A Programa alternative built for UK studios.
Techstyles vs Programa, honestly compared. Both handle schedules, purchase orders and client approvals well. Techstyles warns you before an order window shuts and runs on GBP, VAT and two-way Xero. For teams of two or more it costs more than Programa. Here is what the difference buys.
Free for 30 days, no card. Free migration from Programa.
| Question | Techstyles | Programa |
|---|---|---|
| Late orders | Order-by date counted back from install | Flags orders once overdue |
| Accounting | Two-way Xero, GBP and UK VAT | Invoices sync to Xero; multi-market |
| Six people | £284 a month | £170 a month, billed yearly |
| Trades | Contractor portal included | Not listed |
| Built for | UK studios | Australian-born, multi-market |
Last checked October 2026. Our reading of both products; tell us if something has moved on.
What differs
Four differences, in the order that matters.
In the order they protect a project: the install date first, the time saved on admin last.
It warns before the order window shuts, not after
Programa’s procurement hub now flags overdue deposits, late shipments and missed dates. That is useful, and it is reactive: the date has already gone. Techstyles counts back from the install date, subtracts the supplier lead time and gives every line an order-by date, so a sofa with a fourteen-week lead is flagged while it can still be ordered, or re-sourced.
UK-native: GBP, VAT and two-way Xero
Prices, purchase orders and invoices in GBP with UK VAT on the line. The Xero sync runs both ways, so a payment recorded in Xero shows against the project without re-keying. Programa also syncs invoices to Xero; Techstyles is built UK-first around it, with support in UK hours.
Your trades in the same system
A contractor portal (drawings with revisions, files and compliance documents, margins hidden) comes with every seat. If you only need schedules and purchase orders, Programa is the cheaper way to get them; the cost table below is honest about that.
AI for the admin, approved by you
The assistant drafts client and supplier emails, turns meeting notes into actions on the project, writes a daily brief across every live job and adds procurement risk insights to the schedule. It does the admin; you approve before anything is sent.
Predictive, not reactive
Flagged while it can still be ordered.
Programa now tells you when an order is overdue. Techstyles tells you the day it has to be placed, worked back from the install.
- Techstyles: predictive
- Install date, minus supplier lead time, gives each line an order-by date. Lines are flagged blocked or at risk before that date passes.
- Programa: reactive
- Alerts for overdue deposits, late shipments and missed install dates, once the date has gone.
| Item | Score |
|---|---|
Pair of club chairsWool velvet, oxblood · 8 wks leadWill miss install by 2 weeks | Blocked |
Coffee table, honed travertine1,400 × 800 mm · 5 wks leadOrder within 6 days | At risk |
Alcove joinery, limed oakOrdered · lands 6 Nov · 9 wks lead | Watching |
Wall lights, brushed brassSet of four · delivered · 6 wks lead | OK |
Fig. 01Order by, not overdue. Each line's order-by date counted back from a 14 November install.
Programa pricing UK
Programa pricing in the UK: cheaper for teams.
Monthly cost in pounds by team size. For one person Techstyles costs less; from two people, Programa does. Here is the arithmetic.
| Team | Techstylesexcl. VAT | Programabilled yearly | Techstyles costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 person | £49 | £55 | £6 less |
| 2 people | £98 | £78 | £20 more |
| 3 people | £147 | £101 | £46 more |
| 6 people | £284 | £170 | £114 more |
| 10 people | £440 | £262 | £178 more |
Techstyles: £49 per user per month, £39 from the sixth user, excluding VAT. Programa UK: £55 a month including one seat plus £23 per extra seat billed yearly, or £69 plus £29 billed monthly, from programa.design/uk/pricing, checked October 2026. Prices as published by Programa.
What the difference buys
- A contractor portal
- Drawings with revisions, files and the items issued to each trade, with your prices hidden. Not listed by Programa.
- Order-by dates on every line
- Counted back from the install, so the late order shows up before it is late.
- UK-first support
- GBP, VAT and two-way Xero throughout, answered in UK hours.
Credit where due
Where Programa is genuinely strong.
Programa earned its reputation on procurement. Studios running product-heavy residential work find its schedules, purchase orders and supplier handling well judged, and it has had years to absorb the awkward cases only real jobs throw up.
If your team already trusts a Programa workflow, “we also have purchase orders” is no reason to move. The case for switching is narrower: knowing the order-by date before it passes, and a UK product with Xero as its spine. Different bets about who the customer is, not a criticism of either.
