Four workshop management systems end up on most NZ shortlists: Hoist, Mechanic Desk, Workshop Software, and Auxo’s SAM family (desktop SAM, webSAM and Auxo Workshop). This page puts their published pricing, per-use charges and NZ-specific features side by side so you can compare like with like.
We make Hoist, so two ground rules. Every competitor figure below comes from that vendor’s own published material, checked in August 2026; where their own material genuinely does not say, we tell you that rather than guess. And where a competitor charges per text or per lookup, we show Hoist’s charge in the same unit, including where theirs is cheaper.
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Workshop Software NZ: Comparison Table
Prices are per month, excluding GST unless stated. Mechanic Desk publishes NZD prices; Workshop Software publishes AUD only; Auxo publishes NZD for its cloud products and nothing for desktop SAM.
| Feature | Hoist | Mechanic Desk | Workshop Software | SAM / Auxo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built and supported from | New Zealand (Upper Hutt) | Australia (Melbourne), NZ reseller | Australia (Sydney) | New Zealand (MTA-owned) |
| Published base price | $140 + GST | NZ$85 to NZ$250 (four tiers) | A$119 to A$249 + GST (three tiers) | webSAM $99; Auxo Workshop $99 to $299 + GST; desktop SAM quote-only |
| Users included | 3 | 1, 3, 6 or 15 by tier | Varies by tier; confirm | webSAM 1; Auxo Workshop 2 to 7 by tier |
| Extra users | $10 each | $15 each on every NZ tier | A$20 each | $19 each |
| SMS | 12c per text | 10c per text | Charged per text; confirm rate | webSAM bundles from $12 for 45 texts (about 27c); Auxo Workshop confirm |
| Rego lookup (official NZ records) | 5c cached / 24c live; returns make, model, VIN, WoF expiry | Offered for NZ; per-lookup rate not published | 59c per lookup on prepaid credits (their knowledge base) | Charged per lookup; confirm rate |
| Xero | Two-way sync: customers, invoices, payments, credit notes | Available | Available | Available |
| Mobile | Browser on any phone or tablet; no native app | Native iOS and Android app | Native app | webSAM in browser; confirm app |
| Parts supplier integrations | Not yet (on the roadmap) | Repco, Burson, NAPA, Autopro, plus BNT and Autolign for NZ | Repco, Burson, Capricorn, NAPA ProLink, PartsTech, TireConnect | BNT EzyParts, Repco Nav Pro and NAPA |
| Multi-branch | No | Confirm | Yes | Confirm |
| Free trial | 14 days, no card | Yes; check their site | Yes; check their site | Auxo Workshop yes; desktop SAM no |
Hoist’s; the regular price is $140 + GST a month. Rows we deliberately left out: user ratings (too few verified NZ reviews to compare fairly), “speed” and “server location” (we can’t verify these for the other three).
Hoist: Built in New Zealand
Hoist is built and supported in Upper Hutt and sells one flat plan with every feature included: bookings and calendar, job cards with live margin, estimates approved from a link, invoicing off the job card, Xero sync, payments (card, cash, bank transfer, EFTPOS via a Verifone terminal, and an online pay link), rego lookup from official NZ vehicle records, WoF/CoF and service reminders by text and email, parts and stock, digital inspections, and reports. Price: $140 + GST a month, 3 users included, $10 a month per extra user. Texts are 12c and rego lookups 5c cached or 24c live.
