Open-Source vs. Commercial GPS Tracking Software: Is Choosing One Over Another Can Make a Difference?

The state of GPS technology changes each year because of how the Information Technology industry evolves in general. According to Global Market Insights, GPS Tracking Device Market size was valued at over USD 2.9 billion in 2022 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of over 12.5% between 2023 and 2032. The launch of new satellites and systems that increase the accuracy, reliability, and availability of GPS signals happens more frequently.

You can also hear about the integration of GPS with other technologies, such as the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, etc. As for the development of new applications that use GPS to address various challenges and opportunities in the world, more and more companies look for solutions that will fit this modern reality.

Therefore, today, we will look at the key features that a GPS tracking software should have, find out when it is better to choose open source or commercial software, and look at one of the popular GPS tracking systems to have more understanding of this type of solution.

How GPS Tracking Software Differs from Other Logistics Solutions

In order to use GPS technologies, you will need to have three key components: a satellite, GPS tracking device, and GPS tracking software application. Everything is clear with the hardware, because it is usually set in stone and you just need to choose how to receive and transmit the GPS signals. For example, one company offers wearable GPS devices, while other doesn’t, so you just go for the option you need. As for the software side, you have more flexibility, which can cause problems, because you may be lost in choices. So let’s know more about GPS tracking solutions.

GPS tracking software is a type of software that uses the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine the location, speed, and other related information of an object gathered by tracking and monitoring it. Such an application is able to read, manage, organize, and store the data received from GPS devices.

If talking about the specific features that distinguish GPS tracking systems from other types of web applications and software needed for the logistics industry, we want to have a look at the key ones. This will help you to understand what you want out of the system.

First of all, GPS tracking software connects with GPS-based tracking devices allowing you to monitor certain data, gather it, and store it. Usually, smartphones, tablets, and other dedicated GPS trackers that receive and transmit GPS signals from satellites are used as mediators between the gathered information and a user that needs to manage it. Often, the devices are also equipped with other technologies (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, RFID or radio frequency identification, cellular networks, and more).

Also, this type of software usually has a set of certain features that help its users to understand the data that was gathered. Thus, GPS tracking software usually requires the implementation of geofencing, maps, alerts, routing, speed monitoring, fuel consumption, driver behavior, and other related features. For example, the system is able to track drivers’ speed and review aggressive driving behaviors (speeding, harsh braking, cornering, and stop sign violations), time spent at job site, fuel use, idle time with a running engine, etc.

Other solutions may provide only basic or limited information about the location of objects.Let’s say a driver came to the required destination, but the system that has no GPS tracking solution will get this info only after the driver comes to an operator to check in.

Besides that, GPS tracking systems bring many benefits in a great variety of fields that require navigation, mapping, tracking, surveying, and more. It can be basically any business area, including aviation, agriculture, logistics, healthcare, etc. On the other hand, all the other logistics solutions may have more specific or limited application methods and benefits because they will particularly depend on the logistics operations.

Open Source vs. Commercial GPS Tracking Solutions

GPS tracking software, just like any other type of software, can be built in different ways. For example, there are open source options, like Traccar, OpenGTS, Navit, etc., that offer the source code for free, allowing you to change the system according to your needs. There is also a commercial version of software that is developed by one company for another, usually with very few options available for modification. You can also find white label products that you can rebrand for your business and make your own. The list continues as there are a lot of options to choose from.

Read Also Jumping Between White Label, Private Label, and In-House Product or How We Developed a White Label WMS

But, let’s talk about open-source systems and commercial software and explore these options in relation to GPS tracking solutions. In general, open source software and commercial software have their differences, and the same differences are applicable to the GPS tracking systems. So, let’s take a closer look at them.

• Access
  Open source GPS tracking software allows any interested individual to access, modify, and distribute the source code. For example, Traccar that we mentioned above has its own repository on GitHub, which you can use to your advantage as you wish. Commercial GPS tracking software, on the other hand, keeps the source code to its original owner, and it is protected by licenses and patents. For example, GPS Trace or Wialon are not open-source solutions and have subscription plans.

• Development process
  Open source GPS tracking systems are often developed by a community of volunteers. It allows basically anyone to contribute to the deed and help with software improvement and its support. With time, a GPS tracking solution can absorb the best ideas and acquire a bunch of useful features and technologies. As for the commercial option, it is usually developed by a company that provides professional services and customer care to let a business use a GPS tracking solution and monitor the data right away.

