TraceLock vs ServiceTrade

ServiceTrade is field service software for commercial service contractors, with a product line for fire protection and another for commercial and mechanical service [1]. TraceLock, the product we make, is inspection and service software aimed at small fire protection shops. This page compares the two using what each company publishes. Every fact about ServiceTrade links to the page we read it on, and the date we read it.

The short answer

• ServiceTrade fits established commercial contractors, often running fire protection alongside mechanical or other trades, that want a mature platform with apps in both app stores, unlimited office users, a customer portal and AHJ reporting, and are comfortable getting a quote.
• TraceLock fits small fire protection shops, often one to five people, that want a published per-seat price, a field app built around extinguisher and fire-system inspections, and quotes and invoices in the same place, and that accept being an early customer of a young product.

At a glance

• Price. ServiceTrade: Not published; "Request pricing" on every tier, driven mainly by technician count [2]. TraceLock: $35 per user per month, or $28 per month on annual billing [3].
• Tiers. ServiceTrade: Select, Premium, Enterprise, for Fire Protection and for Commercial & Mechanical [1]. TraceLock: One plan.
• Office users. ServiceTrade: Unlimited office users on Select [4]. TraceLock: Every user who signs in is a paid seat, office staff included [5].
• Android app. ServiceTrade: On Google Play: 4.1 stars, 270 reviews, 10K+ downloads [6]. TraceLock: Direct APK download from our site; not on Google Play yet [7].
• App Store app. ServiceTrade: On the App Store: 4.1 average from 587 ratings [8]. TraceLock: On the App Store, 1 rating [9].
• Works offline. ServiceTrade: Not mentioned on its mobile app or fire inspection pages [10]. TraceLock: Yes, inspections save with no signal and upload later [11].
• Deficiency to quote. ServiceTrade: Yes; "Track failed items from inspection to quote, approval, and completed repair" [12]. TraceLock: Yes; deficiencies become quotes the customer accepts from a link, and completed visits become invoices.
• Customer portal. ServiceTrade: Yes, on Premium [1][13]. TraceLock: No; customers get no-login links to their report, quote or invoice.
• AHJ reporting. ServiceTrade: Integrates with The Compliance Engine; Brycer integration on Fire Protection Premium [13][1]. TraceLock: No.
• Accounting. ServiceTrade: QuickBooks integration on Select [4]. TraceLock: No live accounting sync.
• Size. ServiceTrade: "Trusted by 1,300+ happy customers"; Capterra badge 4.6 from 343 ratings [14]. TraceLock: A young product with a short customer list.

Where ServiceTrade is the stronger choice

More than one trade. If your company does fire protection and also HVAC or mechanical service, ServiceTrade has a product line for each, with the same tiers [1]. TraceLock has pages for other trades, but its field app and reports grew up around fire protection.

Office-heavy teams. ServiceTrade's Select tier lists unlimited office users [4]. TraceLock charges per user, and office staff count [5]. If you have four office people for every two technicians, run the math both ways.

Customer portal and AHJ reporting. ServiceTrade offers a portal "where customers request service, and find their inspection reports," and integrates with The Compliance Engine [13]. TraceLock has neither today. You send reports by email or a no-login link.

App store presence and track record. ServiceTrade's technician app is on both Google Play and the App Store with hundreds of reviews in each [6][8]. Its iPhone app was first released on the App Store in April 2013 [8], and it reports more than 1,300 customers [14].

Where TraceLock is the better fit

You want a number before a sales call. TraceLock publishes one price, $35 per user per month or $28 on annual billing, and a 30-day trial [3]. ServiceTrade asks you to request pricing [2].

You are a small shop and fire inspection is the job. The TraceLock field app scans the extinguisher barcode or nameplate label, fills in serial and model, and works out the next annual, 6-year and hydrostatic dates from the extinguisher type. An extinguisher whose hydrostatic test or 6-year examination is overdue cannot be passed; it files as a fail with the reason (see our NFPA 10 inspection guide). Kitchen suppression visits get a 35-point checklist, and you can build your own templates with their own cadence: monthly, quarterly, semiannual or annual [15]. Extinguisher reports go out as an NFPA 10 PDF by email or a no-login link, and the office can approve and lock each one.

