £6,348 £4,980
Upfront / setup fee £1,300 upfront £0
Hygiene credits (DVLA, MOT data, SMS, mailshots) ~£600-£1,200 (~£50-100/month) ~£600-£1,200
AI features n/a (no AI available) n/a
Year-1 total ~£8,348-£8,948 ~£5,580-£6,180

Where does Torqueflow land against that? We’ll give you the exact all-in Year-1 figure for your workshop on the demo, in writing, including typical AI credit usage. What we’ll say here: there’s no upfront fee, hygiene tasks (DVLA, MOT data, SMS, mailshots) are included rather than metered, and against the Pro Flexi iceberg a comparable Torqueflow setup comes out ahead in Year 1.

The honest comparison is Pro Partner, TechMan’s longer-commitment, no-upfront structure. At a similar bay count it will likely come in under Torqueflow’s Year-1 total, and we’d rather tell you that here than have you discover it later. But you don’t get any AI. The difference buys an AI receptionist that handles ~70% of inbound calls and AI auto-replies on WhatsApp / SMS / portal. A part-time receptionist costs £10-£12k/year for half the volume of work the AI handles. The Pro Partner saving disappears the moment Torqueflow’s AI defers a £15k/year hire.

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 specifically. Torqueflow has Haynes Pro built in, but no AutoData.

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.

Yes. Customer records, vehicle records, MOT dates, advisory items, full service history, and historical invoices all transfer. The TechMan direct import is the cleanest path; we’ve done it for multiple migrating customers.

The import itself runs in hours, not days. You can start using Torqueflow on Day 1 with all your historical data in place. Full team transition takes 1-2 weeks at a typical garage’s pace.

For 2-3 weeks if needed, yes. Beyond that the reconciliation overhead becomes a problem. Most garages cut over fully within a week or two.

On core garage workflow – yes (bookings, scheduling, work orders, parts, invoicing, customer portal, MOT, time tracking). Haynes Pro repair times and service schedules are built into Torqueflow; TechMan additionally integrates AutoData if that’s the reference you rely on. Torqueflow is ahead on AI features, Xero liveness, and Polish UI.

The AI persona is configurable – you set the name, voice, gender, and tone. Most garages find their customers respond positively because they get an answer, not a “let me take a message”. The Voice AI is also opt-in – you can keep your phone manual until you’re ready.

Maybe – depends on what TechMan is quoting you. The bigger savings tend to be in time: fewer phone interruptions, no supplier-invoice typing, less accountant reconciliation. Hard pound figures vary by garage.

30 days to find out, no charge during the trial. If you decide not to convert, your TechMan account is still running – no downside to having tested it.

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.

Book a Demo

Or start a 30-day trial yourself for £1.