What a small garage actually needs
A small workshop has no spare person to absorb admin, which is why garage management software often pays off faster here than in a large garage. Every hour spent chasing paperwork is an hour not earning.
Three things decide it: what it costs to start, how much admin it removes, and whether it can grow with you without a renegotiation.
Be clear about price first
We are one of the providers here, and on entry price we are not the cheapest. Motasoft starts at £65 a month against our £99. If the lowest monthly figure is the deciding factor, that is the honest answer and you should look at them.
What we would say is that entry price alone is a poor way to choose, because setup fees and add-ons move the real number considerably.
Motasoft
£65 a month plus VAT for VGM Essential, with free setup and unlimited users. The cheapest genuine option here.
The advertised rate applies to customers who sign up with MotasoftPay, their own payment processing. Health checks and the technician app sit on their £149 Complete plan. Their site states a 12-month contract while their pricing page says no fixed term, so get that confirmed.
From the Autopilot teamAutopilot GMS
£99 a month plus VAT, nothing upfront, no contract and no charge per user or technician.
The entry plan includes the full job, customer, invoicing and parts workflow plus vehicle health checks, an AI assistant and 150 free text messages a month. Automated booking confirmations and MOT reminders are the features that matter most to a small garage, because the work small garages lose is usually lost to being forgotten rather than to price.
You can move up a plan whenever you need to, and taking on your first employee does not change the bill. There is a 30-day trial on the full plan.
Bookar
£99.99 a month plus VAT, plus a £150 one-off setup fee. Modern, with a strong integration list.
For a small garage the add-ons are the thing to watch: technical data at £69 a month and online booking at £30 can double the real cost. Texts are 8p each, which adds up if reminders are your main marketing.
Garage Hive
From £145 a month, with everything included and a one-month rolling contract.
A fair offer for a one-person workshop. Per-user charging matters less when there is only one of you, though it becomes the main consideration if you grow.
Looking professional is the quiet benefit
A customer choosing between two small garages rarely sees the workshop. They see the booking confirmation, the reminder, the health check with photos and the invoice.
A one-ramp garage sending those looks every bit as organised as a franchised dealer. That impression is often what wins the second visit, and it is the part owners underestimate when weighing up £65 against £99.
Our honest recommendation
If the cheapest monthly figure wins, Motasoft. If you want health checks, reminders and an AI assistant in the entry plan with nothing upfront and no per-user cost as you grow, we would say us. Try both: ours is free for 30 days on the full plan.
Prices and features above are taken from each provider’s own published pages and were checked in October 2026. Entry plan contents vary far more than entry prices do. Providers change their pricing at any time, so check before deciding.