Honest comparison

Automate or AutoBook?

Automate was built by a multi-van valeting operator and it shows: it is strongest when you have technicians and territories. AutoBook is built for the detailer who is the whole business.

Side by side

What you get, and at what price

AutoBookAutomate Growth
Free planFree: 3 quotes, 5 bookings, 10 clients a month14-day trial, then paid
Entry priceSolo £25 / monthGrowth £49 / month
Extra peopleBusiness £60, 3 seats included£5 per technician
Deposits and card payments
Invoices with VAT
Customer SMS remindersBusiness, £60
Maintenance plans billed monthlyRepeat booking
Photo quotes
WhatsApp quotes and follow-ups
iPhone and Android appsApp Store + Google PlayApp Store + Google Play
Per-postcode pricing zones
Technician routing and navigation
Accounting: expenses, profit, VAT position
QuickBooksBusiness
LanguagesEnglish, Dutch, German, French, Spanish, ItalianEnglish
CurrenciesGBP, EUR, NZDGBP
Commission on bookings0%0%

Rival details checked 3 September 2026 from their public pages: Automate pricing and features · Automate on Trustpilot. Spotted something out of date? Email info@autobook.pro and we will fix it.

Straight answer

Where each one is the better pick

Where Automate wins
  • Pricing zones by postcode, so you charge more for the far end of town without a conversation.
  • A technician app with one-tap navigation and a rota. If you run vans, this is what it was built for.
  • SMS reminders are included in the base price.
  • Five years of being used by some of the bigger UK valeting outfits.
Where AutoBook wins
  • A free plan you can actually run jobs on. Automate has none.
  • £25 flat for one person, with deposits, invoices, photo quotes and maintenance plans. Automate starts at £49.
  • Quotes with photos, sent to WhatsApp. Customers reply where they already talk to you.
  • Accounting in the same app: receipts by camera, profit, VAT by quarter, a CSV for your accountant.
  • Six languages and euros, for anyone working or hiring across the Channel.
  • Team logins on Business with three seats included, not £5 a head.
The price, in your maths

One person on Automate is £49 a month. One person on AutoBook is £25, or £0 while you are under the free caps.

Two people on Automate is £54. Two people on AutoBook is £60 on Business, which also brings SMS, hands-off follow-ups and QuickBooks. Four people is £64 on Automate and still £65 on AutoBook for the fourth seat.

If you are a team of five or more running vans on routes, Automate is the cheaper fit and the better one. Below that, AutoBook costs half.

Pick Automate if you run several vans, price by postcode zone and want technician routing built in.

Try it without deciding

Free means free

The free plan does 3 quotes, 5 booked jobs and 10 clients a month, with deposits included and no commission ever. No card, no time limit. When you outgrow it, Solo is £25 a month and Business is £60. That is the whole price list.

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Automate (getautomate.io) alternative for mobile valeters — AutoBook · AutoBook