Side-by-side comparison
Real cost comparison
Comparably equipped: core + health checks + reminders
| Feature | Autera | AutoChain |
|---|---|---|
| Free planWINAutera Solo is free forever, no card. AutoChain starts at its core subscription; no free tier is advertised. | ||
| Public, transparent pricing onlineCredit where due: AutoChain publishes its prices too. £69.99 + VAT/month core, SMS reminders £15 + VAT, HaynesPro £49.99 + VAT. | ||
| Starting priceWINAutera prices are what you pay; we are not VAT registered, so there is nothing to add. AutoChain quote plus VAT throughout. | £29 / month | £69.99 + VAT (£83.99) / month |
| Unlimited employees, no per-seat chargeHonest tie: neither product charges per head. AutoChain include unlimited employees at one flat price, and Autera includes unlimited mechanics and unlimited admin users on every paid plan. On the flat price we are marginally cheaper, £79 on Workshop against their £69.99 + VAT, which is £83.99 to pay. | ||
| No long-term contractBoth are monthly rolling with no lock-in. Honest tie. | ||
| Setup time to first jobBoth products get this right; AutoChain says most garages are running within minutes. | Under 30 minutes, self-serve | Fast, self-serve |
| Native iPhone appWINAutoChain is cloud web on any device; no native apps are advertised. Autera ships real iOS and Android apps. | ||
| Native Android appWIN | ||
| Works offline-tolerant on the shop floorWIN | Native app | Browser |
| Live UK reg lookup | DVLA, built in | |
| DVSA MOT history | ||
| Online 24/7 customer booking | Workshop+ | |
| Drag-and-drop diary | ||
| Vehicle health checksBoth include digital health checks. AutoChain layers HaynesPro technical data into theirs (oil grades, torque figures, brake minimums) for £49.99 + VAT a month, which Autera has no equivalent of at any price. | Workshop+, included | Included |
| MOT / service remindersWINText reminders went live on 24 August. Workshop includes 150 texts a month (Starter 50, Multi-Bay 400) with top-ups if you need more; AutoChain charges £15 + VAT a month for SMS on top of the core price, plus usage. | Email and text, included | SMS add-on £15 + VAT |
| Card payments | Stripe pay-by-link built in | Invoicing with VAT management |
| ADAS calibration certificates (PAS 1880)WIN | Workshop+ | Not advertised |
| Xero / QuickBooks syncWINAutera also produces Sage 50 import packs. | Starter+ | Not advertised |
| Parts stock | Workshop+ | |
| Tyre stock by sizeAutoChain has dedicated tyre management. In Autera a tyre is a normal stock part, so there is no stock-by-size, no fitment lookup from the reg and no load or speed rating. If tyres are your business, that gap is real. | ||
| Purchase orders to suppliersAutoChain raises POs to any supplier. Autera has no purchase-order concept at all: stock only goes up by editing it by hand. Worth knowing if you order parts in volume. | ||
| Postcode & address autofillThey look an address up from the postcode; we make you type it. Small, but you feel it on every new customer. | ||
| Best fit | Garages that live on their phones, from one mechanic to multi-site | Garages happy in a browser who want HaynesPro technical data today |
Comparison reviewed August 2026. Pricing and feature sets change frequently, check autochain.co.uk for the latest from AutoChain.
Why UK garages choose Autera
Apps, not tabs
AutoChain runs in the browser on any device. Autera ships native iPhone, iPad and Android apps built for the ramp: two-tap status changes, photos straight to the job, invoicing from the sofa. The web portal covers the office.
Start free, not at £69.99
Autera Solo is free forever with no card, and Starter is £29. AutoChain’s entry point is £69.99 + VAT before any add-ons. Trying Autera costs you half an hour.
Included, not added on
Vehicle health checks and email MOT reminders are part of Autera’s £79 Workshop plan. On AutoChain, health checks ride the £49.99 HaynesPro add-on and SMS reminders cost £15 more, everything plus VAT.
Both set up fast — one keeps going
AutoChain deserves credit for self-serve setup, and so does Autera: DVLA fills the vehicle from a reg and the first job runs inside half an hour. From there Autera adds native apps, Stripe payments and accounting sync without a call.
ADAS certificates built in
PAS 1880-compliant ADAS calibration certificates are included on Workshop, with technician IMI numbers on every cert. AutoChain does not advertise ADAS certification.
No lock-in on either side
Both products are monthly rolling — we will not pretend otherwise. Autera adds a free-forever plan and full data export at any time, so even trying it commits you to nothing.
Common questions
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