The short answer
Beame suits drivers who want minimum-fuss recovery cover on a lower-value or secondary vehicle, at the lowest possible monthly cost — without the live tracking, app, and analytics layer. Cartrack suits drivers who want a full-featured tracking and analytics platform with live tracking, driver-behaviour insights, and a strong mobile app.
These are different products serving different needs. The honest comparison isn't 'which is better' — it's 'which one is right for this specific vehicle and use case'.
Beame — what it is and what it isn’t
Beame's positioning is intentionally narrow: wireless (battery-powered, no hardwired installation), recovery-focused (no live tracking, no app for daily use), and budget-priced (typically around R99/month). The unit is small, self-installed in most cases, and designed to deliver recovery service if the vehicle is stolen.
What Beame doesn't offer at the entry-tier: live tracking, geofencing, trip history, driver-behaviour analytics, SARS-ready logbook, fleet management. If you want any of those, Beame's basic recovery unit isn't the right product.
Beame is the right choice for: secondary vehicles (a second car, motorcycle, caravan, trailer); paid-off lower-value vehicles where the insurance discount maths needs a low subscription; drivers who genuinely don't want a tracking app and just want recovery cover.
Cartrack — what it is and what it isn’t
Cartrack's positioning is full-featured: live tracking, mobile app, driver-behaviour analytics, fleet management integration. Consumer pricing runs from around R99/month (entry Quick tier) up to around R260/month (Exec Plus top consumer tier), with free professional installation typically bundled on consumer packages.
What Cartrack isn't: the cheapest option. The cheaper Cartrack tier (Quick at around R99/month) is comparable in price to Beame but includes features Beame doesn't offer at all — live tracking, app, analytics. The trade-off is hardwired installation versus Beame's self-install.
When Beame is the right answer
You have a paid-off vehicle worth under R150,000 and your insurer doesn't require a premium-tier tracker — recovery cover is enough.
You have a secondary vehicle (a second car for the family, a motorcycle, a caravan you use occasionally) where the active-tracking layer isn't worth the extra monthly cost.
You're tracker-fitting purely to satisfy a tracker requirement on a low-value asset and want the cheapest approved-device option.
You don't want a mobile app, don't care about driver-behaviour analytics, and just want recovery service if something happens.
When Cartrack is the right answer
You have a daily-driver vehicle and want live tracking, trip history, and geofencing.
You value driver-behaviour analytics (your own driving feedback, or family member monitoring).
You might add more vehicles to a fleet in future and want a platform that scales.
You're insurance-required to fit a mid-tier or premium tracker and want full features at that price level.
Insurance approval
Both Beame and Cartrack are widely approved on SA insurer approved-device lists. The discount you receive is based on tracker tier — Beame typically qualifies for the entry-tier discount; Cartrack consumer packages qualify across tiers depending on the package level.
If your insurer specifies a mid-tier or premium tracker requirement (often the case for vehicles above R350,000-R500,000 value), Beame's entry-tier recovery unit may not satisfy that requirement. Confirm with your insurer before fitting.
The honest pricing comparison
Beame at around R99/month gives you recovery cover with no live tracking and no app.
Cartrack Quick at around R99/month gives you recovery + live tracking + app at the entry tier.
On headline price they're similar; on feature density Cartrack delivers more. Where Beame wins is on the deliberate simplicity — if you don't want or won't use the features, you're paying for nothing.
On mid and premium tiers, Beame doesn't compete — Cartrack moves to R149-R260/month with feature progressions Beame doesn't match.
The OneCompare view
Pricing and features change frequently. Confirm current pricing and approved-device status with Beame and Cartrack directly, and confirm tracker requirements with your insurer before binding cover. The right choice depends entirely on what your vehicle needs — there is no universal winner between these two.