Silvertrac is a solid, well-known product. It’s been around since 2007, it has a strong review record on Capterra, and plenty of agencies run it happily. So if you’re reading this, the question probably isn’t “is Silvertrac bad?” It’s closer to “is it still the right fit for us?”
That’s a fair thing to ask every couple of years. Silvertrac became part of Trackforce in 2020, and the guard software market has consolidated a lot since then. Fewer independent vendors means fewer choices for a 12-officer agency that wants to be treated like a customer, not an account number.
Maybe your renewal is coming up. Maybe your officers keep asking for an easier app, or a client wants reports that look sharper. Whatever pushed you here, a structured comparison beats a gut decision.
Here’s what we’d compare if we were in your chair. (We were, once. Riilay was designed by a former security supervisor who got tired of the same frustrations you’re probably feeling.)
What to compare when looking at Silvertrac alternatives
|
What to compare |
The question to ask |
Why it matters for small agencies |
|
Pricing model |
Per user, per post, per device, or concurrent users? |
You shouldn’t pay for officers who aren’t on shift |
|
Contract terms |
How long, and what happens if we leave? |
Long contracts lock you in before you know the fit |
|
Officer app |
Can a new hire run a tour with no training? |
High turnover makes training time expensive |
|
Client reporting |
Are reports branded and sent automatically? |
Clients renew when they see proof without asking |
|
Offline mode |
Does a scan in a dead zone get saved? |
Garages and basements lose signal |
|
Support |
Who answers, where are they, and how fast? |
A 2 a.m. outage can’t wait for a ticket queue |
1. Pricing model, not just price
Two quotes can look the same and cost very different amounts by month six. Ask each vendor to price your real roster, including the officers who work only weekends. Riilay uses concurrent-user pricing, so you pay for people logged in at the same time, and there are no fees for empty posts, former users, or new devices.
2. Contract terms
Ask for the cancellation clause before the demo ends. If the answer is vague, that tells you something. Riilay doesn’t require a long-term contract, though discounted rates are there if you’d like to commit longer.
3. The officer app
This is where most switches win or lose. Hand the phone to your newest officer, not your most tech-savvy one. Can they start a shift, scan a checkpoint, and file an incident with a photo? If they hesitate, your whole team will. Riilay uses big, glove-friendly buttons and color-coded icons, and every checkpoint can carry its own instructions.
4. Client reporting
Your client doesn’t care about your software. They care about the report. Look at a sample daily activity report from each vendor and ask yourself if a property manager would forward it to their board. A portal where clients can check activity live is a bonus that helps renewals.
5. Offline mode and support
Test offline mode yourself. Put the phone in airplane mode, scan a checkpoint, and turn signal back on. And call support during the trial. Once. At an odd hour. You’ll learn more from that call than from any brochure.
Silvertrac alternatives small agencies often look at
- Riilay: a guard tour and incident reporting platform for small and mid-size agencies, with concurrent-user pricing, no long-term contract, and U.S.-based support from Phoenix.
- OfficerReports: a common choice for firms moving off paper, priced per user.
- GuardsPro: suited to agencies that want scheduling and payroll bundled with reporting.
- GuardMetrics: pitched at teams wanting reporting, dispatch, and timekeeping connected.
- Connecteam: a general workforce app with a GPS time clock. Useful for scheduling, though it isn’t built around security patrols.
How to switch without a messy month
Most agencies don’t switch because they fear the changeover. Fair enough. Here’s the approach that keeps it calm.
- Export your history first. Pull incident reports and DARs out of your current system before you give notice.
- Start with one site. Run the new app there for two weeks while the rest stay put.
- Rebuild checkpoints with better instructions. Switching is a good excuse to fix post orders that nobody has read since 2021.
- Tell your clients early. A short note saying reports will look better next month buys goodwill.
Riilay’s onboarding team sets up your system, trains your staff, and checks your data before you go live, so you’re not doing this alone.
A note for agencies in Arizona, Texas, and Illinois
Local conditions change what you need. In Phoenix, summer patrols at construction sites in Chandler or warehouses in West Phoenix mean officers want quick scans, not long forms in 110-degree heat. In Texas, large sites and long drives between posts make GPS tracking and quick post switching matter more. Around Chicago, nobody wants to fill out paper in January, which is why digital DARs win fast there.
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