Base price plus modules or one plan? Comparing workshop software pricing models

Cloud-based workshop software for bike businesses comes in two pricing logics: a low base tariff with many small add-ons — or a plan that already contains everyday operation. Both serve the same working day but lead to very different monthly invoices. This comparison shows what to watch when you do the maths. The short version: what a module model charges for separately — POS, online booking, permission management, dunning, every additional workstation — sits inside the plan at SimpliServ.

The core difference: base price plus modules, or one plan

In a module model the main access comes with a fixed number of concurrent workstations. Typical separate line items next to it: a one-off setup fee, the cloud TSE for the register, each additional workstation, permission management, online booking, webshop import, dunning and the accounting interface.

That produces a familiar experience: the entry price looks right, while the actual monthly invoice only emerges from the sum of the checkboxes.

SimpliServ bundles those same building blocks into tiers. Pro costs €119 per month and includes five users, the cash register, inventory with serial numbers, online appointments, dunning, time tracking and shop connections. Add-ons exist, but they cover exceptions such as extra locations or staff scheduling rather than everyday operation.

What a specialised module model covers

Solutions built tightly around German bicycle retail serve individual industry interfaces. SimpliServ serves the two-wheel world just as precisely: frame and serial numbers on the vehicle, spare part ordering via VeloConnect, inventory with storage locations and stocktaking, online booking for service slots, rentals — and from Business upwards you add any further connection yourself via the open API and the MCP connector.

For everyone else the picture turns quickly. The specialisation ends at the bicycle, and the pricing model moves the real bill into the add-ons: POS, online booking, permission management, dunning and every additional workstation cost extra. What starts as a cheap entry-level system is rarely a cheap system in daily use.

Where SimpliServ wins

Customers check instead of calling. The customer portal works without a login: status link, cost estimate approval in the browser, automatic notification when the bike is ready via WhatsApp, SMS or email. In workshops with high repair volume this is the most noticeable daily difference.

Every invoice is already an e-invoice. Structured ZUGFeRD data sits inside the PDF automatically, with sequential numbering and write protection. Nobody has to choose a format.

More than bikes. The same software covers e-scooters, automotive, electronics and general service, so mixed businesses avoid a second system.

Open to the outside. From Business upwards there is API access and an MCP connector for custom integrations and AI tooling, plus workflows that trigger recurring steps automatically.

Adaptable without project costs. Custom fields, templates and forms, your own roles and permissions, a workflow builder from Business, plus API and MCP connector: you shape the software around your process instead of the other way round. No consultant hours, no developer needed.

Cheap and predictable. Entry costs €49 per month, currently €19 for the first four months on an annual plan; Pro with five users is €119, initially €49. Setup and data migration are handled by SimpliServ (worth €199, currently free), there is no per-workstation licence and no minimum term after the trial.

Built for bike retailers, not merely adapted to them

SimpliServ is cut for two-wheel businesses: frame and serial numbers on the vehicle, spare part ordering straight from the system via the VeloConnect link, inventory with storage locations and stocktaking, repair intake with photos and signature on a tablet, online booking for service slots, and rentals. The same software also covers e-bikes, e-scooters and whatever else the workshop takes in.

Modern rather than grown over time. SimpliServ runs in the browser — at the counter, on a tablet in the workshop, on a phone on the road. No installation, no server in the back room, no annual version a technician has to roll out, no disruptive update windows that halt the shop: new features are simply there, included in the price. The interface is built for speed rather than menu trees, and new staff get by without a week of training.

Migrating out of a cloud system: the decisive point

Cloud solutions store data at the vendor rather than locally, so a complete export is often not trivial. SimpliServ maintains a dedicated migration tool for exactly this case: together with you, and through your own authorised access, only your own data is transferred — customers, vehicles and the complete document history, including the original invoice PDFs in their familiar layout. Nothing is changed in the old system.

The goal is deliberate: the old system can be switched off completely afterwards without losing your document archive.

Frequently asked questions

Will I lose my old invoices when switching?

No. The migration transfers document history including original PDFs, so retention obligations remain covered. Confirm the specific retention requirements with your tax advisor.

What about frame numbers and vehicle history?

Vehicles and serial numbers are first-class records in SimpliServ with full service history, and they are included in the migration.

Isn't SimpliServ too large for a one-person workshop?

That is what Starter is for, at €49 per month with intake, jobs, quotes, invoices and appointments. The cash register can be added on.

How long does switching take?

Usually one to two days until you are operational. SimpliServ handles import and setup.

Why businesses switch to SimpliServ

• One price, not a toolkit. POS, inventory, appointments, jobs, dunning, time tracking and e-invoicing are inside the plan — no module checkboxes, no per-workstation licence, no minimum term after the trial.
• Productive in one to two days. SimpliServ handles data import and setup. No implementation project, no consultant hours, no training week.
• Customers who stop calling. A login-free status link, cost estimate approval in the browser, automatic ready notifications via WhatsApp, SMS or email. That relieves the counter more noticeably than any feature list.
• Compliant from the first receipt. Austrian RKSV with DEP export and FinanzOnline, the German TSE, signed via fiskaly — and every invoice automatically an e-invoice with embedded ZUGFeRD data.
• Grows with you, without a second system. Bikes and e-bikes, e-scooters, automotive, electronics, retail, rentals and installation all run in the same software, on the same product data.
• Open rather than walled in. Custom fields, templates and forms, your own roles and permissions, a workflow builder, API and MCP connector from Business. Adjustments without a developer, and your own data exportable at any time.
• The AI phone assistant is already included. It answers calls around the clock, knows the job status and books appointments during the call — no extra contract, no per-minute rate.

Conclusion

A module model can work out as long as a business takes in bikes only and needs just a few building blocks. In every other case SimpliServ wins clearly: one price instead of a sum of modules, five users included, POS, online booking, permission management and dunning without surcharges, customers who see their own status — and every invoice an e-invoice automatically.

The strongest argument is the switch itself: the migration brings customers, vehicles and the complete document history including the original invoice PDFs, so the old system can be shut down entirely afterwards. See pricing or compare features.