Compare
Total Drive alternatives for UK driving instructors
Total Drive is a solid tool, but instructors look elsewhere for a few reasons: four tiers to weigh up, and pupils can only book online from the £23 Ultimate plan up. The card-payment fee is only shown to you at sign-up. Here is how the main alternatives compare — checked 27 August 2026.
The short answer: Lesson Diary
One plan at £9.99/mo, a native iPhone and Android app, and not a penny taken from your lesson money. Online booking, the coverage-area map, DL25-style mock tests and the pupil portal are all included.
- We never touch your lesson money — no percentage, no platform fee, ever
- One plan: online booking, the coverage-area map, mock tests and the pupil portal are all in it
- Native iPhone and Android apps, not just a mobile website
- Works with no signal — add a lesson, pupil or payment offline and it syncs the moment you reconnect
- DL25-style mock tests marked the way the DVSA marks them — live pass or fail
- Sell a block of lessons upfront and we track the balance for you as pupils book
- Income, expenses and profit sorted by tax year and MTD quarter — no spreadsheet
- Export your pupils, lessons and payments whenever you want — the data stays yours
| Lesson Diary | GoRoadie Pro | DriveSchoolPro | MyDriveTime | Passly | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price & terms | |||||
| Monthly price | £9.99/mo | £15/mo (free for PDIs) | Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected after | £19/mo solo (free for PDIs) | £14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 later |
| Free trial | Comes with a 14-day free trial, but you can start free with limited access instead — no card, no commitment | 60-day free trial | Free early access, then a 14-day trial | 30-day trial + 6-month money-back | 14-day free trial |
| Cut of your lesson money | £0 — we never handle pupil payments | 1.9% on app-raised payments | Stripe fees only, no platform cut | No card processing in the app | 1.5% flat + Stripe fees |
| Everything on one plan | Yes | Yes | Solo plan; per-instructor add-on for schools | Per-instructor discounts for schools | Yes |
| Cancel yourself, anytime | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Diary & scheduling | |||||
| Route / GPS recording | Yes — GPS route map on every lesson | No | No | Journey tracking mentioned; no GPS detail or export listed | No |
| Works on the web | Yes | Mobile-first, limited web | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| iPhone & iPad app | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Mobile web, no native app |
| Android app | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Mobile web, no native app |
| Recurring lessons | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Working hours & time off | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Double-booking flagged | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Phone calendar sync | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes | Yes |
| Gap alerts between lessons | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Works with no signal | Yes | No | No | Yes | No |
| Booking & getting pupils | |||||
| Pupils book online themselves | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Booking link & QR code | Yes | Partly | Partly | No | Partly |
| Booking widget for your site | Yes | No | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Draw your coverage area on a map | Yes | Partly | No | No | Partly |
| Approve, defer or decline requests | Yes | Yes | Yes | Partly | Yes |
| Pupils & progress | |||||
| Pupil records & lesson history | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Progress notes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| DVSA syllabus tracking | Yes | Yes | All 8 categories, 27 skills | Yes | Yes |
| Mock tests, marked DVSA-style | DL25-style, live pass/fail | Partly | Partly | Partly | Yes |
| Per-pupil pricing & packages | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Pupil portal | Web, no download | Pupil app | Web, no download | Student app | Web, no download |
| Waiting list | Yes | Partly | Partly | Partly | Partly |
| Theory & practical test dates | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Money & admin | |||||
| Who has paid, who owes you | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sell a block of lessons upfront | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Payment records & financials | Yes | Finance + tax exports | Not confirmed | Yes | Yes |
| Income, expenses & profit by MTD quarter | Yes — MTD quarters built in | Finance + tax exports | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Export pupils, lessons & payments | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Automatic lesson reminders | Yes | Yes | Email (WhatsApp coming) | yes, plus SMS | Yes |
| Multi-instructor / school mode | Focused on solo — no bloat | Partly | Yes | Yes | Yes |
A note on fairness. We build Lesson Diary, and it is one of the tools on this page — so read the comparison with that in mind. Every rival figure was checked on 27 August 2026 against each company’s own website. Prices and plans change; if you spot something out of date, tell us and we’ll fix it.
Sources: GoRoadie Pro, DriveSchoolPro, MyDriveTime, Passly
The other options
GoRoadie Pro
£15/mo (free for PDIs)The longest free trial and pay-as-you-go pupil referrals. Pay-as-you-go pupil referrals, first one free.
Lesson Diary vs GoRoadie Pro →DriveSchoolPro
Free until 31 Mar 2027, ~£22/mo expected afterThe deepest DVSA competency detail. Deepest DVSA syllabus tracking — all 8 categories and 27 skills.
Lesson Diary vs DriveSchoolPro →MyDriveTime
£19/mo solo (free for PDIs)Multi-car schools and trainee PDIs. Per-instructor price drops sharply for bigger schools.
Lesson Diary vs MyDriveTime →Passly
£14.99/mo, drops to £8.99 laterBuilt-in card payments and a free pupil marketplace. A free marketplace listing that can bring in new pupil enquiries, though how many people use it is not clear yet.
Lesson Diary vs Passly →The Total Drive alternative that takes £0 of your lesson money
One plan at £9.99 a month — no percentage, no platform fee, no tiers. No credit card required to try it.
