Which food service safety software should you choose?
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Which food service safety software should you choose?
FoodDocs and Trail are two of the most implemented and often compared food safety software solutions for food services. To help you search for the right solution, we created a comprehensive guide comparing FoodDocs vs Trail App.
Choosing the right food safety management software is crucial for ensuring compliance with standards and streamlining operations within the food industry. It's something you want to get right the first time around. Otherwise, it can be an expensive decision not just financially but because it can take months to onboard your team to a single software.
In short, both solutions have a great digital food safety monitoring system. But if a platform that also includes a HACCP Plan, smart recipe management and secure document management could benefit you, FoodDocs will better serve your needs.
WHAT WE'LL COVER:
This PDF is designed for key stakeholders to compare food safety software features.
FoodDocs stands out with its AI-driven food safety system that customizes tasks based on your business's unique needs, enabling quick setup and launch.
FoodDocs caters to many business types, from small cafés to multi-location restaurants to medium-sized food production companies. The digital FSMS ensures compliance with food safety standards through intuitive solutions like a real-time monitoring system, secure document cloud storage, smart recipe management, and automated HACCP plan generation.
Plus if you're a food service business with a central kitchen, for example, FoodDocs has an easy-to-use traceability log and efficient recall management tools.
Trail (a part of Access Group), on the other hand, offers a complete task management solution tailored to the hospitality and leisure sectors. It helps businesses replace paper food safety processes with digital efficiency, focusing on compliance and productivity.
While it excels in multi-site operation management, user feedback suggests some challenges with ease of use, particularly with its lack of mobile support.
The following table summarizes the key features of both FoodDocs and Trail App, illustrating how each software meets specific operational needs within the food safety management system:
|
Key Features |
FoodDocs |
Trail App |
|
TARGET CUSTOMERS |
Perfect for both, food production and food services with several locations Focus on the US market and its customers' compliance needs |
Tailored specifically for food service companies, which may make the software and its features less suitable for other sectors As a UK-based company, some features may not be relevant to customers in other regions |
|
EASE OF USE |
Intuitive interface for app and desktop solution, making it easy to navigate for all users, from teams to management Users consistently highlight ease of use and simplicity in customer reviews |
Filling the tasks is not as user-friendly, because of there is no mobile app |
|
SETUP |
Offers a wide range of monitoring task templates to simplify the setup process Ability to amend and add tasks as and when needed is highly important to speed up the process being up to date |
Self-setup on the desktop is very straightforward and clear, especaially for multi-sites companies |
|
CUSTOMIZABILITY |
All tasks are fully customizable to meet the chosen food safety standards |
Highly customizable especially for multi-unit companies |
|
HACCP PLAN |
Enables you to create a HACCP Plan in 1 hour, using AI The setup process is fast and straightforward, thanks to pre-filled fields HACCP content is fully customizable for your company's specifics |
❌ |
|
MONITORING |
An all-in-one monitoring solution accessible from all devices The smart app automatically fills in monitoring checks based on previously entered data The app provides templates for corrective actions for your tasks, as well as the flexibility to create your own |
Since there is no mobile app, you won't receive daily notifications for upcoming tasks, so you'll need to remember to check the app for upcoming tasks The corrective actions feature can be time-consuming for users because it requires filling in empty fields from scratch each time There is no pre-fill option; all data must be entered from scratch, which can be time-consuming |
|
TRACEABILITY AND RECALL MANAGEMENT |
All-in-one traceability solution simplifies the process, enabling logs to be completed quickly and efficiently Everything you need is available in a single view, making the process intuitive and easy to navigate |
❌ |
|
TEMPLATES &EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES |
200+ free templates available for managing your company's food safety |
Several templates are available inside the software |
|
DATA & OVERVIEW |
Monitoring logbook enables you to easily track all the details about the task completion, including the result, the person performing the task, or the exact completion time You can extract all data as CSV or XLS files to analyze it according to your needs |
The report's user experience may be difficult to understand because of the lengthy vertical layout Data analysis can be challenging, as exports are only available daily Reporting may experience some delays |
|
TEAM MANAGEMENT |
Monitoring tasks can be set up by roles, equipment, or rooms, improving team efficiency in completion Smart notifications allow tracking the validity of team certificates, training documents, and other compliance documents |
Monitoring tasks can only be set up by roles, limiting flexibility in task assignment |
|
RECIPE MANAGEMENT |
Includes allergen management, including automatically created allergen matrix |
❌ |
|
INTEGRATION CAPABILITIES |
Can be integrated with different kinds of sensors (e.g., temperature sensors) |
Can be integrated with ePOS, Deputy, Zapier, Google Drive, SafetyCulture, Microsoft Excel No integrations with sensors |
|
WEB & MOBILE ACCESSIBILITY |
iOS Android Web |
❌ ❌ Web |
|
FREE TRIAL AVAILABILITY |
✅ (14 days) |
✅ (14 days) |
|
PRICING |
Starts at $167/month Tailor-made pricing is available for larger teams upon request |
Starts at $90/month/site Tailor-made pricing is available for larger teams upon request. |
|
ONBOARDING |
Full 45-day support with a dedicated support manager; price starts with a $999 one-time fee |
Onboarding pricing and process details are available only upon request |
|
CUSTOMER SUPPORT & HELP |
Top-notch customer support with a satisfaction rate of 98% from our NPS survey A comprehensive Knowledge Base with educational instructions and resources |
Trail offers email, Help Desk, Chat, Phone Support, and a self-serve Knowledge Base Customer support is highly rated |
|
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK & REVIEWS |
4.8+ customer feedback score on all major review sites, including Capterra, SourceForge, and G2 |
Very few and outdated customer feedback is available 4.9 customer feedback score, but unfortunately only in Capterra |
When it comes to distinguishing factors, several key areas set FoodDocs apart from Trail App.
