Comparison
GarageOS vs generic online booking tools for garages
Generic booking tools (the ones designed for salons, clinics and personal trainers) will happily 'work' for a garage — until you meet a Class 7 MOT, a Waiting Parts job or a bay-only constraint.
GarageOS is built around those specifics, not around generic 'services and staff'.
| Area | Alternative | GarageOS |
|---|---|---|
| DVLA reg lookup | Not available | Built-in |
| MOT class rules | Not aware | Class 4 / 7 durations, retest handling |
| Bay concept | Only 'staff' | Bays as first-class capacity |
| Waiting Parts status | Not modelled | First-class status with retention |
| Fast Lane menu | All services online | Fast work online; heavy work private |
| UK VAT invoicing | Basic or add-on | UK-first with VAT numbers |
A generic tool can take a booking and send a reminder. That's not the hard bit. The hard bit is respecting real workshop capacity, handling the MOT-specific rules that dominate a UK independent garage, and keeping status consistent across the workshop, timeline and invoice.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I use both?
- Technically yes — but you'll end up reconciling two calendars. Not worth it.
- What if I have no MOT bay?
- GarageOS still fits — the MOT features simply aren't used. Everything else applies unchanged.