TripLog is a cloud-based fleet management software that focuses on mileage and expense tracking for businesses in construction, real estate, accounting, healthcare, IT, sales, and other industries. Staff members can use the app on Android and iOS devices to set working hours for remote and field teams and track mileage accurately.
We decided to take the TripLog app on a test drive to determine how reliable it is for remote and field crews. In this TripLog review, we will explore how the app works, some notable features, its strengths and weaknesses, pricing, and whether it's worth the investment.
Additionally, we’ll compare the TripLog app to other time and mileage-tracking tools, such as Timeero, to see how it stacks up against the best mileage-tracking apps in the market.
In search of the most reliable location and mileage tracking app for remote and field teams?
TripLog offers real-time mileage tracking manually and automatically via a smartphone. You get a couple of choices to track your mileage, including standard, iBeacon, Bluetooth-enabled, or Plug-N-Go auto tracking, or you can choose manual tracking.
To use the app manually, you must use your real-time GPS location to log your driving time and distance. The current mileage rates are preloaded in the app, and users can customize them based on their needs.
TripLog also allows you to add and edit trips and add notes of your routes. All this information is accessible on your app dashboard to help you plan your daily trips and optimize your routes to save time and money.
We discovered that manual tracking is available on free and paid versions. Still, you must upgrade to the paid version to access automatic mileage tracking. This is a downside, especially for remote and field teams on a budget and wanting to track mileage automatically.
Timeero’s mileage tracker app does a great job here with automatic mileage tracking on all versions.
TripLog App: Key Features Walkthrough
Like other time and accurate mileage tracking apps, TripLog offers several standout features and functionalities. However, we understand testing is time-consuming. So we tested the app to save you time and resources. Read on to find out how TripLog works.
Time Tracking
Time tracking is among the main features of TripLog, so we expected to get impressive results. During our test, we focused on how accurately the app tracks time spent in specific locations in real time and how well it manages hours worked.
TripLog Web View
We realized that the app offers ease of use to track time effectively. Getting started is as easy as opening the Time Menu on the app or web, opting into Time Tracking, and choosing your time tracking mode - Timesheet or Duration Tracking. You can change these options later in the settings. Then add the job activities and hourly rates. Once a user uses the job activity and clocks into an active time entry, they will receive a notification that they are clocked in on the app.
Once that’s done, TripLog will start tracking time and creating timesheets. This comes in handy when you want to process fair and accurate employee payments to avoid potential FSLA penalties.
One caveat we discovered when time tracking with TripLog is that you can skip adding the job activities and clock in, and the app will continue tracking time regardless. The app tracked time and mileage without all the project and task details. Some workers can use this shortcoming to provide inaccurate information about their trips and receive compensation for missed trips.
GPS Location Tracking
You want to know that your employees are at a specific job site at the scheduled working hours. This is where real-time GPS location tracking comes into play.
TripLog GPS Tracking
TripLog has a built-in GPS to capture drivers' location data and classify it as personal, business, or commute. You can see the actual location of the driver on the Current Location Map View, including all the trips taken that day.
The app also lets you see the driver's route and day's events. What we noticed about TripLog is that when you zoom in, you might get fewer details of the route with no breadcrumbs to see the nitty-gritty of every place the driver visited and where they stopped.
Similarly, the app doesn’t offer much when tracking drivers who’re constantly on the move. You will get the lean details of the employee clock-in and clock-out location but nothing about where they’ve been during the day.
Also, considering it doesn’t have a geofencing feature, notorious employees can take advantage of the situation and clock in from their designated job site, spend the rest of the day outside the zone, and return later to clock out. This can make it hard for managers to keep tabs on the routes taken, which means you may end up paying for longer routes than were actually traveled.
Timeero solves this mystery with a dedicated GPS and geofencing functionality that ensures workers and drivers clock in and out within the designated area. You can monitor their activities and events in real-time and get the exact route with numerous breadcrumbs of where they spend the day.
Timeero GPS Tracking: Breadcrumb View
You can use the route replay feature to see all the routes taken during the day. The breadcrumbing technology and route replay functionality are reasons Timeero scoops the top spot in the best mileage and location tracking app for both remote and field teams.
