As at 3 Nov 2026

GarageFree vs Workshop Software

A row-by-row comparison of GarageFree and Workshop Software, as at 3 Nov 2026. Every price and feature has a source and the date we checked it.

Where each one is ahead

GarageFree is ahead on

Free plan, MOT and service reminders, Reg lookup (DVSA data), Invoicing, Online booking by customers, Customer portal, Digital health check, Card payments

Workshop Software is ahead on

Supplier and labour-time data

Workshop Software, as at 3 Nov 2026

Prices

Plan	Price (ex VAT)	Source
Silver	£99/month billed annually £119 if billed monthly.	Source, checked 3 Nov 2026
Gold	£109/month billed annually £129 if billed monthly. Adds online booking, customer portal and electronic inspections (their name for digital health checks).	Source, checked 3 Nov 2026
Platinum	£199/month billed annually £249 if billed monthly.	Source, checked 3 Nov 2026
Extra user	£16/month	Source, checked 3 Nov 2026
Registration lookup	UK DVLA lookup and MOT history: 9p per lookup SMS is charged per message; the SMS price is not published.	Source, checked 3 Nov 2026

GarageFree costs £0. Where a price is not published we say so rather than guess.

As at 3 Nov 2026

Features

Feature	GarageFree	Workshop Software	Result
Free plan	Included free Every feature, £0. No card, no contract. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	No No free plan published; plans start at Silver. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
MOT and service reminders	Included free Email reminders are free. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra Reminders are sent by SMS, charged per message. The SMS price is not published. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Reg lookup (DVSA data)	Included free Unlimited lookups, from DVSA data. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra 9p per lookup. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Quotes	Included free Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Not published Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Cannot compare
Invoicing	Included free Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra From Silver. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Online booking by customers	Included free Against your own opening hours and bays. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra Gold plan. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Customer portal	Included free Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra Gold plan. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Digital health check	Included free Traffic-light check with photos. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra Gold plan. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
Card payments	Included free Through your own Stripe account; Stripe's card fees apply and we take none. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra WorkshopPay, from Silver. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	GarageFree ahead
SMS	Paid extra Pay-as-you-go and off until you switch it on. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra Charged per message. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Level
MTD VAT filing	No We show VAT on invoices but do not file with HMRC. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Not published Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Cannot compare
Offline or app use	No An installable web app with offline job cards is in build. No native app. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Not published Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Cannot compare
Supplier and labour-time data	No No Autodata or supplier integrations. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Paid extra WorkshopData add-on at £29/month. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Workshop Software ahead
Data export	Included free CSV export of everything, any time. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Not published Import assistance is charged for; export terms are not published. Source, checked 3 Nov 2026	Cannot compare

“Cannot compare” means one side has not published the detail. Information is taken from Workshop Software's own public pages (https://www.workshopsoftware.com/) and may have changed since we checked. Spotted a mistake? Email us and we will correct it.

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