• Compatibility
  Most of the open source applications are typically developed to promote specific hardware and devices, which may lead to limited compatibility. Many commercial systems, on the other hand, are compatible with a wide range of devices and platforms. It means that companies earn money from selling software that supports various protocols and standards.

• Customization and issues
  Of course, a free version of a product downloaded from GitHub doesn’t guarantee anything. However, it is easier to find bugs in it, because many different companies download an open-source system, find the issues, and fix them. Thanks to this approach, it is possible to minimize bags and issues of the product. It means that you can basically take the open-source software, get a team of IT outsourcing developers and customize the product according to your needs. If talking about the commercial products, you get the guarantee from the direct product owner. If you locate a bug, the owner will add it to the queue with the other issues. They will fix it some day, but you will have to wait for it to happen. Well, is your business ready to wait? And, when you need to customize the system in any way, the owner is the only one who can perform these changes. Thus, you find your request in another queue. Besides that, you will need to pay a decent amount of money, depending on the sum the owner suggests. And, you will have a little chance to negotiate this sum, because the owner dictates and controls anything happening with their product.

These differences don’t mean that one option is better than the other but simply show that there is an option for any case. Some companies may choose to go for a ready-made commercial software, while others may prefer the modifications an open-source application offers. Each to their taste.

Read Also Open-Source Software vs. Proprietary Software: Being in Two Minds While Weighing All Pros and Cons

Is It Possible to Develop an Ideal GPS Tracking Software?

The question of whether it is possible to develop an ideal software is not easy to answer, especially when you are thinking about building a GPS tracking system. Each project may have its individual goals, requirements, and constraints.

For example, one GPS tracking application may be developed for a medical institution to monitor patients’ health, while another one may be created for a logistics company to let the business have an eye on all operations, including delivery process, parcel locations, etc. Will one option be more ideal than the other? Well, maybe if both owners of these companies sit together and compare each feature, then they will be able to find a lot of differences and conclude that their own application is better than the opponent’s.

But, is it correct to make this comparison? Definitely not, because each application may be ideal in their own niche. Therefore, it is safe to say that it is impossible to develop one ideal GPS tracking system for every possible scenario. However, it is possible to develop a web application that will fit your goals and requirements. And after it is built, you can evaluate the outcome and say if the system is ideal to cover your needs or not. But even then, you may find flaws in it or realize that some features are impossible to integrate due to technologies your team used.

Read Also What Is a Tech Stack and How to Choose the Right One for Web Application Development

To understand what an ideal GPS tracking system is according to different companies, let’s consider some of the most popular software used by many businesses. This way, we will be able to look at their similarities and specific features and analyze what is common among different companies. It may be impossible to cover all possible types of GPS tracking applications because of their broad variety, therefore we are going to explore the options used by logistics companies, considering that GPS tracking solutions are most commonly implemented in logistics software.

Traccar

Traccar is a free open source GPS tracking software that allows users to view the status of all GPS devices in real time and track and monitor various processes and data (location, movement, status of vehicles, condition of various physical assets, etc). The possibility to host a server on-premise or in the cloud is one of the features of Traccar. You can view real-time data and create reports by using predefined report templates. In general, many GPS tracking systems have features related to data gathering and reporting in order to help companies better manage their logistics operations. The provider also offers a suite of apps that can transform mobile devices into GPS trackers, which can be useful in case you don’t have GPS devices to connect with.

Samsara

Let’s explore another popular open-source option – Samsara. Its creators also provide the source code on GitHub allowing the community to support the project. Considering that this is more of an analytical platform, the system is more focused on workflow, reporting, and gathering IoT data. For example, just like many other logistics software, its key feature to manage operations in real-time from one dashboard is implemented. The system also helps with tracking and management of company’s equipment and assets. What may differ this application from others is not only the fact that it is focused more on data analytics and workflow automation but also the ability to identify and act on important security risks via AI security cameras, driver panic button, incident investigation, etc.

TrackIt by Flepsi

TrackIt is another example of an open source GPS tracking software with its own specific features. First of all, this is a location tracking tool that is all about vehicle and asset monitoring. Second of all, and this is its key difference from the other solutions, it is developed especially for those businesses that utilize Flepsi devices and want to use the system’s source code. Despite this limitation, the platform covers multiple features, including mapping, messages, telemetry, track player, and more. So, basically, if you have GPS tracking devices made by Flepsi, you can easily connect them altogether using TrackIt and check a panel for visualization of all relevant data.

