AutoChain vs TechMan
How AutoChain and TechMan compare on price, contract, trial, users and the features UK garages use every day. Every TechMan fact comes from TechMan's own website, and where it does not publish something, we say so.
Last checked: October 2026. Facts about TechMan come from TechMan's own website. Prices and features change, so confirm the details with TechMan before you buy.
Two good systems, built for different garages
TechMan
TechMan describes itself as built by a garage, with integrations as its main strength: parts suppliers including GSF, LKQ Euro Car Parts, NAPA and Dingbro, HaynesPro E3 on every plan, and Autodata. It sells four plans, from Starter for workshops moving off paper up to Pro with a web booking tool, telephone integration and a car sales module, each on a minimum-term Partner Plan or a 30-day Flexi Plan with an upfront fee.
AutoChain
AutoChain suits independent garages that want one published monthly price with the core of the business included: health checks with online authorisation, online booking, Stripe payment links, live accounting sync and unlimited users. There is no contract and no setup fee, and HaynesPro is an add-on rather than part of the plan.
AutoChain and TechMan compared
| Comparison point | AutoChain | TechMan |
|---|---|---|
| Price model | One monthly plan with everything core included, plus optional add-ons. | Monthly subscription. Four plans (Starter, Lite, Advanced, Pro), each as a Partner Plan (minimum term, no upfront cost) or a Flexi Plan (30-day rolling, upfront fee). |
| 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. | Partner Plan: Starter £99, Lite £189, Advanced £315, Pro £415 a month. Flexi Plan: £99, £239, £399, £529 a month, plus £199, £500, £1,300 or £1,300 upfront. VAT not stated. |
| Contract | Monthly rolling, cancel anytime. No setup fee. | Partner Plan: minimum term, length not published. Flexi Plan: 30-day rolling. Notice period not published. |
| Free trial | First month free, no card needed. Add-ons are billed from day one. | Not published. Live demo offered. |
| Users and seats | Unlimited employees, no per-seat fees. | No per-user charge, except on the Starter Flexi plan. |
| VRM and DVSA MOT lookup | Yes, free: VRM lookup and full DVSA MOT history by registration. | MOT expiry lookup from DVSA records. VRM lookup: not published. |
| Health checks with online authorisation | Yes, in the core plan. Customers review the health check and authorise work online. | Yes. TechView health checks; customers authorise estimates through the Customer Portal, which TechMan lists under its Advanced plan. |
| Online booking | Yes, an online booking widget for your website, in the core plan. | Web booking tool, listed under the Pro plan. BookMyGarage and FixMyCar bookings go into the diary. |
| Online payments | Yes. Pay-online invoice links and card payments through Stripe (Stripe fees apply). | Card terminal integration and Payment Assist repair finance. Online card payment links: not published. |
| 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, along with LKQ Euro Car Parts, NAPA Auto Parts and Dingbro. 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. | Not published. |
| Workshop board | Yes. The Workshop screen: bookings by fortnight, week or day, Live, On site, Undated and Completed, colour-coded by job type. | Drag-and-drop calendars showing each job's status by colour and each technician's workload. A Digital Kanban Board was announced in 2020. |
| 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. Technicians clock in and out of each job, and hours booked are compared with hours clocked. |
| 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, through the Customer Portal, which TechMan lists under its Advanced plan. |
| 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 absence, such as annual leave or training, is recorded and shown on the calendars. Staff Holiday Calendar is listed on the pricing page. |
| Accounting | Live sync with Xero, QuickBooks Online or Sage Accounting. CSV export for Sage 50. | Sage, Xero, QuickBooks and KashFlow. The integrations page describes exports; the invoicing page describes automatic sync with Xero, QuickBooks and Sage. Ask which applies to your plan. |
| Support | Phone, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, and email. Included in the plan. | Phone, email and in-app messaging. Hours not published. |
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 TechMan to AutoChain
- Check your TechMan agreement first. TechMan's Partner Plans run on a minimum term, so note when yours ends and what notice it needs.
- 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 TechMan, or book a free demo and we will walk you through AutoChain on your own jobs.
AutoChain vs TechMan: questions
How does AutoChain pricing compare with TechMan?
AutoChain has one plan at £69.99/mo + VAT with no setup fee. TechMan shows four plans on its pricing page: on the Partner Plan, Starter £99, Lite £189, Advanced £315 and Pro £415 a month; on the Flexi Plan, £99, £239, £399 and £529 a month plus an upfront fee of £199 to £1,300. TechMan does not say whether VAT is included. Compare the plan that has the features you use.
Do AutoChain and TechMan have contracts?
AutoChain is monthly rolling with no minimum term. TechMan offers a Partner Plan on a minimum-term agreement, with the length not published, or a Flexi Plan on a 30-day rolling basis.
Can I try AutoChain or TechMan before I buy?
AutoChain's first month is free and no card is needed. TechMan does not publish a free trial and offers a live demo instead. Both offer demos.
Do both work with GSF?
Yes. TechMan lists GSF alongside LKQ Euro Car Parts, NAPA and Dingbro. In AutoChain you pick GSF parts in GSF TradeHub from a work line and they land on the job, ready to order.
Is HaynesPro included?
TechMan says HaynesPro E3 is integrated on every plan. In AutoChain, HaynesPro is an optional add-on at £49.99/mo + VAT per site, covering every user at that 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