Comparisons
MechAxis vs Workshop Software: an honest comparison
A side-by-side comparison of MechAxis and Workshop Software for Australian workshops, including the areas where Workshop Software is the stronger choice.
17 August 2026 · 9 minute read
Who wrote this, and how to read it
This comparison is written by MechAxis, so treat it the way you would treat any vendor's comparison page: useful for understanding the shape of the decision, not a substitute for trialling both. To keep it usable we have set two rules. Every claim in the competitor column comes from Workshop Software's own public pages on the date shown above the table, and every gap in MechAxis is listed in its own section rather than left out. If a claim below no longer matches what you see on their site, believe their site.
Both products cover the same core loop
Workshop Software and MechAxis both run the same operational sequence: a customer and vehicle record, a booking, a job card, an inspection, a customer approval, parts and supplier work, a GST invoice, a payment and a follow-up reminder. If your workshop is currently on paper, spreadsheets or a generic accounting package, either product is a large step up. The interesting differences are not in whether a feature exists, but in how much workshop you have to change to use it, and what the total monthly bill looks like once add-ons are counted.
Where Workshop Software is the stronger choice
Workshop Software is a longer-established product with a wider live integration catalogue. Its public pages list working connections to accounting systems, parts catalogues, repair data, vehicle history and review platforms. If your workshop depends on ordering directly from a supplier catalogue, on a rego or VIN lookup, or on a review platform connection, those are live for them today and are not live for us. It also publishes landing pages for more trades than we do, including marine. A larger installed base also means more workshops near you have used it, which is worth something when you are asking other owners for a recommendation.
Where MechAxis is different
MechAxis is built around one service visit rather than around a feature catalogue. Inspection findings become quote lines, and the customer can approve or defer each line individually instead of accepting or rejecting the whole quote. Approved lines convert straight back into job tasks without anyone retyping a description. The technician view is a separate role-scoped surface designed for a tablet beside the vehicle, installable as an app, with an offline queue that reconciles safely when the workshop wifi drops. Prices are entered GST inclusive, matching the number the advisor actually quoted the customer, and the invoice shows the inclusive total, the GST component and the ex-GST value without staff reverse-calculating anything.
The pricing models are shaped differently
MechAxis prices include GST: Silver is $89, Gold is $149 and Platinum is $199 per month in Australian dollars, which is $80.91, $135.45 and $180.91 respectively before GST. Workshop Software advertises its plans plus GST, so put both on the same basis before you subtract. If your workshop is registered for GST you claim the GST back either way, which makes the ex-GST figure the one that matters. We are deliberately not printing our competitor's numbers here, because vendor pricing changes and a stale figure in a comparison table is worse than none — check their pricing page on the day you decide.
Count the add-ons before you compare totals
The headline plan price is rarely the bill. Workshop Software prices by user band and charges for additional users above each band, sells two-way SMS as a paid add-on with a set-up fee, and sells multi-site and franchise management as a separate per-site product, so a three-site workshop pays three times. MechAxis charges one flat monthly price per tier, includes SMS and email in the plan with no gateway account to set up, and includes unlimited sites and unlimited users in Platinum. Price both against your real staff count, your real site count and the add-ons you would actually switch on.
What MechAxis has not finished yet
Our Xero connection handles workshop-owned authorisation and status, but the depth of the sync is still a delivery item, and there is no MYOB connection at all. We have built the connector architecture for supplier catalogues such as Repco and Burson, but no live vendor API is enabled, so parts ordering is not integrated. Rego and VIN fields exist on the vehicle record with no lookup provider behind them. There is no native App Store or Google Play application; the technician experience is an installable web app. There is no review or reputation platform connector. If any single item in that list is the reason you are buying software, MechAxis is not the right choice this quarter.
How to choose between them
Pick Workshop Software if your buying decision rests on a live integration we have not shipped — supplier catalogue ordering, MYOB, rego lookup or review platforms — or if a longer track record is what makes the decision safe for you. Pick MechAxis if your problem is the workflow rather than the feature list: inspections that turn into partly approved quotes, a technician surface that works on a tablet with poor signal, GST-inclusive invoicing that matches what the customer was told, and one flat price that includes every site. The honest test is to run one real job end to end in both trials, from booking to paid invoice, with your own staff rather than the owner alone.
MechAxis and Workshop Software side by side
The Workshop Software column was read from their own public pages on 16 August 2026. Vendor offerings change, so confirm anything that decides your purchase at the source.
| Capability | MechAxis | Workshop Software |
|---|---|---|
| Bookings, job cards and GST invoicing | Included on every plan | Included on every plan |
| Digital vehicle inspections with photos | Gold and Platinum | Listed as a core public feature |
| Quote approval detail | Customer approves or defers each line separately | Customer approval offered; per-line deferral is not described publicly |
| Technician mobile experience | Installable web app, offline job queue, conflict-safe sync | Mobile app for bookings, jobs, photos, video and time tracking |
| Accounting sync | Xero connection foundation, sync depth still in delivery. No MYOB | Accounting connections listed as live integrations |
| Supplier parts catalogue ordering | Connector architecture only, no live vendor API enabled | Partner parts catalogue integrations listed |
| Rego and VIN lookup | Fields exist, no lookup provider enabled | Vehicle history and lookup partners listed |
| Two-way SMS | Included in the plan, sent through our Australian SMS gateway | Sold as a paid add-on with a set-up fee |
| Multi-site and franchise | Unlimited sites included in Platinum | Sold as a separate per-site product |
| Users included | 3 on Silver, 10 on Gold, unlimited on Platinum | Banded by user count, additional users charged per user |
| How prices are quoted | $89, $149 and $199 per month including GST ($80.91, $135.45 and $180.91 ex GST) | Advertised plus GST, so add 10% for the amount charged |
| Free trial | 30 days, no card required | 14 days |
| Revenue recovery, warranty cases, capacity and fleet modules | Included in Platinum | Not presented as named modules on the public feature pages |
Questions
Common questions
01Is MechAxis a direct replacement for Workshop Software?+
For the core workshop loop — bookings, job cards, inspections, approvals, parts, GST invoicing, payments and reminders — yes. It is not a replacement if you depend on live supplier catalogue ordering, MYOB, rego lookup or review platform connections, which MechAxis has not shipped.
02Which one is cheaper for an Australian workshop?+
It depends on your headcount, sites and add-ons rather than the headline price. Note that MechAxis prices include GST while Workshop Software advertises plus GST, so MechAxis Silver at $89 is $80.91 before GST, not $89 plus another 10%. Workshop Software then bands by user count and charges separately for extra users, two-way SMS and each additional site, where MechAxis charges one flat tier price and includes unlimited sites and users in Platinum. Price both against your actual staff numbers and sites, ex GST if you are registered.
03Can I move my existing workshop data across?+
MechAxis includes a guided CSV import centre with templates, preview, validation and batch history for customers, vehicles and parts. Export your data from your current system first and check the columns you care about survive the import during the trial, not after you switch.
04How long is the MechAxis trial?+
Thirty days, with no card required. That is longer than the fourteen days Workshop Software publishes, which matters more than it sounds: a fortnight is rarely enough to see a full billing cycle, a quiet week and a busy one. Use it to run real jobs rather than a demo.
30-day trial
Run this in your own workshop
Set up a location, invite the team and take a real job from booking to paid invoice on the 30-day trial.