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Workshop Software vs MechanicDesk
MechanicDesk and Workshop Software are both Australian built workshop management systems selling into Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and they are the two products most often shortlisted against each other here. MechanicDesk is keenly priced and publishes its plans openly. Workshop Software has been building automotive software since 1992, released its first version in 2013, and runs more than 9,400 users. The differences that matter are inside the job card, not on the price list.
What is Workshop Software?
Workshop Software is cloud workshop management software for independent workshops, mechanical repairers and multi-site franchise groups. It runs your booking diary, job cards, quoting and invoicing, stock control, electronic inspections, automated service reminders and a customer portal, with analytics through Workshop Intelligence.
It connects natively to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks Online on every plan, and is a listed app on the Intuit QuickBooks App Store. Intuit reviews listed apps against its published technical and security requirements, and runs its own security scan of them every year. WorkshopData puts vehicle technical data from HaynesPro inside the job card: repair times, service schedules, torque settings and wiring information. There are free native apps for iOS and Android, and on Gold and above the app carries the full job workflow.
Pricing starts at AUD $99 per month on annual billing, excluding GST. There is a 14 day free trial with full features and no credit card required, and no lock-in contract. See full pricing.
What is MechanicDesk?
MechanicDesk is cloud workshop management software from Autodeck Pty Ltd in Melbourne. It covers job management, a booking diary with online booking forms for your website, quoting and invoicing, stock control, customised check sheets, automated booking reminders by email or SMS, and a reporting module covering income, expense, work in progress, employee, marketing and stock. Their homepage states that more than 20,000 mechanics use it.
MechanicDesk publishes its prices on its homepage, and they are low. Starter is AUD $70 per month plus GST for one user, Small is $100 for three, Team is $135 for six and Large is $215 for fifteen. Extra users are $15 per month on Starter and Small, and $10 on Team and Large. Every tier includes a 14 day free trial and full support. SMS is charged at 10 cents a message on every tier.
They sell into three countries and support each properly. Their homepage lists separate phone numbers for Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, and their integration list includes region specific suppliers and vehicle data for each: BNT Automotive and Autolign in New Zealand, CarJam for New Zealand vehicle lookups and MyCarCheck for the United Kingdom.
Their parts ordering list is the broadest we have verified against any competitor: Repco Navigator Pro, Burson EzyParts, NAPA PROLink, Autopro, hsy Autoparts, Auto One, BNT and Autolign. If parts procurement breadth is your first priority, that is worth knowing.
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Workshop Software | MechanicDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Vehicle technical data in the job card | WorkshopData, powered by HaynesPro. Repair times, service schedules, torque settings and wiring information, available on any plan as an add-on from AUD $69 a month. No other Australian workshop system offers it. | None. No technical data or labour times provider appears in any category of their integration list |
| Native Xero integration | Yes, every plan | Yes. Their listing describes stock, customers, suppliers, invoices, bills, payments and credit notes transferring from MechanicDesk to Xero, with payments applied in either system |
| Native MYOB integration | Yes, every plan | Yes, MYOB Essentials or AccountRight Live |
| QuickBooks Online | Native, and a listed app on the Intuit QuickBooks App Store | Listed as an integration |
| Electronic inspections | Yes, Gold and above, with photos and a customer facing link | Check sheets you build yourself, with items, headers and drag and drop reordering. Their documentation describes no photo or video capture, and no customer facing approval link |
| Two-way SMS | Yes, from AUD $49 per month plus a set-up fee | Outbound only. Every published SMS feature is one way, at 10 cents a message |
| Native mobile app | Yes, free on iOS and Android, with the full job workflow on Gold and above | Yes, free on both. Rated 2.7 out of 5 from 12 ratings on the App Store and 3.5 from 39 reviews on Google Play |
| Analytics | Workshop Intelligence, a named product included on Gold and Platinum. Pulse, Scoreboard, Opportunity Finder, Benchmarks and Advisor | A reporting module covering income, expense, work in progress, employee, marketing and stock |
| Online bookings from your website | Yes, Gold and above | Yes, an embeddable booking form and an API, disabled by default |
| Website builder | WorkshopWeb, included with Platinum | No |
