Empower vs WorkGuru: which fits your workshop?
WorkGuru is Australian job management software for SMBs — job tracking, quoting, CRM, and stock control across fabrication, construction, and trades. Empower is workshop productivity software built solely for jobbing manufacturers, centred on capturing real labour from the shop floor. Both manage workshop jobs; they differ in depth, pricing structure, and focus.
WorkGuru is a genuine option if you want broad business software in one platform — sales pipeline and CRM, stock and inventory control (as a paid add-on), and job management — and you're comfortable with self-guided setup or paying A$3,500 for guided implementation. It serves a wide range of SMBs beyond manufacturing.
Empower is the right choice if the shop floor is where your money is made or lost. It's built purely for jobbing manufacturers: biometric clock-in at the bench, live actual-vs-quoted hours on every job, production scheduling, and 200+ manufacturing reports — with every core module included in one price, hands-on setup at a fraction of WorkGuru's implementation fee, and productivity gains guaranteed in writing.
Empower vs WorkGuru: side by side.
| Feature | Empower | WorkGuru |
|---|---|---|
| Built exclusively for manufacturers | General SMB + trades | |
| Biometric time clock on the floor | ||
| Live actual vs. quoted hours per job | From timesheets | |
| Production scheduling & capacity view | ||
| Built-in CRM / sales pipeline | Via integrations | |
| Stock & inventory control | Via integrations | +A$300/mo add-on |
| All core modules in the base price | Add-ons A$150–650/mo | |
| Guided setup & on-site training | Included — well under WorkGuru's fee | A$3,500 flat (DIY is free) |
| Productivity guarantee (20–40%) | ||
| Track record with manufacturers | 250+ workshops since 2002 | 4,500+ users since ~2019 |
| Xero & MYOB integration | ||
| Free self-serve trial | Guided demo + instant quote |
Feature data based on publicly available information as of May 2026. Contact each vendor to confirm current capabilities.
Common questions about Empower vs WorkGuru.
Is WorkGuru good for fabrication and manufacturing businesses?
How does WorkGuru's pricing compare to Empower's?
Does WorkGuru guarantee results?
Can I switch from WorkGuru to Empower?
Real workshops, real numbers
25% Faster Average Job Times
A 10-person sheet metal shop grew to 200 staff and $15M+ revenue without losing grip on margin — live time tracking on the floor cut average job times by 25%.
Read the story30% Reduction in Labour Times
Manta Marine swapped manual tracking for live visibility of every task — labour hours per job dropped 30% immediately, and they say costs would jump straight back if they turned the system off.
Read the story
30% Increase in Productivity
Compass replaced manual systems with live floor visibility — letting management identify bottlenecks and keep staff on the highest-priority task. Output rose 30% with no extra overhead.
Read the story
$67,500 Return on Investment
Landquip recovered $67,500 a year by replacing manual timesheets across 15 staff. Touchscreens on the floor cut manufacturing times 20% and downtime 50%.
Read the story6x Total Production Growth
Workshop displays paired with Empower let Makaira reshape their production line and cut non-value-added labour — driving a six-fold lift in total production.
Read the story
30% Reduction in Job Costs
After comparing options nationwide and overseas, EDS chose Empower. Real-time visibility on times and jobs cut labour cost per job by an average of 30%.
Read the story20% Reduction in Labour Costs
Tricon use Empower for real-time transparency on job status, time on jobs, and labour cost — improving scheduling, sharpening future quotes, and stopping cost blowouts before they happen.
Read the story
40% Increase in Productivity
13 years on Empower, $96,000 a year saved in wages, and a 40% lift in staff and factory productivity — Versalite use daily Empower reports to keep their single biggest production cost (labour) under control.
Read the story
38% Increase in Productivity
A world-class superyacht builder replaced paper-based tracking with Empower — instant feedback on job status and performance, and weeks of manual data entry shrunk to minutes.
Read the story25% Increase in Factory Productivity
By moving to a job-and-staff management system with the reporting depth to back it up, Strata achieved a 25% productivity lift in their first two years on Empower.
Read the story25% Reduction in Labour Times
Allflex integrated their SAP system directly with Empower — every new order instantly available for scheduling — and replaced manual spreadsheets with budgeted-time task plans. The result: a 25% reduction in labour times.
