Best guard tour apps
The Best Guard Tour Apps & Systems in 2026, by Who They're For
Eight guard tour apps and systems compared on what officers need, what they cost and who each one suits, from free QR code apps to full security workforce suites.
By the PatrolBadges team · Updated · 6 min read
The short list
PatrolBadges for buildings and small teams that run their own patrols and want nothing to install; guardtour.app for a free plan with a native app; QR-Patrol for beacons and man-down hardware; TrackTik for large guard companies that want one suite; GuardsPro for a low-cost suite for small guard companies; THERMS for month-to-month reporting; Deggy where phones aren't allowed. Connecteam suits teams that need scheduling more than patrol proof.
The quick picks
| Best for | Officers need | Free plan | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PatrolBadges | For buildings and small teams that run their own patrols | Their phone's camera. No app, no account | Yes: 5 checkpoints, every feature, unlimited officers, no time limit |
| guardtour.app | Free plan if you're happy to install an app | Its iOS and Android app | Yes: 5 checkpoints, unlimited guards, 30 days of history |
| QR-Patrol | For beacons and man-down hardware | The QR-Patrol app, with a sign-in | No free plan; a free test of the system is offered |
| TrackTik | All-in-one suite for large guard companies | Trackforce's guard app on each phone | None published. Quotes by request |
| GuardsPro | Low-cost suite for small guard companies | The GuardsPro guard mobile app | No free plan; a 30-day free trial |
| THERMS | Month-to-month reporting platform for guard companies | The THERMS mobile app | No free plan; a 14-day trial with no card |
| Deggy | Where phones aren't allowed | A Deggy Steel Pen reader, or the Deggy NXT smartphone app | Not published |
| Connecteam | If you mainly need scheduling and a time clock | The Connecteam app and an account | Yes, up to 10 users |
Best for buildings and small teams that run their own patrols
1. PatrolBadges
QR code guard tour system that runs in the browser
The only one here that officers use with no app and no account: they scan a QR code with the phone's camera and the checkpoint opens in the browser. Every route has a schedule, so a missed checkpoint emails you as the round ends. It's free for 5 checkpoints and $9 a month for 10, with unlimited officers. It's deliberately narrow: no scheduling, payroll or live GPS map.
- Price
- Free for up to 5 checkpoints. Pro is $9 a month for your first 10 checkpoints, plus $1 a month for each one after that. Officers, routes and scans are unlimited on both.
- Officers need
- Their phone's camera. No app, no account
- Hardware
- None. Printed QR stickers, or NFC tags if you want them
- Free plan
- Yes: 5 checkpoints, every feature, unlimited officers, no time limit
Good
- Nothing to install: officers scan with the phone's camera and the checkpoint opens in the browser
- Missed-checkpoint and round-not-started emails, because every route has a schedule
- Priced by the checkpoint, with unlimited officers, so temps and volunteers cost nothing
- A daily patrol report emailed to clients or a board each morning, with a private link
Watch out for
- No guard scheduling, timesheets, payroll or invoicing
- No live map of officers between checkpoints: location is stamped on each scan
- No native app, so no man-down or fall detection and no push notifications; alerts are emails
- One account covers one business, so a guard company can't yet give each client a report of only their own sites
Best free plan if you're happy to install an app
2. guardtour.app
Guard tour app with a free plan, from PatrolTech
A free plan the same size as ours (5 checkpoints, unlimited guards), with a native iOS and Android app and alerts to Slack, Teams and WhatsApp on Pro. History is limited on the lower plans, and Pro is $29 a month for 10 checkpoints.
- Price
- Free for 5 checkpoints; Pro $29/month for 10 checkpoints and 3 sites; Business $79/month for 40 checkpoints and 15 sites; 2 months free when billed yearly
- Officers need
- Its iOS and Android app
- Hardware
- None required
- Free plan
- Yes: 5 checkpoints, unlimited guards, 30 days of history
Good
- A free plan with unlimited guards
- Alerts to Slack, Teams and WhatsApp on Pro
- Native iOS and Android app with an offline mode
Watch out for
- Guards install an app
- The free plan keeps 30 days of history, and Pro 12 months
- Pro is $29 a month for 10 checkpoints and 3 sites
Best for beacons and man-down hardware
3. QR-Patrol
Guard tour app for security companies, from TERRACOM
A mature app-based guard tour with QR, NFC and Bluetooth beacon checkpoints, in-app SOS on every plan, and a man-down clip you can add. Priced by bands of guards, from $59 a month for 1–3.