| Multi-site and franchise | Yes, Platinum, priced per site | Multisite Management, linking sites to share customers, vehicles, histories and stock. Each site needs its own subscription |
| Public API | Yes, Platinum, plus a public booking API | A booking form API |
| Parts supplier ordering | Repco, Burson, and others by region | Eight suppliers listed, including BNT and Autolign in New Zealand |
| Registration lookups | From AUD $0.39 each | Australian vehicle lookup, CarJam in New Zealand and MyCarCheck in the United Kingdom. Price not disclosed |
| Users included | 1, then AUD $20 per extra user | 1 on Starter, 3 on Small, 6 on Team, 15 on Large. Extra users $10 to $15 |
| Annual billing discount | Yes | Monthly billing only, per their published plans |
| Free trial | 14 days, full features, no credit card | 14 days |
| Markets served | Australia, New Zealand, the United States, the United Kingdom and South Africa | Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom |
| Support | 24 hour human chat, plus phone and email in Australia and the United Kingdom | Phone support in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, plus a support team |
| Independent ratings | Google 4.2 from 159 reviews, Capterra 4.0 from 77, Xero App Store 4.2 from 25 | G2 4.3 from 6 reviews, Capterra 4.4 from 41, Xero App Store 4.76 from 26 |
Pricing Comparison
| Workshop Software | MechanicDesk | |
|---|---|---|
| Entry plan | AUD $99 per month on annual billing, excluding GST | AUD $70 per month plus GST |
| Users on the entry plan | 1, then AUD $20 each | 1, then AUD $15 each |
| Vehicle technical data | WorkshopData from AUD $69 per month, on any plan | Not available |
| Two-way SMS | From AUD $49 per month plus a set-up fee | Not available |
| Outbound SMS | From 11 cents in Australia and New Zealand | 10 cents a message |
| Annual billing | Available | Monthly billing only, per their published plans |
| Free trial | 14 days, no credit card | 14 days |
| Lock-in | None | Not disclosed |
MechanicDesk is cheaper at the entry level. AUD $70 plus GST against AUD $99 is a real difference, and their extra users are $15 against our $20. If the lowest monthly cost decides it, they win that line.
What the extra buys is vehicle technical data and two-way conversation. WorkshopData puts repair times, service schedules, torque settings and wiring information from HaynesPro inside the job card. MechanicDesk lists no technical data provider at all, in any category, so those numbers come from somewhere else: a separate subscription, a workshop manual, or an estimate. On a single underquoted timing belt, the difference costs more than a year of the price gap.
Prices above are current as at August 2026. Both vendors change prices from time to time, so confirm before you commit.
Repair Times in the Job Card, or Not at All
This is the difference that shows up on every job. WorkshopData is vehicle technical data from HaynesPro, sitting inside the Workshop Software job card. Repair times, service schedules, torque settings and wiring information, for the vehicle already in front of you. It is available on any plan as an add-on from AUD $69 per month.
MechanicDesk’s integration list has categories for accounting, payments, parts suppliers and vehicle lookups. It has no technical data or labour times provider in any of them. Their features pages do not mention repair times or service schedules.
That means the quoted hours on a job come from experience, a separate subscription, or a guess. Experienced service advisors are good at this, and plenty of shops run that way for years. But it is one underquoted job a month before the price gap between the two systems disappears.
Check Sheets and Electronic Inspections Are Different Products
Workshop Software includes electronic inspections on Gold and above: a structured inspection on the phone app, photos attached, and a link the customer opens to see what you found and approve the work.
MechanicDesk has check sheets, and you can build them yourself. Their support articles show a workshop user adding items and headers, reordering by drag and drop, and copying invoice items straight onto the sheet. What their documentation does not describe is photo or video capture on the sheet, or a link the customer opens to see and approve what you found.
Both are useful. They are not the same tool, and if you rely on showing customers a worn brake pad to authorise the work, the distinction matters.
Two-Way SMS: A Conversation or a Broadcast
MechanicDesk sends SMS. Automated booking reminders go out the day before an appointment by email or SMS, at 10 cents a message on every tier. Every SMS capability described on their site is outbound.
Workshop Software offers Two Way SMS from AUD $49 per month plus a set-up fee. The customer replies, and the reply lands against the job. In practice that is the difference between telling someone their car is ready and asking whether to proceed with the extra work you just found.
Where MechanicDesk Is Stronger
Three places, and they are real.
Price. AUD $70 plus GST against our $99, and extra users at $15 against our $20.