Where it’s strong
- NZ-specific work is automatic: WoF expiry comes back from the rego lookup, so reminders don’t depend on someone typing a date
- One price, everything in it: no tiers to decode, 3 users in the base price
- Support in NZ hours from the people who build it
- Migration: we bring customer and vehicle records across for new signups
Where it’s weaker
- No native mobile app: it runs in the browser on any phone or tablet and needs a connection
- No parts supplier integrations yet and no multi-branch management
- Newer and smaller than the other three, so fewer years of reviews
Mechanic Desk: Australian, with an NZ Reseller
Mechanic Desk is a long-established Melbourne-built platform sold here through a New Zealand reseller, with published NZD pricing on four tiers (Starter $85, Small $115, Team $150, Large $250 a month). It has a native iOS and Android app, barcode scanning, and NZ reminder scheduling for services, registrations and WoFs. Texts are 10c, cheaper than ours. Its NZ site doesn’t advertise a rego data lookup, so ask whether vehicle details and WoF dates come back automatically or get typed in. See the full Hoist vs Mechanic Desk comparison.
Workshop Software: Global Platform, AUD Pricing
Workshop Software is Australian-built and sells into several countries, with a native app, multi-branch support and a deep set of parts-supplier integrations (Repco, Burson, Capricorn, NAPA ProLink, PartsTech and TireConnect). Pricing is published in Australian dollars only (Silver A$119, Gold A$149, Platinum A$249 + GST a month, discounted up to 20% on annual billing, plus A$20 per extra user), with no NZD price list. They do publish an NZ phone number, though on their own pricing page priority support and fee-free data import are both Platinum-only. NZ rego lookups cost 59c each on prepaid credits. See Hoist vs Workshop Software.
SAM / webSAM / Auxo Workshop: The NZ Incumbent
SAM has been New Zealand’s incumbent workshop software for decades. Its owner Auxo (owned by the MTA) now sells three products: desktop SAM (installed, quote-only), webSAM (a browser version at $99 a month for one user plus $19 per extra user), and Auxo Workshop (cloud; Essentials $99 + GST for 2 users, Pro $199 + GST for 5, plus $19 per extra user, with an Elite tier at $299 + GST for 7 marked coming soon). Auxo hasn’t announced an end-of-life date for desktop SAM but positions Auxo Workshop as the successor. Auxo’s public pages don’t publish its per-lookup or per-text rates or its Xero details, so confirm those before you compare. We’ve laid out the numbers in Auxo Workshop & webSAM Pricing in NZ and the feature comparison in Hoist vs SAM / Auxo.
How to Choose Between Them
Price the system on your actual team and your actual month, not the headline tier. For a three-person workshop sending, say, 300 reminder texts a month and doing 150 rego lookups:
- Hoist: $140 + GST + $36 texts + roughly $7 to $36 lookups, no extra-user charge until the fourth person.
- Mechanic Desk: the tier that fits three users + $30 texts; lookup cost to confirm.
- Workshop Software: A$119+ plus any extra users at A$20 + texts (rate to confirm) + A$88.50 in lookups.
- Auxo Workshop Essentials: $99 + $19 for the third user + texts and lookups at rates to confirm.
Then ask each vendor the same five questions: Is the price GST-inclusive? How many users are included? What do texts and lookups cost? Is there a contract term? Who does the data migration and what does it cost? And run the free trial on real jobs for a week: creating a job, finding a vehicle from its rego, sending an invoice to Xero, and sending a reminder are the four things you’ll do every day.
Pick Workshop Software if multi-branch or supplier ordering inside the system is a must-have today, and either of the Australian products if you need a native mobile app; Hoist doesn’t have those; Hoist doesn’t have those. Pick Auxo if you want the incumbent and you’re comfortable with per-seat pricing. Pick Hoist if you want NZ-specific work (rego lookup, WoF dates, Xero, GST) done automatically on one flat price, with support in NZ hours.
Sources: Mechanic Desk NZ (pricing and features pages) · Workshop Software pricing and help centre · Auxo: webSAM · Auxo: Workshop pricing. Competitor figures checked August 2026; Hoist figures from hoist.nz/pricing.
Disclaimer: The information in this comparison is accurate to the best of our knowledge as of the date above. Pricing and features change. If you believe any information is inaccurate, please contact us at accounts@hoist.nz and we’ll update it promptly.