The short answer
Which is right for your studio?
Programa is a capable, established tool. This is where the two genuinely diverge.
Choose Techstyles if you…
- Need every FF&E line to carry an order-by date counted back from the install
- Run your books in Xero, in GBP, with UK VAT on the line
- Brief trades through a portal rather than your inbox
Programa may suit you if you…
- Already have Programa workflows your team trusts
- Want the lowest price per seat for a growing team
- Take client payments inside the app today
- Run your books in QuickBooks rather than Xero
Feature by feature
The whole matrix, nothing hidden.
Including the rows where Programa matches us. “Not listed” means we could not find it in Programa’s public material, not that it cannot be done.
| Feature | Techstyles | Programa |
|---|---|---|
| Procurement and install dates | ||
| Order-by date per item, counted back from the install date | Yes | Not listed |
| Alerts for overdue orders, deposits and deliveries | Yes | Yes |
| Product library with pricing | Yes | Yes |
| Purchase orders | Yes | Yes |
| Supplier management and trade discounts | Yes | Yes |
| Web clipper for products | Yes | Yes |
| UK finance | ||
| Xero sync for invoices | Yes | Yes |
| Payments recorded in Xero show against the project | Yes | Not listed |
| Invoicing with VAT on the line | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-currency procurement | Yes | Yes |
| Project budgets and markup | Yes | Yes |
| Clients and trades | ||
| Client portal with approvals | Yes | Yes |
| Comments and revisions | Yes | Yes |
| Clients pay invoices inside the app | Invoices and payment status shown | Yes |
| Contractor and trade portal | Yes | Not listed |
| Studio | ||
| Project timelines and phases | Yes | Yes |
| Tasks and team collaboration | Yes | Yes |
| Team capacity planning | Yes | Not listed |
| Document storage | Yes | Yes |
| CRM: enquiries, pipeline and proposals | Yes | Yes |
| AI assistance | ||
| Email drafts you approve before sending | Yes | Not listed |
| Meeting notes tidied onto the project | Yes | Not listed |
| Daily brief across every project | Yes | Not listed |
| Procurement risk insights | Yes | Not listed |
Last checked October 2026, from each product’s public material. Products change; tell us and we will correct it.
Switching
Moving across from Programa.
Migration is free, and we do the moving. Live projects keep running while it happens.
- Product library
- Products come across with images, pricing and supplier details. Trade discounts come with them.
- Clients and contacts
- Client records and contact details transfer, so nobody re-keys an address book mid-project.
- Live projects
- Current projects are recreated with rooms, schedules, budgets and approval status; clients get new portal access.
- Xero and install dates
- Connect Xero: invoices go out in GBP with VAT, and payments come back to the project. Add each install date and the order-by dates appear on the FF&E you have already specified.
Is Techstyles a good Programa alternative for UK studios?
If the install date is what keeps you up at night, yes. Techstyles gives every FF&E line an order-by date counted back from the install, keeps your books in Xero in GBP with UK VAT, and includes a contractor portal. If you mainly need specification schedules and purchase orders at the lowest price per seat, Programa is the cheaper choice for teams.
Does Programa flag late orders now?
Yes. Programa's procurement hub flags overdue deposits, late shipments and missed install dates. The difference is timing: those alerts fire once a date has passed. Techstyles works out the date each order has to be placed, from the install date and the supplier lead time, and flags the line before that window shuts.
How much does Programa cost in the UK compared with Techstyles?
Programa's UK plan is £55 a month including one seat, plus £23 for each extra seat, billed yearly (£69 and £29 billed monthly). Techstyles is £49 per user per month, £39 from the sixth user, excluding VAT. For one person Techstyles is cheaper; from two people Programa is cheaper. Six people pay £284 a month on Techstyles and £170 on Programa's yearly plan.
Can we move our Programa schedules across?
Yes, and migration is free. Send us your Programa export and we bring the product library, clients and live projects across, with rooms, suppliers and lead times. Add the install date to each live project and the order-by dates are worked out on the FF&E you have already specified.
How does the Xero sync compare?
Both connect to Xero. In Techstyles the sync runs both ways in GBP with UK VAT: invoices and purchase orders post to the Xero account you choose, and a payment recorded in Xero shows against the project.
Is there a free trial?
Yes. Techstyles is free for 30 days with every feature and no card. Bring a live project and see its schedule scored against the install date before you decide.
Bring one live project across.
We move it from Programa for you, and you see its schedule scored against the install. Free for 30 days, no card needed.