Your techs work in basements and dead zones. TraceLock saves inspections on the phone with no signal and uploads them when signal returns [11]. ServiceTrade's public pages do not describe offline use either way, so ask them directly if this matters to you [10].

TraceLock's honest limits

• We are small. TraceLock is a young product with a short customer list. You would be an early customer.
• Android is a direct download. The Android app is installed from tracelock.tech/download, not from Google Play. You allow installs from that source when Android asks [7]. Some company-managed phones block this. More in fire inspection apps for Android.
• No customer portal, no AHJ portal submission, no live accounting sync. Reports go out by email or a no-login link.
• Sprinkler and alarm forms are short. The built-in sprinkler form is a riser-level summary and the alarm form is panel-level, not full NFPA 25 or NFPA 72 test records. Fuller checklists have to be built in the template builder.
• Tag printing is not live. Bluetooth printing to Zebra printers is still in testing.
• No due-date reminders to your customers. TraceLock tracks due dates for your office; it does not email your customers when they are due.
• Office seats cost money. Every signed-in user is a seat [5].
• No outside reviews so far. One App Store rating and no Capterra or G2 listing [9].

Verdict: who each is for

Choose ServiceTrade if you run a multi-trade commercial service company, have a large office staff, need a customer portal or Compliance Engine reporting now, or want an app your techs can install from Google Play today.

Choose TraceLock if you are a one- to five-person fire protection shop, want a published price and a trial before any sales call, do a lot of extinguisher work, and send techs into buildings with poor signal.

The best test is your own route. Take one week of real visits and run them through each trial or demo with the techs who will use it every day.

Want to see how TraceLock would handle your own routes? Send us a message.

Prices and features change. Everything here was checked on November 3, 2026. If something about ServiceTrade is out of date, tell us and we will fix it.

Sources

1. ServiceTrade, "Pricing," https://servicetrade.com/pricing/, read November 3, 2026. Tiers listed for Commercial & Mechanical Service and for Fire Protection; customer portal and Brycer integration appear on Fire Protection Premium.
2. ServiceTrade, "Pricing," https://servicetrade.com/pricing/, read November 3, 2026: "Pricing is driven mainly by the number of technicians you support."
3. TraceLock pricing, https://tracelock.tech/pricing, read November 3, 2026.
4. ServiceTrade, "Pricing," Select tier, https://servicetrade.com/pricing/, read November 3, 2026.
5. TraceLock pricing FAQ "What counts as a user?", https://tracelock.tech/pricing, read November 3, 2026.
6. Google Play, "ServiceTrade" by ServiceTrade Inc, https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.servicenet.mobile, read November 3, 2026.
7. TraceLock download page, https://tracelock.tech/download, read November 3, 2026.
8. Apple App Store, "ServiceTrade" by ServiceTrade, Inc., https://apps.apple.com/app/id633457052, figures from the App Store lookup service on November 3, 2026 (version 8.3.7; first release date 2013-04-23).
9. Apple App Store listing for TraceLock (id6759998090), 1 rating, checked November 3, 2026. No Capterra, GetApp, Software Advice or G2 listing as of the same date.
10. ServiceTrade pages checked November 3, 2026, with no mention of offline use: https://servicetrade.com/products/servicetrade-platform/features/mobile-app/, https://servicetrade.com/products/fire-inspection-software/, https://servicetrade.com/industries/fire-protection/.
11. TraceLock release notes, https://tracelock.tech/download. Offline saving has been in the app since its early versions.
12. ServiceTrade, "Fire Inspection Software," https://servicetrade.com/products/fire-inspection-software/, read November 3, 2026.
13. ServiceTrade, "Fire Protection," https://servicetrade.com/industries/fire-protection/, read November 3, 2026.
14. ServiceTrade, https://servicetrade.com/industries/fire-protection/ ("Trusted by 1,300+ happy customers") and https://servicetrade.com/pricing/ (Capterra badge, 4.6 from 343 ratings), read November 3, 2026.
15. TraceLock release notes for versions 0.2.8, 0.3.2, 0.3.4, 0.3.14, 0.3.15 and 0.3.18, https://tracelock.tech/download.