Read the story46% Productivity Increase in 10 Weeks
Ten weeks in, factory productivity was up 46%. Three years on it had doubled — gains that compounded into roughly $200k a year in extra profit.
Read the story
38% Productivity Increase
Same weekly output, fewer hands: the floor shrank from 25 to 18 staff and productivity climbed 38% — plus a meaningful annual wage saving.
Read the story
20% Faster Kitchen Manufacturing
Live, accurate time data on workshop screens makes every kitchen maker accountable — Montage estimate they'd go back to taking 20% longer to manufacture their kitchens without Empower.
Read the story25% Factory Productivity Increase
More production out the door each day — same staff, same hours. Halswell Timber's production manager credits Empower with a 25% lift, which translates directly to 25% more daily revenue.
Read the story
20% Factory Productivity Increase
Continental Stairs saw an immediate 20% productivity lift in their first year — by handing their floor staff the reporting tools to manage their own times and bring jobs in on budget.
Read the story
$120k Saved in Employee Wages
Comseat lifted weekly output while shrinking the floor by two full-time roles — turning the workshop into a high-margin revenue engine where every hour of labour is accounted for and profitable.
Read the story
20% Reduction in Job Times
Digital job tracking gave McNaughton's a live, minute-by-minute view of which staff are on which jobs — eliminating manual status checks and keeping every job on its budgeted timeline.
Read the story25% Faster Average Job Times
A 10-person sheet metal shop grew to 200 staff and $15M+ revenue without losing grip on margin — live time tracking on the floor cut average job times by 25%.
Read the story30% Reduction in Labour Times
Manta Marine swapped manual tracking for live visibility of every task — labour hours per job dropped 30% immediately, and they say costs would jump straight back if they turned the system off.
Read the story30% Increase in Productivity
Compass replaced manual systems with live floor visibility — letting management identify bottlenecks and keep staff on the highest-priority task. Output rose 30% with no extra overhead.
Read the story$67,500 Return on Investment
Landquip recovered $67,500 a year by replacing manual timesheets across 15 staff. Touchscreens on the floor cut manufacturing times 20% and downtime 50%.
Read the story6x Total Production Growth
Workshop displays paired with Empower let Makaira reshape their production line and cut non-value-added labour — driving a six-fold lift in total production.
Read the story30% Reduction in Job Costs
After comparing options nationwide and overseas, EDS chose Empower. Real-time visibility on times and jobs cut labour cost per job by an average of 30%.
Read the story20% Reduction in Labour Costs
Tricon use Empower for real-time transparency on job status, time on jobs, and labour cost — improving scheduling, sharpening future quotes, and stopping cost blowouts before they happen.
Read the story40% Increase in Productivity
13 years on Empower, $96,000 a year saved in wages, and a 40% lift in staff and factory productivity — Versalite use daily Empower reports to keep their single biggest production cost (labour) under control.
Read the story38% Increase in Productivity
A world-class superyacht builder replaced paper-based tracking with Empower — instant feedback on job status and performance, and weeks of manual data entry shrunk to minutes.
Read the story25% Increase in Factory Productivity
By moving to a job-and-staff management system with the reporting depth to back it up, Strata achieved a 25% productivity lift in their first two years on Empower.
Read the story25% Reduction in Labour Times
Allflex integrated their SAP system directly with Empower — every new order instantly available for scheduling — and replaced manual spreadsheets with budgeted-time task plans. The result: a 25% reduction in labour times.
Read the story46% Productivity Increase in 10 Weeks
Ten weeks in, factory productivity was up 46%. Three years on it had doubled — gains that compounded into roughly $200k a year in extra profit.
Read the story38% Productivity Increase
Same weekly output, fewer hands: the floor shrank from 25 to 18 staff and productivity climbed 38% — plus a meaningful annual wage saving.
Read the story20% Faster Kitchen Manufacturing
Live, accurate time data on workshop screens makes every kitchen maker accountable — Montage estimate they'd go back to taking 20% longer to manufacture their kitchens without Empower.
Read the story25% Factory Productivity Increase
More production out the door each day — same staff, same hours. Halswell Timber's production manager credits Empower with a 25% lift, which translates directly to 25% more daily revenue.
