QR-Patrol alternative

A QR-Patrol Alternative With No App and No Per-Guard Pricing

QR-Patrol and PatrolBadges both use QR codes and NFC tags as checkpoints. Here's how they differ on price, on what guards need, and on who each one suits.

By the PatrolBadges team · Updated October 20, 2026· 2 min read

The verdict

QR-Patrol is an app-based guard tour system for security companies, priced by bands of guards: $59 a month for 1–3 guards on its Base plan ($50 billed yearly), with Bluetooth beacons and a man-down clip as add-ons. PatrolBadges uses the same QR and NFC checkpoints but needs no app, and prices by checkpoint with unlimited officers: free for 5, then $9 a month for 10. Choose QR-Patrol for beacons and man-down hardware. Choose PatrolBadges for a crew that won't install an app, or a small site that wants to start free.

PatrolBadges vs QR-Patrol at a glance

QR-Patrol: from the sources at the end of this page, checked October 20, 2026.
	PatrolBadges	QR-Patrol
Checkpoints	QR stickers, or NFC tags holding the same link	QR codes, NFC tags and Bluetooth beacons
What guards need	Their phone's camera. No app, no account	The QR-Patrol app, with a sign-in
How it's priced	By checkpoint, with unlimited officers	By band of guards: 1–3, 4–9, 10–24, 25–49 and 50–100
Entry price	Free for 5 checkpoints; $9/month for up to 10	$59/month for 1–3 guards on Base, or $50/month billed yearly
8 guards, 20 checkpoints	$19/month	$116/month on Base, or $98/month billed yearly
Free plan	Yes, with every feature	No free plan; a free test of the system is offered
Alerts	Email when a round ends with a checkpoint missed or hasn't started, plus incidents and SOS	Real-time alerts on every plan
Lone workers	SOS button and welfare checks; no fall detection	In-app SOS on every plan; a man-down sensor clip ($173) and a Bluetooth SOS button ($29) as hardware
Reports	A daily report emailed to clients each morning, with a private link	Daily activity reports and real-time reports on every plan

Which one should you choose?

Choose PatrolBadges if…

Your guards are temps, volunteers or staff who won't install another app
Your crew changes a lot, and you don't want the bill to change with it
You patrol one building or a few, and want to start free
You want a price you can see before talking to anyone

Choose QR-Patrol if…

You want Bluetooth beacons or a man-down sensor clip
You run a guard company or monitoring center and want a native app on every phone
You need features like multi-level access, which QR-Patrol includes in full on its Gold plan

What it costs for a real team

Monthly prices. QR-Patrol's Base plan as published on its pricing page; its Pro and Gold plans cost more.
Team	PatrolBadges	QR-Patrol Base, monthly	QR-Patrol Base, billed yearly
3 guards, 10 checkpoints	$9/month	$59/month	$50/month
8 guards, 20 checkpoints	$19/month	$116/month	$98/month
15 guards, 30 checkpoints	$29/month	$194/month	$164/month
40 guards, 60 checkpoints	$59/month	$285/month	$242/month

The difference is what's being counted. QR-Patrol counts guards, so adding a relief officer can move you into the next band. PatrolBadges counts the places you patrol, so it doesn't matter how many people walk them.

Faked QR scans, and what each one does about them

Any QR system has the same weak spot: someone can photograph the codes and scan them from the break room. QR-Patrol answers with GPS monitoring, geofencing and Bluetooth beacons. PatrolBadges stamps each scan with the phone's location and flags ones far from the checkpoint's pinned spot, flags a scan of a different checkpoint seconds after the last, can require a fresh photo at any checkpoint, and works with NFC tags where you want something harder to copy. More in how to verify security patrols.

Switching from QR-Patrol

01
List your checkpoints
Copy the checkpoints from QR-Patrol, in walking order, and pick when each route is walked. You can try it with the real list before signing up.
02
Turn on the alerts
Choose who's emailed when a round ends with a checkpoint missed, or hasn't started a set number of minutes in.
03
Post the stickers
Print a QR sticker for each checkpoint on any printer, or write its link to an NFC tag. If your NFC tags are standard ones that aren't locked, you can rewrite them with a free NFC app.
04
Send the first officer out
They scan with their phone's camera and type their name once. The round fills in on your dashboard as they walk.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a QR-Patrol alternative that doesn't need an app?

Yes. PatrolBadges uses QR codes and NFC tags as checkpoints too, but officers scan with their phone's camera and the checkpoint opens in the browser. Nothing to install and no account; the first scan of a shift asks their name or PIN.

How much does QR-Patrol cost?

QR-Patrol publishes its prices by bands of guards. Its Base plan is $59 a month for 1–3 guards, $116 for 4–9 and $194 for 10–24, or $50, $98 and $164 a month billed yearly; Pro and Gold cost more, and above 100 guards is by quote. Hardware such as NFC tags and the man-down clip is extra. Prices checked October 20, 2026.

Can I reuse my NFC tags?

If they're standard NFC tags that aren't locked, yes: write each checkpoint's link to one with a free NFC app. Printed QR labels from another system point at that system, so print new stickers for those.

Does PatrolBadges have man-down detection?

No. It runs in the phone's browser, which can't detect a fall. It has an SOS button and welfare checks that email you when someone on duty goes quiet for too long. If you need man-down hardware, QR-Patrol's sensor clip is built for it.

Sources

We read these pages on October 20, 2026. Prices and features change, so confirm before you buy, and tell us at /support if something here is out of date. Product names are trademarks of their owners; PatrolBadges isn't affiliated with any of them.

Try your QR checkpoints without the app.

Add your checkpoints and scan one from your phone, right off your screen. No card, and sign up only when you're ready to keep it.

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