AutoChain vs Garage Hive
How AutoChain and Garage Hive compare on price, contract, trial, users and the features UK garages use every day. Every Garage Hive fact comes from Garage Hive's own website, and where it does not publish something, we say so.
Last checked: October 2026. Facts about Garage Hive come from Garage Hive's own website. Prices and features change, so confirm the details with Garage Hive before you buy.
Two good systems, built for different garages
Garage Hive
Garage Hive describes itself as a community-driven, cloud-based system, designed with multi-location independent garages and field-based services such as mobile tyre fitting in mind. It is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central with its own accounts system, Power BI reporting and Autodata, and sells Core, Pro and Enterprise plans based on users and locations.
AutoChain
AutoChain suits independent garages that want a published flat monthly price with unlimited users, and keep their books in Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting with a live sync. Health checks with online authorisation, online booking and Stripe payment links are all in the core plan, there is no setup fee, and multi-site is an add-on priced per site.
AutoChain and Garage Hive compared
| Comparison point | AutoChain | Garage Hive |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | One monthly plan with everything core included, plus optional add-ons. | Monthly subscription. Core, Pro and Enterprise plans, priced by business needs, users and locations, plus per-unit costs for lookups and SMS. |
| Published price | £69.99/mo + VAT. Add-ons: SMS £15/mo + VAT with 200 credits, HaynesPro £49.99/mo + VAT per site, multi-site priced per site. | From £145 a month. Plan prices, per-user prices and setup costs not published. VAT not stated. |
| Contract | Monthly rolling, cancel anytime. No setup fee. | One-month rolling, then cancel anytime with a signed form. Autodata is quarterly and Microsoft 365 annual. |
| Free trial | First month free, no card needed. Add-ons are billed from day one. | Some pages mention a free trial; terms not published. Free demo offered. |
| Users and seats | Unlimited employees, no per-seat fees. | Charged per user (Full and Lite users). Prices not published. |
| VRM and DVSA MOT lookup | Yes, free: VRM lookup and full DVSA MOT history by registration. | Yes: VRM lookup and DVSA MOT integration. MOT lookups are charged per unit. |
| Health checks with online authorisation | Yes, in the core plan. Customers review the health check and authorise work online. | Yes. Customers approve work online by SMS or email. |
| Online booking | Yes, an online booking widget for your website, in the core plan. | Yes, linked to the live diary, for any website. |
| Online payments | Yes. Pay-online invoice links and card payments through Stripe (Stripe fees apply). | Yes. Pay by Garage Link through Pay360 and Stripe, Dojo terminals and links, and finance through Humm and Payment Assist. |
| Parts and tyre ordering (GSF, GroupTyre, Bonds Tyres) | GSF: yes, parts picked in GSF TradeHub land on the job and are ordered from the job. GroupTyre: search trade prices and depot stock by tyre size, then order with GroupTyre as usual. Bonds Tyres: not available. | GSF: yes (AlliCat Online), along with LKQ Euro Car Parts, NAPA, Dingbro, Micheldever and Stapleton Tyres. GroupTyre: not published. Bonds Tyres: not published. |
| AI invoice scanning | Yes, live. Photograph or upload a supplier invoice; every line is read and matched to your jobs, purchase orders and stock for you to check and confirm. 25 scan credits a month included, then top-up packs. | Not published. |
| Customer satisfaction surveys (Customer Intelligence) | Yes, live. Customer Intelligence sends a 0-10 survey after every paid invoice, with the reasons customers give, an employee leaderboard, revenue at risk and Google review requests. | Yes. Built-in customer surveys, using a standard loyalty score or your own questions, with automated SMS and email feedback requests. An SMS survey can go out once a job is invoiced. |
| Workshop board | Yes. The Workshop screen: bookings by fortnight, week or day, Live, On site, Undated and Completed, colour-coded by job type. | Yes. A T-Card Planner and a drag-and-drop schedule. |
| Job clocking | Yes. Technicians clock on and off each work item; the Live tab shows who is on what, and time saved against the estimate is banked. | Yes. Technician time clocking, listed for all platforms. |
| Online estimate approval | Yes. Customers approve or decline each estimate line from a link sent by email or text; decisions given by phone are recorded with who gave them. | Yes. Customers approve work after receiving an online estimate or report. |
| Warranty company invoicing | Yes. Bill a job to a warranty company: payer per work item, customer excess, pro-forma approval, and separate warranty and customer invoices. | Not published. |
| Staff leave management | Yes. Staff request leave and managers approve it, with an allowance and carry-over for each employee, shown on the calendar. | Staff holidays and sickness show on the schedule. Leave booked in Timetastic syncs through an integration. |
| Accounting | Live sync with Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting. CSV export for Sage 50. | Its own accounts system on Microsoft Dynamics 365. Xero integration through the Xero API; Sage and QuickBooks integrations listed (method not published). |
| Support | Phone, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, and email. Included in the plan. | Phone, email and messages, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm. Included. |
See every AutoChain price on the pricing page, or how 11 systems compare in our guide to the best garage management software in the UK.
Switching from Garage Hive to AutoChain
- Check your Garage Hive terms first. Garage Hive is one-month rolling, but Autodata and Microsoft 365 have quarterly and annual commitments, and cancelling needs its signed form.
- Create your account and add your garage details, opening hours and staff. Most garages are set up in about 10 minutes.
- Add customers and vehicles as they come in. Enter a registration and AutoChain fills in the vehicle and its MOT history, so there is no need to type everything in on day one.
- Connect your accounts (Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting) and your GSF or GroupTyre account if you use them.
- Turn on automated MOT reminders, and add the booking widget to your website when you are ready.
For the week-by-week plan, read our guide to switching to garage management software.
Still deciding? Read what to check before you leave Garage Hive, or book a free demo and we will walk you through AutoChain on your own jobs.
AutoChain vs Garage Hive: questions
How does AutoChain pricing compare with Garage Hive?
AutoChain has one plan at £69.99/mo + VAT with unlimited users and no setup fee. Garage Hive publishes a starting price of £145 a month; its plan prices, per-user prices and one-off setup costs are not published, and it does not say whether VAT is included.
Do I pay per user?
Not with AutoChain: every employee is included. Garage Hive's terms say users are charged (Full Users and Lite Users), with prices not published.
Which is better for accounts?
Garage Hive includes its own accounts system on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and gives your accountant a free licence. AutoChain syncs live with Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting, so you keep the package you already use. Garage Hive also integrates with Xero through its API, and lists Sage and QuickBooks integrations.
Can I try either before I buy?
AutoChain's first month is free and no card is needed. Garage Hive's pricing page offers a free demo, and some of its feature pages mention a free trial without publishing the terms.
Do both support more than one site?
Yes. Garage Hive says it is built for multi-location garages. AutoChain runs several sites from one account with the multi-site add-on, priced per site.
Run your garage smarter from today
Join 100+ UK garages, from single-bay workshops to multi-site groups, already streamlining jobs, customers, MOTs and online bookings with AutoChain from £69.99/mo + VAT.
- Set up in about 10 minutes
- No long-term contract
- Cancel anytime