Parts ordering breadth. Eight suppliers on their published list, including BNT Automotive and Autolign for New Zealand shops. That is the widest list we have verified against any competitor in this market.
Their Xero App Store rating is 4.76 out of 5 from 26 reviews, against our 4.2 from 25. If you run on Xero and that connection is the single thing you care about most, their reviewers rate it highly.
Where the Two Are Closer Than You Might Expect
Both are Australian built. Both publish their prices. Both sell into Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom with local phone support. Both have free native apps on iOS and Android. Both connect to Xero, MYOB and QuickBooks. Both offer a 14 day free trial, and both do online bookings from your website.
If your shortlist is these two, the decision usually comes down to three questions. Do you want repair times inside the job card. Do you want customers to reply to your messages. And do you want inspections your customers can see and approve. If the answer to all three is no, MechanicDesk is the cheaper system and a reasonable choice.
Which Should You Choose?
Choose Workshop Software if you want repair times, service schedules and wiring information inside the job card, electronic inspections your customers can see and approve, two-way SMS so replies land against the job, or named analytics in Workshop Intelligence. Also if you run multiple sites, need a public API, or want annual billing.
MechanicDesk may suit you if the lowest monthly price decides it, you already have vehicle data and repair times from another source, outbound reminders are all the messaging you need, and parts ordering breadth across eight suppliers matters more to you than what sits inside the job card.
Both offer a 14 day trial, so the honest answer is to put the same three jobs through each and see which one quotes them faster. Start a free trial.
Comparing several systems? Read our guide to choosing between workshop platforms.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does MechanicDesk cost?
MechanicDesk publishes its prices on its homepage. Starter is AUD $70 per month plus GST for one user, Small is $100 for three, Team is $135 for six and Large is $215 for fifteen. Extra users are $15 per month on Starter and Small and $10 on Team and Large. SMS is 10 cents a message on every tier. Workshop Software starts at AUD $99 per month on annual billing, excluding GST.
Is MechanicDesk cheaper than Workshop Software?
At the entry level, yes. AUD $70 plus GST against AUD $99, and their extra users are $15 against our $20. What the difference buys is WorkshopData, so repair times and service schedules sit inside the job card, electronic inspections your customers can approve, and two-way SMS.
Does MechanicDesk have vehicle technical data or repair times?
No. No technical data or labour times provider appears in any category of MechanicDesk’s integration list, and their features pages do not mention repair times or service schedules. Workshop Software offers WorkshopData, powered by HaynesPro, from AUD $69 a month, with repair times, service schedules, torque settings and wiring information in the job card, available on any plan.
Does MechanicDesk work with Xero and MYOB?
Yes, both, and QuickBooks as well. Their Xero listing describes stock, customers, suppliers, invoices, bills, payments and credit notes transferring from MechanicDesk to Xero, with payments applied in either system. Workshop Software connects natively to all three on every plan and is a listed app on the Intuit QuickBooks App Store.
Does MechanicDesk have two-way SMS?
Every SMS capability described on their site is outbound, charged at 10 cents a message. Automated booking reminders are sent the day before an appointment by email or SMS. Workshop Software offers Two Way SMS from AUD $49 per month plus a set-up fee, so customer replies land against the job.
Does MechanicDesk do digital vehicle inspections?
MechanicDesk has check sheets, which you can build and reorder yourself. Their documentation describes no photo or video capture on the sheet, and no customer facing approval link. Workshop Software includes electronic inspections on Gold and above, with photos attached and a link the customer opens to see what you found and approve the work.
Which countries does MechanicDesk cover?
Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. Their homepage lists a separate support number for each, and their integrations include BNT Automotive and Autolign for New Zealand, CarJam for New Zealand vehicle lookups and MyCarCheck for the United Kingdom. Workshop Software adds the United States and South Africa, billed in local currency in each.
Does MechanicDesk have a mobile app?
Yes, free native apps on both iOS and Android, rated 2.7 out of 5 from 12 ratings on the App Store and 3.5 from 39 reviews on Google Play. Workshop Software has free native apps on both platforms, and on Gold and above the app carries the full job workflow including inspections, bookings and end to end invoicing.
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Comparison based on information published by each vendor at the time of writing. Software pricing and features change, so please verify details with each vendor before you commit. Last reviewed August 2026.