Both Raken and CrewTracks do daily reports. Both have time tracking with GPS. Both are built for the construction industry. So how do you pick?
The honest answer is that they are built for different kinds of companies. Raken started from the general contractor’s side of the job. CrewTracks started from the subcontractor’s side. If you are a sub, that difference shows up in nearly every feature.
CrewTracks vs Raken at a glance
| CrewTracks | Raken | |
|---|---|---|
| Built for | Subcontractors in specialty trades: masonry, scaffolding, concrete, asphalt | General contractors and consolidated project reporting |
| Daily reports | Yes, connected to time and production data | Yes, with photos, video, and notes |
| Time tracking | Yes, mobile clock-in tied to the job | Yes, with overtime and break policies |
| GPS and geofencing | Yes, location at clock-in plus geofence arrival and departure logs | Yes, location and geofencing |
| Production tracking | Core feature. Foremen log any unit your trade works in and see budget vs. actual on every job while it runs | Production reports built around cost codes, with labor, material, and equipment data |
| Pricing | Flat per user, per month. Same price whether you use only the time clock or every feature | Not published. Request a demo or call sales for a quote |
Who each tool is built for
Raken was built from a general contractor perspective. Its subcontractor feature, Collaborator Reports, lets your subs file their own daily reports, which then roll up into one master report for the project. That tells you a lot about where the priorities are. Subcontractors contribute to the GC’s workflow. They are not the primary user.
CrewTracks is built specifically for subcontractors. Masonry, scaffolding, concrete, asphalt. The features that matter to subs, like production tracking tied to your bid units and crew documentation by trade, are core to the product, not add-ons.
Daily reports
Both tools handle daily reports well. This is where Raken got its start, and it shows. Their mobile reporting is solid, with time-stamped photos, video, and notes.
CrewTracks daily reports are built into the same system as time and production data. So when the foreman submits a daily report, it is already connected to who was on site, what hours they worked, and what got done. The office does not have to cross-reference three different exports.
If your main goal is feeding reports up to a GC, Raken handles that well. If you are running your own books and need the daily report connected to your hours and production, CrewTracks is set up for that out of the box.
Time tracking
Raken has expanded its time tracking over the past couple of years, including overtime and break policies you can set by employee or project. It is a real feature now, though it was added to a product that started as a reporting tool.
CrewTracks was built around time tracking from the start. Workers clock in and out from their phones, tied to the specific job they are on. The office sees the hours as they come in, and your payroll export runs off the same data your production numbers come from. Time and production live in one place, so you are never matching a timesheet in one app to output in another.
Production tracking
This is where the difference is most significant for subcontractors.
Raken has a production tracking module. It applies time and materials to cost codes and turns that data into reports on labor, materials, and equipment. That works well for a GC watching cost codes across a project.
CrewTracks production tracking is a core feature, and it is organized around the unit your crew actually produces. Foremen log units in the field, and you define the units: blocks laid, square feet poured, linear feet installed, or anything else your trade measures. Every job shows a budget vs. actual graph, so the office can see whether a job is tracking ahead or behind while there is still time to adjust.
If you run a subcontracting company, you are bidding by the unit and winning or losing on the margin between your bid rate and your actual output. That is the number that matters, and CrewTracks is designed to put it in front of you while the job is still running. Because time and production sit in the same system, you also get a clear picture of what each job really cost you, without rebuilding it from spreadsheets afterward.
GPS and location
Both tools offer GPS location verification and geofencing, so this one is closer than it used to be. Raken lets admins set a radius around a project to verify workers clock in on site.
CrewTracks records where a worker was when they clocked in, which is useful for payroll disputes and for confirming your crew was where they were supposed to be. With geofencing turned on, you also get a log of every time an employee arrives at or leaves a job site, and crew leads can get a reminder to clock in when they arrive. It is not live surveillance. It is a timestamp with a location attached.
Pricing
Raken does not publish its pricing on its website. You have to request a demo or call their sales team to get a quote.
CrewTracks pricing is flat, per user, per month, with an annual plan available at a discount. The price does not change whether your crew only uses the time clock or every feature, so you are never pushed into a higher tier just to get production tracking. Talk to the team to get a quote based on your crew size.
The bottom line
Raken is a good product for general contractors who need consolidated field reporting from multiple subs. If that is you, it is worth a look.
If you are a subcontractor in masonry, scaffolding, concrete, asphalt, or any specialty trade, you need a tool built for how your business actually runs. Time tied to production. Units you define, tracked against your bid. Crew documentation that lives in the same place as your hours. One flat price per user, no matter which features you use.
That is what CrewTracks is built for. Talk to our team and we will show you what it looks like for a crew in your trade.
