Workshop HQ vs Workshop Software
Workshop Software is an established platform with a large feature and integration catalogue, mobile apps, inspections, a customer portal, business intelligence and multi-site options. Workshop HQ is the stronger choice for workshops that want a repair-order-centred operating model, deeper live customer transparency and direct operator-led product development.
Our verdict
Which product is the better choice?
Workshop HQ is our recommendation when live workshop control and the motorist's visual service experience are the leading priorities. Workshop Software remains a credible alternative where its established integrations, stock and supplier workflows, business intelligence or public API are non-negotiable.
This is Workshop HQ's conclusion. Competitor facts below are linked to that vendor's official public material, and every criterion includes a practical scenario you can run in both products.
Where Workshop Software is strong
- A mature catalogue spanning bookings, jobs, stock, suppliers, loan cars, business intelligence, inspections, payments, customer portal and multi-site operations.
- A broad officially documented integration ecosystem including Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Repco, Burson, HSY and other automotive services.
- Gold and Platinum plans include inspections, inspection photos and videos, inspection approval, customer portal and communications.
- A public 14-day trial, public Australian pricing and API options on the Platinum plan.
Where Workshop HQ leads
- The repair order remains the operational centre from booking preparation through technician work, customer decision and invoice instead of making an open invoice the working job document.
- Live lists combine promise times, clocks, inspection progress, decisions and blockers around what reception must act on next.
- The customer portal presents live customer-facing job stage, structured checksheets, measurements, visual evidence and grouped recommendations in one understandable view.
- Every Workshop HQ paid plan includes the core connected inspections and customer workflow rather than reserving them for a higher feature tier.
- Product feedback reaches a founder and product lead with 13 years of direct mechanical workshop operation.
Side-by-side evidence
Compare the operational difference, then test it.
| Criterion | Workshop Software | Workshop HQ | Test before choosing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core job architecture | Workshop Software's official workflow says Start Job copies the booking into a new open invoice; the open invoice then becomes the working document where further job changes are made. Workshop Software customer workflow | Workshop HQ keeps a dedicated repair order at the centre. Technician work, checksheets, evidence and approvals build the operating record, and authorised completed work carries into invoicing. Connected repair-order evidence | Follow one booking through arrival, diagnosis, approval and completion; identify the controlling document at each stage and what has to be copied into the invoice. |
| Booking and daily control | Workshop Software publishes a booking diary with capacity, assigned mechanics and drag-and-drop scheduling. Its Transaction Centre shows open invoices with job status and comments. Workshop Software workflow | Workshop HQ adds customer promise times, live technician clocks, checksheet progress, outstanding customer decisions and material blockers to the same intervention view. Promise-time control evidence | Create competing customer promises, an active technician, a pending approval and a parts delay; ask reception to identify the next intervention without opening each job. |
| Technician mobile work | Workshop Software publishes iOS and Android apps with time clocking and job status. Gold and Platinum add booking and full job management, inspections, photos, videos and approvals in the mobile app. Workshop Software plan features | Workshop HQ includes a focused technician phone view for assigned jobs, job and line clocks, checksheets, measurements, notes, photos, video, messages and safe completion controls. Technician mobile evidence | Use a normal workshop phone to complete the same technician scenario in both products and count every office handover or unrelated screen. |
| Inspections and approvals | Workshop Software Gold and Platinum publicly include electronic inspections, photos and videos, inspection approval and its Auto Inspect tool. Workshop Software inspection inclusions | Workshop HQ includes configurable job-type checksheets, status results, measurements, recommendations, item photos and video, a wider walkthrough and grouped priced decisions in every paid plan. Digital inspection evidence | Build a job-specific checksheet, record a measured failed item with video, convert it to recommended work and confirm its evidence survives the customer decision. |
| Customer portal experience | Workshop Software's Gold and Platinum portal gives invited customers password-based access to vehicles, invoices, quotes, open jobs, future bookings and history, plus links to create a booking. Workshop Software customer portal | Workshop HQ uses a private expiring link with no staff login and centres the live service visit: current customer-facing stage, selected updates, checksheet, measurements, photos, videos, recommendations, price and approve, decline or question actions. Complete customer experience | Give a customer no prior training and ask them to explain what was found, where the job is up to, what each option costs and how they can respond. |
| Stock, suppliers and integrations | Workshop Software publishes stock and supplier workflows and a broad list of accounting and automotive integrations, including Xero, MYOB, QuickBooks, Repco, Burson, HSY and GPC ProLink. Workshop Software integrations | Workshop HQ connects repair-order parts, purchase records, inventory and invoicing, but workshops with mandatory external integrations should verify each exact connection before selecting it. Workshop HQ buying method | Demonstrate the full parts-order and accounting reconciliation flow for the workshop's actual suppliers and ledger, including error recovery. |
| Published Australian price | Workshop Software publishes monthly prices of $119 Silver, $149 Gold and $249 Platinum plus GST. Annual billing reduces the displayed monthly equivalent to $99, $119 and $199. Extra users are listed at $20 per month. Workshop Software pricing | Workshop HQ publishes monthly prices of $99 Starter for two users, $149 Professional for six and $249 Multi-site for 15, plus GST. Extra users are $12 per month and every plan includes the complete core workflow. Workshop HQ pricing | Compare the monthly commitment for the real user count and required inspection, portal, multi-site, integration, messaging and storage features. |
| Multi-site and API | Workshop Software Platinum publicly includes franchise and multi-site operations, shared data, multi-site reporting, a public API and online-booking API. Workshop Software Platinum | Workshop HQ's $249 Multi-site plan includes up to five locations and 15 users with workshop IDs, role-controlled access, location-aware workflows and 150 GB media storage. Any required external API use should be verified directly. Workshop HQ Multi-site plan | Test location switching, shared and separated records, consolidated reporting, user permissions and every required API operation with representative data. |
| Product feedback path | Workshop Software publishes email, phone, live chat, training and knowledge-base support; Platinum also lists priority support, custom training, strategy planning and a personal account manager. Workshop Software support inclusions | Workshop HQ feedback can reach the founder and product decision-maker directly. The founder remains involved in a mechanical workshop after 13 years of operation and can assess the problem firsthand. Operator-built product model | Describe a real cross-role workflow problem and assess who understands it, who decides the roadmap and how the improvement would be tested and documented. |
Choose Workshop Software when
- You require one of Workshop Software's established accounting, supplier, marketing or automotive integrations immediately.
