You searched for “free workshop software” and ended up here. Fair enough. Software costs add up, and when you’re running a workshop every dollar matters. This is a straight comparison of free and paid options, written by a company that sells paid software, so read it with that in mind.
Yes, you can run a workshop without paying for software. People have done it for decades. But there are trade-offs, and understanding them will help you make the right decision for your business.
What’s Actually Free (No Catch)
What you can get for free, right now, with no credit card required:
Spreadsheets
Google Sheets is free (and Excel if you already have Office); both can handle basic job tracking, customer lists, and simple invoicing. Plenty of small workshops run on spreadsheets.
Low-Cost Accounting Software
Xero and MYOB aren’t free, but their entry plans are cheap and both have free trials. They handle invoicing and GST well; they don’t manage job cards, bookings, or reminders.
Free Calculators & Tools
We offer free workshop calculators: a labour rate calculator, job profitability calculator, and parts markup calculator. No signup needed, use them forever.
Paper Systems
Job cards, invoice books, and filing cabinets. Not glamorous, but they work. The cost is basically paper and time.
A workable free-ish NZ stack looks like: a Google Sheet for jobs and customers, an invoice book or your accounting software’s entry plan for invoicing and GST, and a paper diary (or a calendar app) for WoF and service reminders. It costs almost nothing in cash and a lot in your evenings.
Free Workshop Software Options (With Limitations)
Here’s what you’ll typically find when you look for free workshop software:
| Type | What You Get | The Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source Software | Full features, self-hosted | Requires technical skills to install, maintain, and secure. No support. |
| Freemium Plans | Basic features free forever | Limited users, limited jobs, missing key features. Upgrade pressure. |
| Free Trials | Full features, limited time | Usually 7-30 days. Then you pay or lose access. |
The Reality of “Free” Open Source
Open source workshop software exists, and it’s free to use. But:
- You’ll need to set up and maintain your own server
- Security and backups are your responsibility
- Updates require manual installation
- There’s no support team to call when things break
- NZ-specific features (rego lookup from official NZ vehicle records, GST handling) are rare
For a tech-savvy workshop owner, this might work. For most, the time cost exceeds the money saved.
What Paid Workshop Software Actually Gives You
Time Savings
Invoicing off the job card, instant rego lookups, one-click reports. If those save you even a few hours a week, that’s real money, often more than the subscription costs.
Integration
Xero sync, rego lookup, payment processing: these integrations take months to build and maintain. You’re paying for someone else to do that work.
Support
When something goes wrong at 4pm on a Friday and you have cars to get out, having someone to call matters. Free software doesn’t come with a support team.
Security & Backups
Your customer data, job history, and financial records are protected and backed up. Losing this data would be catastrophic; paid software handles it for you.
Continuous Improvement
New features, bug fixes, compliance updates. The software gets better over time without you having to do anything.
The True Cost Comparison
An illustrative comparison for a typical small workshop. The paid column uses Hoist’s pricing: $140 + GST a month, with 3 users included and $10 a month per extra user.
| Cost Factor | Spreadsheet/Free | Paid Software |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly subscription | $0 | $140 + GST |
| Admin time (weekly) | Say 5-8 hours | Say 1-2 hours |
| Manual data entry errors | Common | Rare |
| Missed invoicing | One or two forgotten jobs a month | Near zero |
| Rego lookups | Manual (slow) | Instant |
| Xero sync | Manual double-entry | Automatic |
| Service reminders | Manual or forgotten | Automatic |
Worked example: Hoist’s first year is 12 months at $140, so $1,680 + GST. If your time is worth $40 an hour and the software saves you 5 hours a week, that’s $200 a week, or roughly $10,000 a year, before counting a single un-invoiced job that didn’t slip through.
When Free Actually Makes Sense
There are legitimate scenarios where sticking with free tools is the right call:
Free tools might be right for you if:
- You’re just starting out and cash flow is tight
- You do fewer than 10 jobs per week
- You’re comfortable with manual processes and double-entry
- You don’t need integrations (no Xero, no rego lookups)
- You have time but not money (the trade-off is real)
Starting with spreadsheets and upgrading later is a perfectly valid approach. Many successful workshop owners did exactly that.
When It’s Time to Upgrade
Here are the signs that free tools are costing you more than paid software would:
- You’re spending more than 2 hours per day on admin
- Jobs are falling through the cracks (missed invoices, forgotten follow-ups)
- You can’t easily answer “how profitable was last month?”
- Customers are getting invoices days after work is done
- You’ve hired staff and need to track their work
- You’re manually entering data into Xero after already entering it elsewhere
If more than two of these apply, the “free” option is probably costing you more than you realise.
Try Before You Buy
Don’t commit to paid software without testing it properly in your workshop, with real jobs and real customers.
Our Approach
We offer a 14-day free trial with full access to everything: no credit card required, no features locked. If it’s not right for your workshop, no hard feelings. The free calculators stay free whether you become a customer or not.
And if you’re not ready for paid software, start with the calculators, get your pricing right, and upgrade when the signs above start showing up.