Mileage Tracking
In addition to time tracking, TripLog is a popular mileage tracker for fleets, including Uber drivers that want to track fuel usage, expenses, and routes accurately. Timeero tracks mileage automatically once the speed threshold is attained.
Timeero Mileage Tracking
But on TripLog, you must start the trip manually on the TripLog mileage tracker to track mileage accurately. Automatic mileage tracking is only accessible after you subscribe to the premium plan.
If you forget to hit the start trip button, mileage tracking won’t happen.
That said, we discovered that TripLog offers different ways to track your mileage with your Android and iPhone app, including auto-start Magic Trip, Plug-N-Go, Car Bluetooth, Gig App Drivers, TripLog Beacon, TripLog Drive with a USB, or even manually.
TripLog Auto Start Options
For optimal fleet tracking on TripLog, select "Always Allow" for the app to access your location. Once you start the trip, the app will capture your clock-in location, calculate the distance traveled up to the destination, and add them to get the total mileage, including the speed and cost. In addition, users can classify their business or personal drives with a simple swipe.
TripLog Mileage Reports
TripLog makes tracking mileage for multiple vehicles on the same account possible, which might be problematic for most mileage-tracking apps. You can also use the app to access detailed IRS-compliant reports, including fuel cards, car allowance, and variable mileage reimbursements for tax filing purposes.
Offline Mode
TripLog claims to support offline mode, so we put it to the test to see how it compares to Timeero's.
The offline mode seems to work when using the TripLog Drive, but you will not get as many results as if you used Timeero's offline mode. To use it with the TripLog app, you'll need to purchase a TripLog Drive and plug it into your car USB port or cigarette lighter.
This means you might not get any results if you don’t have the device. This might not be good news for users who don’t want to spend extra but want reliable mileage tracking even in areas without an internet connection.
That said, the TripLog Drive captures location data and transfers it to the mobile app for processing through what they call Bluetooth Low Energy. TripLog Drive will track offline and upload the information later to your device when it’s connected again. When your device receives a connection, you can download all the offline trips covered throughout the day.
Expense Tracking
In addition to mileage tracking, TripLog is an expense-tracking app where employees can submit, review, and approve expense reports. Mileage expenses can be easily captured through manual entry on the TripLog app, web, or bank feed integrations. This means connecting a bank, debit, or credit card account and automatically downloading transactions into the TripLog app.
TripLog Expenses
Additionally, drivers can add fuel transactions on the app by simply scanning the receipt. The app will use optical character recognition (OCR) technology to automatically try to extract key details, such as the Total Cost, Number of Units, Cost Per Unit (Liter/Gallon), and Date. The user can verify the correct values before saving and sending them for approval. This allows managers to streamline the expense management process, improving the team's overall satisfaction.
Employee Scheduling
While less advanced than Timeero scheduling, TripLog offers an employee scheduling module to allow managers to create user appointments or tasks, assign them, and notify them.
Managers and team members can easily communicate through TripLog’s mileage tracking app and company mileage admin dashboard. Workers can receive push notifications and either accept or reject new tasks in the field.
The live location map also allows you to see where your workers are at a particular time of the day.
PTO Tracking
TripLog PTO/time-off tracking features enable users to request time off from Android or iOS devices. The request form contains as many details as possible, including pay period frequency, pay duration, PTO type (sick time, personal, vacation), and a description to clarify the request.
Managers receive a notification to either approve or deny time off requests. They can also see the summary of all time off requests and balances for all team members.
Reports and Integrations
TripLog allows you to generate different reports from the app and the web in HTML, PDF, and CSV spreadsheets. You can get reports such as:
● Time clock
● Mileage logs
● Location stay time
● Profit and losses
● Business expenses
Regarding API integrations, TripLog has partnered with industry-leading tools to make it easy to generate key financial reports for audit-proof tax returns. Some notable integrations include:
● ADP
● Salesforce
● Paychex
● QuickBooks
● Xero
● SAP Concur
● Certify & Chrome River
● Google Outlook
TripLog App Review: Pricing
Now that you know about the key features and functionality TripLog offers, how about the charges for using these features?
