Compare

How GarageByte compares

Side by side with the three systems independent UK garages ask us about most. We have included the 10 things we are still building and the 5 we have decided not to build, as well as the ones we do — a comparison that only flatters us would not be worth reading.

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What each system does

Pick a system to compare against, or view all three at once. Where a company does not publish an answer, we say “not stated” rather than assume.

CapabilityGarageByteClarity-GMSTechManMotasoft VGM
Online booking, 24/7YesFree, in the core systemYesIn an upper planNot stated
Workshop diary and capacity controlYesFree, in the core systemYesNot statedYes
Vehicle health checks with photosYesFree, in the core systemYesIn an upper planIn an upper plan
Digital service and check sheetsYesFree, and the templates are yours to editNot statedIn an upper planNot stated
Customer portalYesFree, in the core systemYesIn an upper planNot stated
Customer and vehicle historyYesFree, in the core systemNot statedNot statedYes
InvoicingYesFree, with optional Xero syncYesNot statedYes
Your own garage websiteYesFree on your own garagebyte.co.uk addressYesNot statedYes
Technician app on a phoneYesFree — installs from the browser, no app storeNot statedNot statedIn an upper plan
Staff directory, skills and holidaysYesFree, in the core systemYesYesNot stated
Video vehicle inspectionsYesFree, in the core systemYesYesYes
WhatsApp reminders and two-way chatPlannedThe sender is built, but no garage can use it — the WhatsApp channel is not provisioned. Two-way chat is not built.YesNot statedNot stated
QuickBooks Online syncPlannedYesNot statedNot stated
AI booking assistantPlannedYesNot statedNot stated
AI admin copilotPlannedYesNot statedNot stated
Technical data and repair timesPlannedNot statedYesYes
Parts ordering from suppliersPlannedNot statedYesYes
Parts stock controlPlannedNot statedYesNot stated
Tyre orderingPlannedNot statedNot statedYes
Courtesy-car calendarPlannedNot statedYesNot stated
Vehicle sales modulePlannedNot statedYesNot stated
Telephone-system integrationNoNot statedYesNot stated
Card payments and payment linksNoNot statedNot statedYes
VAT returns filed to HMRCNoNot statedNot statedYes
Domain name includedNoYour own domain is optional and charged yearlyYesNot statedNot stated
Cheaper vehicle-reg lookups than oursNoOurs are 25p a lookup, charged only when usedNot statedNot statedYes

Read from Clarity-GMS, TechMan, Motasoft VGM — each vendor’s own published pages — on 8 August 2026. Where a vendor does not say, this table says “not stated” rather than guessing. Products change, so please check with them before you decide. We make no claim about anyone’s VAT treatment; GarageByte adds no VAT.

What “Planned” means here

It means a real, written-down piece of work — not a hope.

Every capability marked Planned has a numbered stage on our build plan, and our tests refuse to pass if one of those stages disappears while the claim is still on this page. What it does not mean is a date: we do not publish delivery dates we cannot stand behind, so you will not see “coming soon” anywhere on this site. If a capability matters to your garage, ask us where it is in the queue and we will tell you straight.

The 5 capabilities marked No are things we have decided not to build. They are on this page because leaving them off would make the comparison useless to you.

Looking at one system in particular?

Clarity-GMS alternative · TechMan alternative · Motasoft VGM alternative

Those pages include what each system charges. This one is about what they do.

See it on a real garage

Book a demo and we’ll show you the whole system running — booking, diary, health checks and the website — on a live garage.

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