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Fleet Management · head to head

NexTraq vs Ridecell

NexTraq logo

NexTraq

Fleet Management

US small-fleet telematics now absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Ridecell logo

Ridecell

Fleet Management

Fleet automation that sits on top of the telematics you already run

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: NexTraq the NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.; Ridecell it requires an existing telematics or connected-vehicle data source, so it is always an additional line of spend rather than a consolidation, and its output is only as good as that underlying feed.
  • They diverge on capability: NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Ridecell covers Telematics-agnostic ingestion.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which NexTraq and Ridecell actually diverge.

Attributes where NexTraq and Ridecell differ
AttributeNexTraqRidecell

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Fleet Management).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in NexTraq

  • Vehicle tracking
  • Hours of service
  • Fuel and idling reporting
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Job dispatch
  • Driver scorecards

Only in Ridecell

  • Telematics-agnostic ingestion
  • Workflow automation
  • Digital keys and access
  • Damage and readiness detection
  • Fleet recovery
  • Mobility platform

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

NexTraq

  • A North American trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and ELD compliance from one mid-market vendornot Ridecell
  • An operator already buying Michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreementnot Ridecell
  • A fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challengernot Ridecell
  • A distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programmenot Ridecell

Ridecell

  • A rental or carsharing operator that needs keyless handover, damage detection and automated recovery across thousands of vehiclesnot NexTraq
  • A large corporate fleet with several telematics vendors from past acquisitions that wants one automation layer rather than a device replacement programmenot NexTraq
  • An OEM or dealer group launching a subscription or shared vehicle service without building the booking and access stack itselfnot NexTraq
  • A fleet operations team spending significant staff time manually triaging telematics alerts into work ordersnot NexTraq

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

NexTraq

  • The NexTraq brand has been absorbed into Michelin Connected Fleet, so the product name, the account team and eventually the platform underneath you are all subject to a consolidation plan you have no say in.
  • Michelin is merging three separately engineered telematics products, which historically means feature freezes on the older platforms and a migration that existing customers pay for in disruption rather than cash.
  • The feature set is mid-market and unexceptional, so it rarely wins a technical evaluation against Geotab or Samsara on capability alone.
  • Contracts bundle hardware into multi-year terms, so a fleet that shrinks or is acquired continues paying for devices, and early exit triggers hardware recovery costs.
  • The integration ecosystem is small and the API is not a selling point, so connecting telematics data to job costing or payroll usually means custom work or scheduled file exports.

Ridecell

  • It requires an existing telematics or connected-vehicle data source, so it is always an additional line of spend rather than a consolidation, and its output is only as good as that underlying feed.
  • Pricing is enterprise and quoted, with implementation services attached, so the first-year cost is dominated by a project rather than a subscription and small fleets are effectively excluded.
  • Much of the automation overlaps with rules and workflow features that Geotab and Samsara now include, so the business case depends on needing more than those platforms do natively.
  • The company has repositioned from consumer mobility software to fleet automation, so reference customers from the carsharing era do not tell you much about how it performs for a utility or leasing fleet.
  • It is a small vendor next to the telematics platforms it sits on, which means a thinner partner network for implementation and a real concentration risk if it is embedded in daily fleet operations.

Pricing, plan by plan

NexTraq

On request
  • NexTraq$undefined/year
    • Per vehicle subscription with hardware bundled into the term
    • Multi-year agreements are standard
    • ELD and dispatch modules priced as tiers

Ridecell

On request
  • Ridecell$undefined/year
    • Enterprise agreement priced by fleet size and modules
    • Implementation and integration services quoted separately
    • No hardware sold; existing telematics or OEM data feeds required

Which should you pick?

Choose NexTraq if

  • You need vehicle tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want hours of service.
NexTraq review

Choose Ridecell if

  • You need telematics-agnostic ingestion.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want workflow automation.
Ridecell review

Questions people ask

Is NexTraq or Ridecell better?
Neither clearly leads. NexTraq starts at On request and Ridecell at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, NexTraq or Ridecell?
NexTraq starts at On request and Ridecell at On request.
Does NexTraq or Ridecell run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is NexTraq best used for?
NexTraq is most often used for a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor, an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement, a fleet replacing an ageing tracking system that values an owner with a large corporate balance sheet over a venture-funded challenger, a distribution business needing straightforward fuel and idling reporting to justify a driver behaviour programme. Of those, a north american trades or field service fleet that wants tracking, dispatch and eld compliance from one mid-market vendor and an operator already buying michelin tyres and fleet services that can negotiate telematics into a wider commercial agreement are not what Ridecell is typically brought in for.
What can NexTraq do that Ridecell cannot?
NexTraq covers Vehicle tracking, Hours of service, Fuel and idling reporting, Maintenance scheduling. Ridecell covers Telematics-agnostic ingestion, Workflow automation, Digital keys and access, Damage and readiness detection.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

NexTraq: Is NexTraq still a separate company?

No. Michelin bought it in 2017 and has folded it into Michelin Connected Fleet, together with Masternaut in Europe and Sascar in Brazil.

Ridecell: Does Ridecell replace my telematics provider?

No. It sits above your existing devices or OEM data feed. Budget for both, and confirm your current provider exposes the data Ridecell needs before signing.

NexTraq: Will my NexTraq system be migrated to a different platform?

Assume so, eventually. Ask directly what the migration timetable is, what happens to historical data, and who bears the cost of re-fitting or re-configuring devices.

Ridecell: Is this useful for a fleet of fifty vehicles?

Rarely. The value comes from automating high-volume repetitive coordination, and the pricing and implementation model assume a much larger operation.

NexTraq: Does buying Michelin tyres get me a better telematics price?

It is worth testing. The commercial logic of the acquisition is bundling vehicle services, and that is where discounting is most likely to be available.

Ridecell: Can it work with OEM data instead of aftermarket devices?

Yes, that is one of the reasons to consider it, though coverage depends on which manufacturers and model years are in your fleet and what their APIs expose.

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