We list them because they're not just glaring gaps in Trail's food safety software. They are necessary for a holistic Food Safety System.
FoodDocs allows for rapid development and implementation of HACCP plans, a feature completely absent in Trail App.
In less than an hour, you'll get a HACCP Plan to meet legal requirements. It’s fully customizable and easy to use.
After answering a few questions about your business, our AI compiles the essential HACCP components for regulatory compliance. This includes documents such as a Hazard Analysis, defined Critical Control Points, Flow Chart, Standard Operating Procedures, and more.
All your digital documents are fully customizable according to your company's needs, at any time.
With FoodDocs, your business can efficiently manage recipes, maintaining consistency and quality. This option is not available with Trail App.
The digital recipe book, which has a built-in allergen matrix, is a great tool for organizing and quickly updating your company’s recipes at scale. It’s essential for your team to always have all preparation instructions and allergen information on hand to maintain high standards in your company.
Our smart recipe book also quickly calculates ingredient quantities, helping to make your production or order planning easier, and saving you time.
FoodDocs' cloud storage feature is a solution to the reality that a proper food safety system can consist of hundreds of documents. Everything needs to be stored and found easily in case auditors or inspectors visit, or there's a product recall. Our secure file storage allows you to keep all these documents in one place, with 24/7 access.
No matter how many team-related documents you have — from food safety training docs to health certificates to permits to internal audits — managing them is easy. Just add their expiration dates (if applicable) and you'll get automatic notifications before they expire.
That way, you can be confident your documents are always acceptable.
FoodDocs offers an intuitive app and desktop experience praised for its ease of use. In contrast, Trail App's lack of a mobile application can hinder on-the-go task management, making FoodDocs a more adaptable choice for dynamic food service businesses wanting to holistically comply with food safety regulations.
Unlike Trail App, which primarily focuses on monitoring tasks, FoodDocs provides an all-encompassing platform that includes monitoring, HACCP Plan, recipe management, and food safety documentation management among its features.
FoodDocs is highly regarded across numerous review platforms, accumulating over 70 positive reviews that highlight its effectiveness and customer satisfaction. In comparison, Trail App has limited and less recent user feedback.
"Terroni sees FoodDocs' solutions a useful tool that reduces the amount of time required to monitor and verify all food safety tasks. Management relies on real-time information to make decisions and verify tasks." — Michael Worbanski, Human Resources and Operations Safety Specialist, Gruppo Terroni, Canada
FoodDocs' food safety software is perfect for: |
|
|
Businesses producing food |
Businesses serving food |
|
|
Trail describes itself as a "hospitality checklist app for productive teams." According to their website, in terms of food services, they best serve cafés, pubs, bars, hotels, and retail stores.
You can find the FoodDocs plans directly on their pricing page:
On an annual subscription, FoodDocs' plans range from USD $84 to $250 per month, saving you 20% in costs compared to the monthly one.
Trail's software includes two pricing tiers:
On an annual payment plan, you can save up to 20%.
And like FoodDocs, Trail offers a 14-day free trial period, allowing businesses to test the software before committing to a paid plan.
We aim to help you make an informed choice about the best food safety software for your business. Whether it's FoodDocs, Trail App, FoodReady or someone else, we recommend exploring both solutions more deeply. Thankfully, it's easy because both companies offer a free trial. (Many companies don't!)
Schedule demos, engage in free trials, and truly understand the capabilities of each platform. This hands-on approach will allow you to assess the software's fit with your operations, leading to a more tailored and effective implementation.
And if they have explainer videos like the one below, watch them before you jump into a free trial or book a demo.
Note: This comparison is based on detailed reviews from both websites, direct user feedback, and insights gained from using the software, along with additional online sources. We strive for accuracy and relevance in our content and welcome any feedback to improve the usefulness of this resource.
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