Samsara vs Motive

Samsara and Motive are both first-party fleet platforms, and neither publishes standard pricing — each quotes per fleet. Samsara leans on broad telematics and AI-dashcam safety across mixed fleets; Motive, formerly KeepTruckin, began in ELD compliance and adds GPS, dashcams and spend management, with a strong trucking focus. The choice usually follows fleet type and which capabilities you actually need.

Samsara vs Motive: how do they compare?

Figures marked (est.) are third-party estimates, not vendor rate cards.
Dimension	Samsara	Motive
Entry price (annual)	$27 (est.)	$25 (est.)
Top published tier	$33 (est.)	$40 (est.)
Users	—	—
Publishes pricing	Not published	Not published

How they differ

Samsara positions as a broad operations and safety platform, with AI dashcams and equipment monitoring, typically on multi-year hardware contracts. Motive carries its compliance heritage — ELD and driver management — and pairs it with spend management such as fuel cards, which appeals to trucking and field-service fleets that want compliance, safety and financial visibility in one place. Because both quote, the deciding factor is which product mix fits your operation and what each quotes for it.

How to buy either one

Request written quotes itemising hardware, software and contract term, and confirm early-termination terms. See the fleet telematics hub and the Samsara and Motive profiles.

Where this fits in the fleet stack

Both are the telematics/operations layer, not maintenance or repair. Preventative maintenance is fleet maintenance software such as Fleetio; outside-shop repair visibility is a repair network or a fleet operating system such as Autograff FleetOS. FleetOS is not a telematics alternative — it has no GPS hardware — though it tracks maintenance and coordinates outside-shop repair. See fleet repair networks.

Frequently asked questions

Is Samsara or Motive cheaper?

Neither publishes standard pricing; both quote per fleet by vehicle count and product mix. Get written quotes that itemise hardware, software and contract term from each before comparing.

What is the difference between Samsara and Motive?

Both are first-party fleet platforms. Samsara emphasises broad telematics and AI-dashcam safety across mixed fleets; Motive (formerly KeepTruckin) started in ELD compliance and adds GPS, dashcams and spend management such as fuel cards, with a strong trucking focus.

Do Samsara or Motive replace fleet maintenance software?

No. Both are telematics and operations platforms, not maintenance systems of record. Fleets pair them with a maintenance product such as Fleetio.