👍🏻Samsara’s Pros:

👎🏻Samsara’s Cons:

Editor’s Take

Samsara is the Swiss Army knife of fleet management. It does everything—from preventing accidents with AI dash cams and coaching truck drivers to monitoring trailer conditions and maintaining electronic logging device (ELD) compliance. This, in addition to the fundamental features of delivery management software like real-time GPS tracking.

We were also impressed with Samsara’s hyper-specific tools and integrations, like reefer monitoring for hauling frozen goods, specialized systems for school buses, and even solutions for snowplows to track their routes in real time.

But the question is: just because you can do everything, do you need to?

Samsara's complexity can be overwhelming for businesses of all sizes. Think steep learning curve, features you'll never use, and a support team that's harder to reach than a celebrity on a private island.

And here's the kicker: Samsara is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly copying features from its competitor, Motive. This includes their AI dashcam technology, which, ironically, is often praised for improving driver safety.

While we applaud their commitment to sustainability (they achieved a net-zero carbon footprint in 2019 🌳), it's important to be honest about your needs.

Do you really need a snowplow tracker if you're delivering cupcakes? Probably not. And all those bells and whistles come at an additional cost too. We don’t just mean the price tag.

Samsara provides extensive self-service support via an online knowledge base full of helpful resources and troubleshooting guides. But many users report frustrating experiences with Samsara's customer support—long wait times, unhelpful technicians, and inconsistent information. (There’s no number you can reach through their website.)

This can be a major problem for large fleets, where even minor glitches or support delays can snowball into big losses.

Another consideration is their contracts. Samsara’s minimum term is three years, and the best hardware deals require a 60-month commitment.

So, is Samsara worth the hassle?

It depends. If you're a big company with deep pockets and a dedicated IT team, maybe. For a more affordable solution with top-tier support, no matter how big or small your fleet, odds are, there are better options out there.

What is Samsara? Samsara’s Key Features

Samsara touts itself as an all-in-one fleet management platform that offers proprietary software and hardware for diagnostics, data analysis, communication, and tracking throughout the entire delivery process and vehicle lifecycle.

Source: Samsara

The platform allows you to track vehicle location, monitor driver performance, optimize routes, manage maintenance, and even plan for EV adoption.

Here are some of its core, standout features:

Source: Samsara

This feature list is extensive. And impressive, no doubt.

In the end, though, what types of companies would actually make use of the entire suite of tools?

In their own words, Samsara’s customers include the “world’s largest organisations across construction, transportation and warehousing, field services, manufacturing, retail, logistics, and public sector.”

Source: Samsara

Let’s explore the platform a little more before you say yay or nay to Samsara.

Samsara’s Pros: The Good Stuff 👍

Many public Samsara reviews focus on how the platform keeps their drivers safe with AI dashcams, its buffet of features for larger businesses, and real-time tracking to monitor their fleets’ and drivers’ locations at all times.

Office Manager, Chelsea V., says on G2: “What I like most about Samsara is that it helps keep our business safe.”

How?

“Any time there is an accident or any incident (like a rock hitting our windshield) we have video proof of what happened. We are also able to monitor our drivers and give weekly feedback in safety meetings.”

In another recent win for Samsara, a small business manager, Thomas C., shares how they were able to save $100,000 because of the software’s real-time tracking and recording capabilities:

“In less than 60 days we had two incidents where Samsara saved us. Both times a vehicle ran into us and the camera showed we were not to blame. We downloaded video instantly and sent to driver. They showed to officers and we were cleared. These two incidents are estimated to have saved us over $100,000.”

Logan, an Operations Manager who works in trucking in the U.S., reviewed Samsara on Capterra with a focus on its “plethora of features”:

Shuttle Supervisor, Rich H., echoes the sentiment on GetApp praising “The ease of use and the many features that are integrated in the samsara application”:

Samsara’s Cons: The Not-So-Good Stuff 👎

Samsara’s long, inflexible contracts; opaque pricing plans; and poor customer service come together in a volley of strongly worded negative reviews. The general sentiment leans towards a sour experience with back-end services like resolving tickets.

A small business CRO, Molly H., says on G2 that Samsara’s customer service is “non-existent”:

This, coupled with a contract they’ve been “locked in” and a high account manager turnover, doesn’t do the platform any favors:

“​​Once you get locked into a contract, it is impossible to get anyone to work with you. I am being charged monthly for an extra license when our account has two licenses that were paid and unused. I am on my 3rd account manager in 9 months and have not been able to get anywhere.”

In fact, Sara B., who works in operations, comes with a laundry list of complaints on G2:

“I hate that 99% of your staff doesn’t know the software or industry.”

“I hate that the system is so tech savvy and high functioning that it is hurting the drivers rather than helping (example: The auto switching of HOS settings).”

“I hate that you can ask 10 samsara support reps the same question and receive multiple different answers.”

“I hate that larger customers like ourselves doesn’t have a dedicated support rep that knows the system and our needs like most companies have.”

The most notable complaints point towards a general trend in Samsara’s negative reviews:

A fairly recent, scathing review by Kevin on Capterra calls Samsara “all sales and no service.”

nother trend in Samsara’s negative reviews is the price point. For example, the driver ID token costs an extra $9.99 each.

Mohamud on Capterra complains about the software being “well above price of their competitors.”

“Verizon's Connect is $5 per device per month cheaper and their customer service is unparalleled.”

Samsara, on the other hand, they say, “are quick to get your money and then ghost customers that have been loyal for over 3 years.”