Read the story20% Factory Productivity Increase
Continental Stairs saw an immediate 20% productivity lift in their first year — by handing their floor staff the reporting tools to manage their own times and bring jobs in on budget.
Read the story$120k Saved in Employee Wages
Comseat lifted weekly output while shrinking the floor by two full-time roles — turning the workshop into a high-margin revenue engine where every hour of labour is accounted for and profitable.
Read the story20% Reduction in Job Times
Digital job tracking gave McNaughton's a live, minute-by-minute view of which staff are on which jobs — eliminating manual status checks and keeping every job on its budgeted timeline.
Read the story25% Faster Average Job Times
A 10-person sheet metal shop grew to 200 staff and $15M+ revenue without losing grip on margin — live time tracking on the floor cut average job times by 25%.
Read the story30% Reduction in Labour Times
Manta Marine swapped manual tracking for live visibility of every task — labour hours per job dropped 30% immediately, and they say costs would jump straight back if they turned the system off.
Read the story30% Increase in Productivity
Compass replaced manual systems with live floor visibility — letting management identify bottlenecks and keep staff on the highest-priority task. Output rose 30% with no extra overhead.
Read the story$67,500 Return on Investment
Landquip recovered $67,500 a year by replacing manual timesheets across 15 staff. Touchscreens on the floor cut manufacturing times 20% and downtime 50%.
Read the story6x Total Production Growth
Workshop displays paired with Empower let Makaira reshape their production line and cut non-value-added labour — driving a six-fold lift in total production.
Read the story30% Reduction in Job Costs
After comparing options nationwide and overseas, EDS chose Empower. Real-time visibility on times and jobs cut labour cost per job by an average of 30%.
Read the story20% Reduction in Labour Costs
Tricon use Empower for real-time transparency on job status, time on jobs, and labour cost — improving scheduling, sharpening future quotes, and stopping cost blowouts before they happen.
Read the story40% Increase in Productivity
13 years on Empower, $96,000 a year saved in wages, and a 40% lift in staff and factory productivity — Versalite use daily Empower reports to keep their single biggest production cost (labour) under control.
Read the story38% Increase in Productivity
A world-class superyacht builder replaced paper-based tracking with Empower — instant feedback on job status and performance, and weeks of manual data entry shrunk to minutes.
Read the story25% Increase in Factory Productivity
By moving to a job-and-staff management system with the reporting depth to back it up, Strata achieved a 25% productivity lift in their first two years on Empower.
Read the story25% Reduction in Labour Times
Allflex integrated their SAP system directly with Empower — every new order instantly available for scheduling — and replaced manual spreadsheets with budgeted-time task plans. The result: a 25% reduction in labour times.
Read the story46% Productivity Increase in 10 Weeks
Ten weeks in, factory productivity was up 46%. Three years on it had doubled — gains that compounded into roughly $200k a year in extra profit.
Read the story38% Productivity Increase
Same weekly output, fewer hands: the floor shrank from 25 to 18 staff and productivity climbed 38% — plus a meaningful annual wage saving.
Read the story20% Faster Kitchen Manufacturing
Live, accurate time data on workshop screens makes every kitchen maker accountable — Montage estimate they'd go back to taking 20% longer to manufacture their kitchens without Empower.
Read the story25% Factory Productivity Increase
More production out the door each day — same staff, same hours. Halswell Timber's production manager credits Empower with a 25% lift, which translates directly to 25% more daily revenue.
Read the story20% Factory Productivity Increase
Continental Stairs saw an immediate 20% productivity lift in their first year — by handing their floor staff the reporting tools to manage their own times and bring jobs in on budget.
Read the story$120k Saved in Employee Wages
Comseat lifted weekly output while shrinking the floor by two full-time roles — turning the workshop into a high-margin revenue engine where every hour of labour is accounted for and profitable.
Read the story20% Reduction in Job Times
Digital job tracking gave McNaughton's a live, minute-by-minute view of which staff are on which jobs — eliminating manual status checks and keeping every job on its budgeted timeline.
Read the storyReady to see Empower on your floor?
Plug your workshop's numbers into the calculator. See what Empower could save you in your first six months.