Comparison
Looking for a TechMan alternative?
TechMan is a capable, well-established workshop system. Garage Shift is a smaller, cheaper, published-price alternative built for independent garages and mobile mechanics.
TechMan is one of the better-known garage management systems in the UK. It was built by a garage, it integrates technical data from Autodata and HaynesPro, it connects to parts suppliers, and it covers the full workshop: front of house, electronic vehicle health checks, paperless job cards and reporting. If you run a multi-bay workshop with technicians who need lookup data at the ramp, it is a serious product and we are not going to pretend otherwise.
Garage Shift is a different size of thing. It is built for the independent garage and the mobile mechanic — the one-to-five-person operations where the person booking the job is often the person doing it. That shapes two decisions people usually arrive here looking for: our price is published on the website rather than quoted, and there is no minimum term and no onboarding fee to get started.
Side by side
TechMan and Garage Shift, compared
| Criteria | TechMan | Garage Shift |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Not published — pricing is by quote after a demo | £50/month or £500/year, published on the pricing page |
| Minimum term | The Partner Plan is a minimum-term agreement; the Flexi Plan is 30-day rolling | None — cancel any time, monthly or annual |
| Cost to get started | Flexi plans carry an onboarding and implementation fee; the Partner Plan spreads it into the monthly rate instead | £1 for the first month. Setup and data migration included |
| Charged per user? | No, except on the Starter Flexi plan | No |
| Technical data (Autodata, HaynesPro) | Integrated | Not offered |
| Parts supplier integrations | Integrated | Not offered — parts are managed in-system, not ordered from it |
| Job clustering for mobile mechanics | Not published | Smart Area Match — on by default for mobile accounts |
| Trying it before you talk to anyone | Book a demo with their team | Open the live demo in a browser, no form and no call |
Everything in the TechMan column was taken from their own website on 13 August 2026. “Not published” means we could not find it stated there — not that it does not exist. Pricing and features change, so check both sites before you decide.
The difference
Where Garage Shift is different
The price is on the website
TechMan publishes four tiers — Starter, Lite, Advanced and Pro — and two commercial structures, but not the figures. To find out what you would pay, you request a demo and talk to their sales team. That is a completely normal way to sell software to workshops, and for a large site it is probably the right way. It is also the single most common reason people end up on a page like this one: they wanted a number.
- £50 a month, or £500 a year — the same figure for everyone
- £1 for your first month, so the first commitment is a pound
- No contract. Cancel from the account, not by giving notice
- No onboarding fee and no implementation fee
Built for the van as well as the bay
TechMan's site describes technicians, reception staff and owners — a workshop with a front desk. Garage Shift is built for that too, but mobile mechanics are a first-class audience rather than an afterthought. Smart Area Match is the clearest example: when a customer books online near work you already have on for an upcoming day, we nudge them toward that day, so your week clusters geographically instead of scattering across the county.
- Smart Area Match clusters online bookings by area, cutting the driving between jobs
- Booking page asks for the vehicle's location rather than sending customers to premises
- Jobsheets, invoices and payments all work from a phone at the roadside
- Runs in the browser — no app to install, no per-device licence
Less system to learn
A full workshop platform earns its complexity when you have a service manager, three technicians and a parts desk. When you are the service manager, the technician and the parts desk, that same depth is something you have to get through before you can raise an invoice. Garage Shift deliberately covers less ground and asks for less setup.
- Most garages are running in under 20 minutes
- DVSA lookup by registration fills in make, model, MOT and tax
- Everything is in the browser, on whatever device is nearest
- Personalised setup with a real person, included
Being straight with you
When TechMan is the better choice
- You need Autodata or HaynesPro technical data at the ramp — we do not integrate either.
- You order parts directly from your supplier inside your management system.
- You run several sites with a reception team and want a system built around that structure.
- You would rather have a negotiated minimum-term contract at a lower monthly rate than a rolling one at list price.
Switching
Moving from TechMan
- Personalised setup and data migration are included in the price, not quoted separately
- Customer and vehicle records import from a spreadsheet (CSV), service history included in most cases
- Most garages are up and running in under 20 minutes
- Email and phone support, 9am–5pm Monday to Friday
Questions
TechMan vs Garage Shift, answered
- How much does TechMan cost compared to Garage Shift?
- TechMan does not publish prices — you request a demo and their team quotes you, and they offer a lower monthly rate on a minimum-term Partner Plan or a 30-day rolling Flexi Plan with an onboarding and implementation fee. Garage Shift publishes its price: £50 a month or £500 a year, with the first month at £1, no contract, and setup and data migration included. Checked against techmangms.com on 13 August 2026.
- Can I move my data from TechMan to Garage Shift?
- In most cases, yes. Data migration is included in the price rather than quoted separately. We import customer lists, vehicle details and, in most cases, service history from a spreadsheet export. Talk to us before you cancel anything so we can line the two up.
- Is Garage Shift a full replacement for TechMan?
- For an independent garage or a mobile mechanic doing servicing, repairs and MOT work, yes — bookings, jobsheets, invoicing, customer and vehicle records, MOT reminders and accounting sync are all covered. If you rely on integrated technical data from Autodata or HaynesPro, or on ordering parts from suppliers inside the system, Garage Shift does not currently do either and TechMan does.
- Do I have to sign a contract with Garage Shift?
- No. Garage Shift is £50 a month with no minimum term — you cancel whenever you like. The annual plan at £500 saves over 15% if you would rather pay up front, but it is optional.
- Can I try Garage Shift without talking to a salesperson?
- Yes. There is a live interactive demo with realistic data that you can open in a browser right now — no form, no call, no card. When you are ready, the first month is £1.
Pricing
One simple plan, everything included
No tiers, no add-ons. Try the whole platform for £1 in your first month — keep going only if it fits.
then £50/month, or £500/year (save over 15%). Cancel anytime.
- Online booking page with your branding
- Jobsheets, invoices & payments in one place
- DVSA vehicle lookup & accounting integration
- Personalised setup & data migration
Get Started
Ready to transform your garage?
Join garages across the UK already using Garage Shift to streamline their workflow and grow their business.