A verified user on GetApp warns other buyers of the pitfalls of signing a contract with Samsara:

“After 3 years I am attempting to cancel my account which they make nearly impossible.”

They highlight another potential issue for growing companies: parasitic battery draws.

“If you are a growing company be cautious signing a contract with them. If any of your fleet is going to be idle for more than 1-2 weeks expect endless vehicle dead batteries because the samsara device has high parasitic battery draws.”

In the end, the user was contractually strong-armed into paying for the three-year-minimum contract:

“I tried with phone calls, emails, website submittals to get this resolved and they can't and then make me pay out the remainder of the 3 year contract for poor performing units.”

Another troubling review by Michael W. on Capterra criticizes Samsara for authorizing auto-renewals without their consent:

Samsara Fleet Management Reviews: What Do Drivers and Employees Think?

To really get a feel for Samsara, we need to go beyond the brochures and demos.

What do the people who actually use it every single day think? Do they love it? Do they hate it?

And most importantly, does Samsara deliver on its promises?

Here are drivers' and employees' experiences.

Samsara ELD reviews

The FMCSA mandated the use of electronic logging devices (ELDs) for commercial drivers in December 2017. ELDs eliminate manual logbook entries and assure accuracy by recording hours of service automatically.

By capturing important information, like dates, times, locations, and engine status, this technology helps drivers stay within legal limits and comply with regulations.

Source: Samsara

So, does Samsara help or hurt businesses with its ELD compliance feature?

The reviews are overwhelmingly positive—with a few notable exceptions.

Darren J. on GetApp, for example, touts Samsara as the best ELD solution on the market:

However, even with a five-star rating, Jim, a Safety Director, says on Capterra:

“I wish Samsara would make its own tablets like some of the other ELD/GPS companies.”

Most importantly, in Mark’s recent, verified review on Sofware Advice—as recent as December 2024—they say, “We switched our entire fleet from Motive to Samsara. Absolutely disappointed in the client support.I am aiming to switch back to Motive. I've tested out four ELD platforms in the past seven years. Samsara is by far the worst platform so far when it comes to client support.”

If you can get by with self-service and hopefully no major interruptions, Samsara’s ELD compliance solution seems to work fine. However, if you’re looking for ongoing customer support…you might want to keep looking.

Samsara driver reviews

The Samsara Driver app holds a 3.2-star rating on Google Play Store (out of 10,000+ reviews).

Drivers are divided between those praising its reliability and those reporting technical issues.

Source: Google Play Store

While long-term users tend to be satisfied, recent reviews have been more critical.

Vince Jungenberg Jr says:

“The app seems to be changing my status on its own after I change it. It has put me on drive after I put myself in sleeper, and that put me in violation.”

Rodney Beggs faces a separate, frustrating problem:

“The app has never gotten my odometer reading properly. It's always telling me it only has partial communications with the truck. I had 2 days when I didn't even record any of my driving or update my locations properly.”

Samsara employee reviews

According to Comparably, “out of 64 Samsara employee reviews, 94% were positive.”

The remaining 6% of reviews, while constructive, aim to provide feedback for improvement.

Notably, the HR department receives a 100% positive rating from its employees, the highest among all departments at Samsara.

In contrast, the Sales department shows the highest percentage of constructive reviews, with 12% of their feedback focused on areas for improvement.

Samsara GPS reviews

The platform boasts accurate, real-time GPS tracking software capability. But the reviews are a mixed bag.

On the one hand, Daniel F. on GetApp praises Samsara for its GPS “superiority”:

However, a verified user in Chemicals on G2 is on the fence about Samsara’s GPS feature. They say that “There's a lot of software issues with the devices.”

If you’re paying a premium for a service, you wouldn’t want it to work for just the “majority of the time”—you want a 100% uptime guarantee.

The most worrying review about lost GPS connections comes from Paula A. on Capterra:

“Gps always lose connection I will recommend Air tag apple best gps, nothing compare with that.”

Again, if you’re shelling out the big bucks for dependable fleet management software, the GPS should work better than an Apple Air Tag.

Samsara Pricing

Samsara’s pricing page leads to an onboarding flow, where you can request a custom quote (for above 11 fleets) based on your requirements:

Source: Samsara

According to our internal transactional information, however, you could be waiting a while before you receive yours. (We still haven't received ours even after a month.)

The only other way is to parse community forums and review sites to get a ballpark number. But this is less than ideal when you’re shopping around for reliable software.

So, here’s what we know:

Samsara's pricing structure suggests that it's designed for larger fleets and complex solutions, although it's not completely transparent. The company's bundled options and volume discounts might be appealing to long-term investors.

In contrast, smaller businesses may find it less convenient to not have access to upfront pricing and custom quotes.

If you fall into the latter category—or even if you prefer to have all the information at your fingertips—you’ll love Circuit's clear, transparent pricing tiers.

Most importantly, when it's time to pay, you won't be surprised by any add-on charges.

Source: Circuit

The Final Word on Samsara

We recommend Samsara for…

We don't recommend Samsara for…

While both Samsara and Circuit are excellent for managing your fleet, they have different strengths. Samsara focuses on compliance, safety, and asset tracking, while Circuit is better suited for last-mile delivery optimization.

If you’re a smaller fish than Coca-Cola with a few dozen vans and local deliveries to optimize, Circuit’s free trial allows you to experience the benefits of the software for seven days!

→ Sign up for a free 7-day CFT trial! ←