Autera vs Garage Hive

The Garage Hive alternative
built for UK independent garages.

Garage Hive is a capable Microsoft Dynamics-based platform aimed at established workshops and dealer groups. Autera is built for UK independents who want a modern mobile-first tool without per-user pricing or a Dynamics learning curve.

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FEATURE COMPARISON

Side-by-side comparison

Real cost comparison

Example: a 1 front-of-house + 3 technician shop

Garage Hive
£350+/mo
Example based on a documented user quote: base licence plus a Microsoft 365 seat per named user.
Autera Workshop
£79/mo
Covers 6 technicians. Unlimited free admin and front-of-house. No Microsoft 365 licence.
16 clear winsAutera leads on 16 features Garage Hive doesn’t match
FeatureAuteraGarage Hive
Free planWINAutera Solo is free forever; Garage Hive is paid only.
Public, transparent pricing onlineWINGarage Hive pricing is quote-only; Autera plans + prices are public.
Pricing modelWINPer workshop + per technician; 3 to unlimited technicians by tier, admins/office free; no Microsoft licence. Garage Hive charges per named user plus a Microsoft 365 seat each.Per workshop + per technicianPer user
Starting priceWINGarage Hive pricing is quote-based and materially higher per-seat than Autera.£29 / monthHigher
Annual discount~20% offQuote-based
Setup feeWINNoneImplementation fee typical
No long-term contractWINCancel any month from billing settings. Garage Hive typically requires an annual commit.
Cloud-native, mobile-firstWINCloud, but Dynamics-based UX
Native iPad appWINWeb app on iPad
Native Android tablet appWINWeb app on Android
Setup time to first jobWINUnder 30 minutesDays, with onboarding
Mobile camera direct photo upload to jobStarter+Limited
Live UK DVLA reg lookup
Quote → invoice → payment in one tool
Online customer paymentsStripe built-inAvailable
ADAS calibration certificates (PAS 1880)WINWorkshop+Add-on / not standard
MOT reminder workflowWorkshop+
Branded invoices and PDFsStarter+
Customer quote-acceptance & pay-by-link portalLimited
CSV import for customers + vehiclesWINPaid migration
Xero / QuickBooks syncStarter+
Live supplier price lookup (Euro Car Parts / GSF)Garage Hive integrates with UK parts factors. On the Autera roadmap; manual entry until then.Roadmap
SetupWINSelf-serve. Live in 30 minutes.On-site training mandatory. Setup fees apply.
Best fitIndependent garages, mobile mechanicsMulti-bay, dealer groups

Comparison reviewed May 2026. Pricing and feature sets change frequently, check garagehive.co.uk for the latest from Garage Hive.

WHY AUTERA

Why UK garages choose Autera

No per-user maths

Garage Hive bills per named user plus a Microsoft 365 seat each, which gets expensive as you hire. Autera charges per technician only, your admins, front-of-house and owner are free. Workshop covers 6 technicians for £79/month, Multi-Bay is unlimited.

Mobile-first, not Dynamics-first

Garage Hive is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central. Powerful, but a steeper learning curve. Autera was designed phone-first for technicians on the shop floor.

Live in 30 minutes, not weeks

Most UK garages are operational on Autera within half an hour of signing up. No implementation projects, no onboarding fees, no consultants required.

Genuine free plan

Solo mechanics use Autera Solo free forever, no card. Try the product for real, with real customers, before deciding whether to upgrade. Garage Hive is paid-only.

ADAS certificates built in

PAS 1880-compliant ADAS calibration certificates are included on the £79 Workshop plan, with technician IMI numbers captured on each cert and emailed to the customer.

No lock-in

Export your customers, vehicles and job history any time. No contract minimum, no exit fees. Cancel from billing in under a minute and your data stays exportable for 60 days.

QUESTIONS

Common questions

Yes. Export your customer and vehicle data from Garage Hive as CSV, then use Autera’s built-in CSV import to bring it across. Job history is harder because Garage Hive doesn’t expose it cleanly, so most garages start fresh on new jobs and keep Garage Hive open in another tab for historical lookups during the first month.

Garage Hive prices per named user, with pricing only available via quote. Autera publishes its prices: Solo £0, Starter £29/month, Workshop £79/month (covers up to 6 mechanics), Multi-Bay £149/month (unlimited). For most independents Autera works out cheaper, and you can see the exact number before talking to anyone.

ADAS calibration certificates (PAS 1880 compliant, with technician IMI number captured per cert) are built into Autera’s Workshop plan at £79/month. In Garage Hive it’s typically an add-on or handled through a separate tool.

Yes. The Solo plan is free forever, no card required, so you can run real jobs through it as a sandbox. Paid plans have a 14-day free trial, also no card. Run Autera in parallel with Garage Hive for a fortnight before deciding.

No. Garage Hive is built on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, which is powerful but has a steeper learning curve. Autera is its own product, designed phone-first for the shop floor with no Dynamics layer underneath.

Most UK garages are running their first real job through Autera within 30 minutes of signing up. Garage Hive typically involves a paid onboarding project measured in days, sometimes weeks for larger sites.

Comparing other UK garage software too?

vs ServiceM8vs Garage Assistantvs MAM Autoworkvs LaunchControl

Or explore Autera by feature:

Garage management softwareMOT remindersInvoicingVehicle health checks
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