Workshop software comparisons
What each price actually includes at your team size, from texting and rego lookups to migration and support, checked against each vendor's own pages.
Hoist vs Mechanic Desk
Two popular options for NZ workshops
18 features compared
- One plan, every feature on, 3 users included. No tier to upgrade to
- Two-way texting, connected mailbox and deferred work all included
- Live chat and phone support from New Zealand, in your time zone
Hoist vs SAM / Auxo
NZ's long-standing incumbent vs the independent challenger
23 features compared
- One plan with 3 users included, and nothing switched off on the cheap tier
- Two-way texting, a connected mailbox and deferred work, none of them on their list
- Estimates customers approve from a link, and digital inspections, on the one plan
Hoist vs Workshop Software
Comparing local and global options
19 features compared
- Built, priced and supported in New Zealand, in New Zealand dollars
- Rego lookups at 5c cached against their 59c, on a NZ plate you look up all day
- Two-way texting in the plan, where theirs is a $299/month add-on with a $1,250 set-up fee
The questions that decide it
- What will I pay for my whole team, with everything I use switched on?
- Hoist: $140 + GST a month with 3 users, then $10 a month for each extra person. Every feature is on, so there is no tier to climb.
- When a customer replies to a text, where does the reply go?
- Hoist: Into a thread against that customer in Hoist, not onto somebody’s personal phone.
- Where does the email about a job end up?
- Hoist: Beside the job. One connected mailbox is included, then $10 a month for each one after.
- What happens to the work a customer says no to?
- Hoist: It stays on the vehicle as deferred work, already priced, and comes up next time it is in the bay.
- What does a rego lookup cost, and does the WoF date come back with it?
- Hoist: 5c cached or 24c live, published. The WoF date comes back on the lookup; the CoF date is entered when it is renewed.
- Who moves my data across?
- Hoist: We do it for you: customers, vehicles and service history.
- Who picks up when I need help, and where are they?
- Hoist: Our own team in Upper Hutt, by live chat, phone or email, on New Zealand time.
- Can my techs use it on their phones, on the plan I am buying?
- Hoist: Yes. The Hoist mobile app for iOS and Android is on the one plan.
Want the short version? See our flat pricing or everything Hoist does.
Competitor pricing and features checked against each vendor's own published material, October 2026. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know.
Ready to try Hoist?
Awesome team, always willing to go out of their way to answer questions and check in on how everything's going. Awesome software, and the team is always listening to our suggestions and seeing how they can incorporate them into a system that truly works for our small workshop. Absolutely recommend.
JoJos Automotive, Ruakaka