Let's have a deeper look at TripLog pricing.
TripLog pricing
Free Trial and Free Plan
TripLog offers a 15-day trial to test all its features, including those on the paid plans. But this plan will allow a single user. You must subscribe to a paid plan if you have multiple users.
Paid Plans
TripLog charges users on a per-user basis. If you want to explore more advanced features, you can choose one of these paid plans based on your business needs.
Premium Plan: Charges start from $4.99 per month or a yearly fee of $59.99. This gives you unlimited automatic GPS mileage tracking, unlike the manual mileage tracking on the free plan.
Teams: The plan starts from $10 per user per month with access to more advanced features, such as tracking for multiple users.
Enterprise Plan: This is a customizable plan built for organizations of all sizes. The plan starts from $15 per user per month.
If you want some upgrades for your features, you can access some add-ons such as time and schedule for $4 per user per month and an ACH & Card for a dollar per user per month. Hardware upgrades are also available, including the TripLog Drive for $79.99 each and the TripLog Beacon for $19.99 monthly.
TripLog Review: Is It Worth The Investment?
We have turned every stone to give you a clear picture of what TripLog offers. To summarize, TripLog is quite a reliable app with time and mileage tracking efficiency. But if the precise location and employee hours are at the top of the funnel, you'll need a more robust time and location tracking app like Timeero.
Timeero: The Smarter Alternative To TripLog
If you're looking for an advanced alternative to TripLog to cater to remote, mobile, and office-based teams, then Timeero checks all the boxes. Here is a glimpse into Timeero's unique time, location, and mileage tracking capabilities and why it's the best app to pick.
Real-time GPS location tracking: If a precise location is a priority for your large or small business, Timeero GPS tracking will do the job accurately. The app allows managers to see the exact location of employees in real time, including their movements and stops.
Timeero Real-Time GPS Location Tracking
The breadcrumb technology makes the experience even better. It blends with the route replay feature to provide speed and detailed timestamps to show where every team member spent the day, including the route they took.
Time tracking: In addition to accurate location tracking, Timeero allows you to see who’s currently working for self-employed, field, and remote teams. Simply hit the “Who’s working” button to see where every member is and how long they have worked at that job site.
Facial recognition: Timeero’s facial recognition enables workers to take a photo as they clock in and out and compares it to what’s on the employee’s profile. This prevents double clock-ins or unauthorized clock-ins. If there’s a mismatch, the app will flag the time entry, and the manager will be notified immediately.
Mileage tracking: For every business mile you track, there is a 67 cents reduction in taxable income. Timeero automatic motion detection technology tracks mileages accurately to ensure employees are reimbursed fairly and comply with IRS tax deduction and computation purposes.
To learn about what the app offers, read our full Timeero Review. Also, you can take it on a test drive by subscribing to the 14-day free trial. Our customer support team is ready to help you get started!
TripLog App Review: FAQs
How Does TripLog App Work?
TripLog provides real-time mileage tracking with your mobile app. You can track your miles manually or automatically, track your location, and log your driving time and distance. In addition, you can classify your trip as either personal or business. The mileage rates are preloaded on the app, and TripLog allows you to customize them based on your needs.
Does TripLog Cost Money
TripLog offers a free plan with manual tracking only for 40 trips and expenses on reports.
The paid Premium plan for individual users offers automatic mileage tracking, expense tracking tools, and bank and credit card integration for $4,99 per month.
Subscribers with multiple users can choose the Teams plan, starting at $10 per user per month, or the Enterprise plan with additional features.
How is TripLog Different From Other Apps?
TripLog offers both manual and automatic mileage tracking for remote and field teams. It also provides six different ways to track mileage, including Magic Trip, Plug-N-Go, Car Bluetooth, Gig App Drivers, TripLog Beacon, and TripLog Drive with a USB.
Forget manual tracking and explore Timeero’s real-time location and mileage tracking capabilities.
David is a content writer passionate about all things SaaS and technology! With over seven years of experience, David knows how to craft content that captivates his readers and effectively communicates their value and offerings. When he is not writing, he is at home reading, out playing soccer, or exploring new places.