- Price
- Priced by bands of guards: Base is $59/month for 1–3 guards ($50/month billed yearly), Pro $113 and Gold $216 for the same band. Quote above 100 guards
- Officers need
- The QR-Patrol app, with a sign-in
- Hardware
- Optional: 10 NFC tags $19, 10 printed labels $9, beacons $20, a man-down sensor clip $173
- Free plan
- No free plan; a free test of the system is offered
Good
- QR codes, NFC tags and Bluetooth beacons as checkpoints
- SOS, GPS monitoring and geofencing on every plan
- Man-down sensor clip and a Bluetooth SOS button as hardware add-ons
Watch out for
- Priced by how many guards you have, so a rotating crew pushes you into the next band
- The cheapest plan is $59 a month for up to 3 guards ($50 billed yearly)
- Every guard installs the app and signs in
Best all-in-one suite for large guard companies
4. TrackTik
Security workforce management suite, from Trackforce
Tours and reporting with billing, payroll, BI and visitor management as modules, priced by site through a quote. The right tool for running a guard company with many client sites; more than a single building needs.
- Price
- Quote only. Trackforce says TrackTik is "priced by sites, not seats"
- Officers need
- Trackforce's guard app on each phone
- Hardware
- Not listed on its pricing page
- Free plan
- None published. Quotes by request
Good
- Tours and reporting, with billing, payroll, BI and visitor management as add-on modules
- Built for security companies running many client sites
- Priced by site rather than by guard
Watch out for
- No published prices: you need a sales conversation to find out what it costs
- A full workforce platform to roll out, which is a lot for one building's patrols
- Officers use a mobile app
Best low-cost suite for small guard companies
5. GuardsPro
Security guard management software
Guard management with scheduling, payroll, dispatch and invoicing modules, at $5 to $10 per user a month from 3 users. Guided site tours are on the $10 Professional plan.
- Price
- $5, $8 or $10 per user a month (Essential, Advanced, Professional), from 3 users. Lower per-user rates are also shown for longer billing
- Officers need
- The GuardsPro guard mobile app
- Hardware
- Tour tags for site tours (type not listed on its pricing page)
- Free plan
- No free plan; a 30-day free trial
Good
- Add-on modules for scheduling, payroll, dispatch, vehicle patrol, visitors, invoicing and parking
- Low per-user prices for a small guard company
- A guard web portal as well as a mobile app
Watch out for
- Guided site tours are only on the Professional plan, at $10 per user a month
- Priced per user, so every officer counts, from a minimum of 3
- Guards use a mobile app
Best month-to-month reporting platform for guard companies
6. THERMS
Security operations and reporting software
Reporting, dispatch and patrol routes with NFC or QR checkpoints, billed by active users from $45 a month for up to 5, month to month with a 14-day trial.
- Price
- $45/month for 1–5 users, $105 for 6–15, up to $1,120 for 301–400; inactive users aren't billed
- Officers need
- The THERMS mobile app
- Hardware
- NFC or QR checkpoints
- Free plan
- No free plan; a 14-day trial with no card
Good
- Month to month with no contract
- Inactive users aren't billed
- Patrol routes with NFC or QR checkpoints
Watch out for
- Starts at $45 a month, for up to 5 users
- Priced by users
- Officers use an app
Best where phones aren't allowed
7. Deggy
Guard tour wands, touch buttons and an app
Rugged Steel Pen readers and touch buttons for sites where phones are banned or impractical, plus a smartphone app if you want one. Hardware is bought up front: its store lists a starter kit at $999 and extra readers at $599.
- Price
- Hardware through its online store: a starter kit (one Steel Pen, a USB download station, 5 buttons and software) is listed at $999, extra Steel Pens at $599 and buttons at $4.50
- Officers need
- A Deggy Steel Pen reader, or the Deggy NXT smartphone app
- Hardware
- Steel Pen readers, Deggy Buttons at each checkpoint, and a USB Download Station
- Free plan
- Not published
Good
- Rugged readers for sites where phones aren't allowed or practical
- Also offers a smartphone app, Deggy NXT
- Says it has more than 10,000 clients
Watch out for
- Readers and buttons to buy up front, and to replace when lost or broken
- Pen data goes in over a USB connection, so ask how quickly a missed round would reach you
Best if you mainly need scheduling and a time clock
8. Connecteam
All-in-one app for deskless teams
Not a guard tour system: its pricing page lists a GPS time clock, scheduling, chat and forms, but no QR checkpoints or tours. Worth a look if those are the real problem, and free for up to 10 users.
