Comparison · checked 8 November 2026
BayAutomate vs MechanicDesk
MechanicDesk is an established Australian workshop system with a booking diary, job management, invoicing, stock, supplier integrations, reminders and Xero/MYOB connections. BayAutomate covers the same core workflow and goes further on automation: digital inspections that become quotes, line-by-line online approvals, automatic parts reservations and purchase-order drafts, AI supplier invoice matching, actual job costing, a full customer timeline, and built-in follow-up and re-marketing journeys. MechanicDesk is more mature today. It is live with many workshops and has live supplier and accounting integrations, while BayAutomate is in early access.
Early access: BayAutomate is onboarding Australian workshops now. Anything marked Coming soon or Planned isn't available yet. Everything else is included on every plan.
| Area | MechanicDesk from the vendor's public pages, checked 8 November 2026 | BayAutomate |
|---|---|---|
| Booking diary and online bookings | Yes: drag-and-drop diary, multiple views | IncludedTechnician and bay diary, service durations, clash warnings, online booking requests, booking to job with no retyping. |
| Digital inspections with photos | Not publicly confirmed | IncludedPhone inspections with photos, measurements and traffic-light findings that turn straight into quote lines. |
| Inspection findings become quote lines | Not publicly confirmed | IncludedPhone inspections with photos, measurements and traffic-light findings that turn straight into quote lines. |
| Online quote approval, line by line | Digital signature add-on (extra cost) | IncludedQuote lines with margin shown, a secure link for the customer, line-by-line approval, declined work kept for later. |
| Approved work reserves stock and drafts POs | Stock alerts and reorder helpers | IncludedApproved work reserves stock and drafts purchase orders for shortfalls. Partial receipts and backorders tracked. |
| Supplier invoice capture and PO matching | Bill management; automated capture not publicly confirmed | IncludedBills and credit notes read by AI, matched to purchase orders and deliveries, duplicates blocked, price changes held. Review, automatic-draft or autopilot mode. |
| Actual job cost (FIFO parts + loaded labour) | Not publicly confirmed | IncludedQuoted vs committed vs actual cost per job, using real receipt costs and each technician's loaded labour rate. |
| Customer timeline / CRM | Customer and vehicle history with documents | IncludedEvery booking, quote, approval, job, invoice, payment, message and note on one customer and vehicle history. |
| Follow-ups, win-back and campaigns | Service reminders by email/SMS | IncludedService reminders, quote chasing, declined-work follow-ups, win-back journeys, campaigns and attribution. Real SMS/email delivery is coming soon (see Email and SMS). |
| Warranty and comeback tracking | Not publicly confirmed | IncludedComebacks linked to the original job, true cost of $0 warranty work, supplier warranty claims. |
| Trade accounts, credit holds, statements | Statements via email/SMS | IncludedCredit limits, automatic credit holds with owner override, oldest-first payment allocation, monthly statements, account portal. |
| Counter sales / POS | Yes, with barcode scanners | IncludedBarcode counter sales, split payments, refunds and end-of-day cash-up. Card payments are taken on your own EFTPOS terminal. |
| Accounting integration | Yes: Xero and MYOB | Coming soonQueued, retry-safe posting of invoices and payments is built and tested against the Xero sandbox. Not yet connected to live Xero files. |
| Parts supplier ordering | Yes: Repco Navigator Pro, Burson EzyParts | PlannedAwaiting provider agreements. No partnership exists today. Purchase orders are prepared inside BayAutomate. |
| Online card payments | Not publicly confirmed | PlannedPay-by-link for invoices. Today BayAutomate records payments you take on your own terminal. |
| Data migration | Free import of up to 3 years of history | IncludedFree with a 6-month subscription. Scope confirmed from what your current software can export. |
| Published pricing | Third-party directories list plans from about A$85 per month ex GST. Check mechanicdesk.com.au for current pricing. | $79 / $129 / $179 per month + GST. Every feature on every plan. Pricing |
| Market maturity | Live with workshops | Early access |
Where MechanicDesk is stronger today
- Established and live with many workshops. BayAutomate is in early access.
- Live Xero, MYOB, Repco and Burson integrations.
- Multisite management and a self-serve 14-day free trial.
Where BayAutomate goes further
- Inspection → quote → approval → parts reservation and PO draft → actual cost → invoice → follow-up, with no retyping.
- Line-by-line online approval included, not an add-on.
- Built-in CRM timeline and win-back, declined-work and quote-chaser journeys with attribution.
- True job profit including warranty comebacks and supplier claims.
Sources: mechanicdesk.com.au/features (checked 8 November 2026). "Not publicly confirmed" means we couldn't find it on their public pages, not that it is missing. MechanicDesk is a trademark of its owner. BayAutomate is not affiliated with or endorsed by MechanicDesk. Corrections welcome via our contact page.
Questions
Is BayAutomate cheaper than MechanicDesk?
BayAutomate is $79, $129 or $179 per month + GST, with every feature on every plan. Third-party directories list MechanicDesk plans from about A$85 per month ex GST. Check mechanicdesk.com.au for current pricing.
Can I move from MechanicDesk to BayAutomate?
Yes. Data migration is free with a 6-month subscription, with the scope confirmed from your MechanicDesk export.