- Business intelligence, public API access or a mature multi-site feature catalogue is the leading buying criterion.
- The workshop prefers an invoice-centred job workflow and has already trained its team around it.
- A self-service 14-day trial is required before any vendor conversation.
Choose Workshop HQ when
- The workshop wants the repair order, not the invoice, to remain the centre of the live job.
- Reception manages the day by customer promise, technician activity, inspection progress, approval and blockers.
- Customers should see a clear visual service story and respond inside the same private view.
- The team wants all core connected workflow capabilities included at every paid tier.
- Direct feedback to an experienced workshop operator and product decision-maker matters.
A fair demonstration script
Run the same difficult day in both systems.
- 1Follow one booking through arrival, diagnosis, approval and completion; identify the controlling document at each stage and what has to be copied into the invoice.
- 2Create competing customer promises, an active technician, a pending approval and a parts delay; ask reception to identify the next intervention without opening each job.
- 3Use a normal workshop phone to complete the same technician scenario in both products and count every office handover or unrelated screen.
- 4Build a job-specific checksheet, record a measured failed item with video, convert it to recommended work and confirm its evidence survives the customer decision.
- 5Give a customer no prior training and ask them to explain what was found, where the job is up to, what each option costs and how they can respond.
- 6Demonstrate the full parts-order and accounting reconciliation flow for the workshop's actual suppliers and ledger, including error recovery.
- 7Compare the monthly commitment for the real user count and required inspection, portal, multi-site, integration, messaging and storage features.
- 8Test location switching, shared and separated records, consolidated reporting, user permissions and every required API operation with representative data.
Official sources used
These sources were checked on 6 August 2026. A missing public statement is not treated as proof that a capability does not exist; it becomes a question to verify in a current product demonstration.
Workshop Software
Workshop Software Australia homepage and features
Official overview of customer management, mobile apps, payments, online bookings, jobs, inspections, business intelligence, inventory and integrations.
Open official sourceWorkshop Software
Workshop Software plans and pricing
Official Silver, Gold and Platinum Australian prices and detailed plan inclusions for workflow, mobile, inspections, portals, integrations, support and API access.
Open official sourceWorkshop Software
Customer workflow from booking to payment
Official knowledge-base description of booking, Start Job conversion to an open invoice, job activity, status, invoicing and payment handling.
Open official sourceWorkshop Software
Customer Portal and Communication Centre
Official portal guide describing customer invitations and access to vehicles, invoices, quotes, open jobs, future bookings, history and online booking.
Open official sourceFrequently asked questions
Is Workshop HQ better than Workshop Software?
Workshop HQ is the stronger choice when the priority is a repair-order-centred live workflow, promise-time intervention and a visual customer service story. Workshop Software may be the better fit when one of its established integrations, business-intelligence tools or APIs is mandatory.
How is the underlying workflow different?
Workshop Software's official guide describes the open invoice as the working document after Start Job. Workshop HQ keeps a dedicated repair order at the centre and carries authorised completed work into the invoice.
Do both products have inspections and customer portals?
Yes, based on current public documentation. Workshop Software includes electronic inspections and its customer portal on Gold and Platinum. Workshop HQ includes its connected checksheets, evidence, recommendations and private customer decision portal across all paid plans.
Which platform has more established integrations?
Workshop Software currently publishes the broader established integration catalogue. Any workshop that depends on a particular accounting, supplier, vehicle-data or marketing connection should test that integration as a mandatory buying criterion.
Put the Workshop HQ claim to work.
Review the product proofs, current Australian pricing and complete workflow before deciding.