- Price
- Free for up to 10 users; Operations Hub from $29/month billed yearly ($35 monthly) for the first 30 users
- Officers need
- The Connecteam app and an account
- Hardware
- None
- Free plan
- Yes, up to 10 users
Good
- Scheduling, GPS time clock, chat and forms in one app
- Free for teams of up to 10
Watch out for
- Its pricing page lists a GPS time clock and location tracking, but no QR checkpoints or guard tours
- Every user needs the app and an account
How we chose
We make PatrolBadges, so weigh our pick with that in mind. Every other entry's details come from its own published pricing and product pages, read on October 20, 2026, and linked at the end. Where a company doesn't publish something, like a price, we say so instead of guessing.
- What officers need: an app and an account each, a wand, or just their phone's camera. This decides how fast a new officer, a temp or a volunteer can start.
- What it costs, published: per guard, per user, per site or per checkpoint, and whether there's a free plan or only a trial.
- Proof and alerts: whether the system knows when a round was due, and tells you when a checkpoint is missed.
- Who it's built for: running a guard company with many clients is a different job from proving one building's rounds.
Guard tour app or security workforce suite?
Most "best security guard software" lists mix two kinds of product. A guard tour app proves patrols happened: checkpoints, schedules, missed-round alerts, incidents and reports. A security workforce suite runs a guard company: scheduling, timesheets, payroll, invoicing and client portals, with tours as one module. If you're a property manager, an HOA, a church or a warehouse proving your own rounds, you want the first. If you employ the guards and bill clients for them, you probably want the second.
What about free guard tour apps?
Two entries here have true free plans rather than trials: PatrolBadges and guardtour.app, both at 5 checkpoints with unlimited guards. The difference is whether guards install an app, and how much history the free plan keeps. Paper logs and form builders are free too, but neither knows when a round was due, so nothing tells you one was missed. See the free guard tour app page for exactly what's included.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best guard tour app?
It depends on who's patrolling. For a building or small team that runs its own patrols, PatrolBadges is the simplest: no app for officers, missed-round alerts and a free plan. For a guard company that wants scheduling, payroll and billing too, a suite like TrackTik or GuardsPro fits better. For beacons or man-down sensors, QR-Patrol.
Is there a free guard tour app?
Yes. PatrolBadges and guardtour.app both have free plans for 5 checkpoints with unlimited guards. PatrolBadges needs no app and doesn't time-limit history; guardtour.app is a native app that keeps 30 days of history on its free plan.
Which guard tour systems don't need an app?
Of the systems compared here, only PatrolBadges lets officers patrol with no app and no account: they scan a QR code with the camera and the checkpoint opens as a web page. The others give officers a mobile app or a sign-in, and wand systems use a handheld reader.
How much does a guard tour system cost?
Published prices range from free (PatrolBadges and guardtour.app, for 5 checkpoints) to $45–$59 a month for a small team on per-user or per-guard plans (THERMS, QR-Patrol), and quotes for enterprise suites (TrackTik). Wand systems add hardware up front, such as Deggy's $999 starter kit. See what guard tour systems cost for the details.
What's the difference between QR, NFC and wand checkpoints?
QR codes are printed stickers any phone camera can scan. NFC tags are stickers the phone taps. Wands are handheld readers touched to buttons. QR is cheapest and works on every phone; NFC can't be photographed; wands work where phones aren't allowed. See QR codes vs NFC tags.
Sources
Each company's own pages, read on October 20, 2026. Prices and features change; check with them before you buy, and tell us at /support if something here is out of date. Product names are trademarks of their owners.
- 1.guardtour.app pricing · guardtour.app
- 2.QR-Patrol pricing · QR-Patrol
- 3.QR-Patrol on the App Store · Apple
- 4.TrackTik pricing · Trackforce
- 5.Silvertrac pricing (now redirects to TrackTik pricing) · Silvertrac
- 6.GuardsPro pricing · GuardsPro
- 7.THERMS pricing · THERMS
- 8.Deggy · Deggy
- 9.Deggy Control Kit Starter · Deggy store
- 10.Deggy Steel Pen · Deggy store
- 11.Connecteam pricing · Connecteam
Try the first pick on your own building tonight.
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.
- Compare guard tour systemsPatrolBadges side by side with the alternatives.
- How Much Does a Guard Tour System Cost? Real Prices, ComparedPublished prices, from free plans to per-guard apps and wand hardware, side by side.
- Free Guard Tour App: QR Code Patrols, Unlimited OfficersEvery feature free for 5 checkpoints and unlimited officers. No trial clock, no card.
- What Is a Guard Tour System? How It Works, Types and HistoryWhat a guard tour system is, how it works, the types in use today, and where it came from.