Verizon Connect

Verizon Connect is a GPS fleet management system that helps to keep track of different assets, monitor vehicle diagnostics and maintenance needs, and get fleet tracking details. The provider decided to pay attention to the fleet management operations, to let users to track fuel costs, check worker productivity, monitor driver safety, and ensure compliance and asset security. The creator of this software is committed to the open source community, which is why they also provide developers with source code and other documentation on their free portal.

As you can see, many of the top popular GPS tracking systems are open-source software, and you may think that choosing this type of software is the only right choice you can make. However, each solution has its own unique features, and looking at all these options, you may find yourself in a quandary. But, is it all so optimistic as it seems? Let’s find out!

Nuances of Choosing Open Source Software (Using Traccar as an Example)

Going back to what we said about the open source and commercial systems, let’s take Traccar as an example of an open source system that can be considered ‘ideal’ based on the fact that it already has a good set of features and can be modified as you wish.

One of our clients requested to develop a GPS tracking system based on Traccar, because their customers found it useful. However, our client wanted to change or combine many features, because they considered them impractical. As a result, we helped our client to fit these two criteria. So, let’s see what we learned from this experience.

Source: Traccar-Based GPS Tracking System

Together with the client, we evaluated the capabilities of Traccar and noticed that the software lacks an intuitive and logically structured frontend. This was one of the reasons why our client asked us to create a better version of Traccar.

To understand better which benefits an open-source solution can offer, let’s compare features that most commercial systems have with the features implemented in Traccar, as one of the open-source systems.

Of course, it all depends. Some of the features may be useful for one company, while others may be not so relevant. In general, the main task of the GPS tracking software is to keep track of moving objects, add them and remove them, provide users with the information on indicators and changes and ability to view at least minimal historical data. Without these features, you can just keep track of the objects, but it may not be useful. So, let’s look at the analysis we made.

Some of the must-have features for GPS tracking systems that Traccar and any commercial software have include the following:

• Monitoring system. It should be able to control the movement of units, detecting their location and watching their movement on the map. Besides that, it should help you to observe the changes of various unit parameters (speed, fuel level, temperature, voltage, etc.) in real time and with the help of notifications;
• CRUD units. It is vital for the system to have the ability to Create, Read, Update, and Delete assets;
• Reporting system. The system has to be able to execute reports (display row and calculated historical data), especially on tracks. A track is a kind of historical data report, visualized as a line of the unit movement displayed on a map. It consists of points from which the unit sends messages to the server;
• Alerts. A user must be able to activate and deactivate predefined alerts. For example, to know when connected devices exceed the configured speed limit.
• Notifications. It is crucial to be able to select the required notification type in order to react faster to different situations.

After reviewing the basic features, we start to look for those that may be considered less important however greatly improve user experience and tracking process. Therefore, let’s see which features we identified as common between Traccar and commercial systems (Wialon as example) and which are different.

As you can see, even one of the most popular open-source software may not have all the features you need. After seeing this comparison, you may shift your perspective once again and be ready to run buying a commercial system. However, let’s remember what we said earlier – despite the guarantees a commercial option provides, it brings you many unpleasant limitations. Besides that, you will have to spend much more resources than in contrast to,  for example, downloading free software and then hiring a team that will assist you in creating a better and unique version of a product.

To put it simply, you need to decide what is best for you: choosing a ready-made system with the features you won’t use and being unable to add the ones that are required, or going for the open-source software with less out-of-the-box features but being able to develop exactly what you need. In general, this is not a deadlock, because you can also decide to build an application from scratch spending resources only on a certain list of features.

Conclusions

So, can one solution be better over another? Definitely. Does it mean that you should not consider the other option ever? It’s better not to be so judgmental, because you may face any situation in the future, including the one you have been avoiding your whole life. Therefore, it is important to be able to make decisions based on a thorough analysis and broad point of view.

If you are ready to improve an open-source system and make it ideal for your case, then go for it! No one’s stopping you. If you need help, you can get it from the experts in the field. Just like we helped one of our customers to make a better solution out of an open-source software. We are always ready to assist in making your idea come true, so contact us, and our team of experts will develop the GPS tracking system that you imagined.