Self-hosted geofencing API vs. Radar
Radar is a hosted geofencing and location platform built around mobile SDKs — you integrate their iOS/Android SDK into your app, and Radar's servers handle geofence detection, tracking, and event delivery, typically priced across tiers based on tracked users and monthly API requests.
Fencemaker takes a different architectural approach: instead of routing device location through a third party's SaaS, you deploy the geofencing engine on your own infrastructure and integrate it with webhooks rather than an SDK.
Where the two approaches actually differ
Deployment model. Radar is SaaS-only — there's no self-hosted option, so your location data flows through their infrastructure by design. Fencemaker runs on servers you control, which matters most if data residency, retention policy, or vendor lock-in are active concerns for your team.
Integration pattern. Radar centers on mobile SDKs embedded directly in iOS/Android apps. Fencemaker is webhook-first — you send device location to your own endpoint, and Fencemaker's engine handles zone-trigger logic and pushes events out via webhook, which fits naturally if your architecture is already backend- or server-driven rather than mobile-SDK-driven.
Pricing structure. Hosted platforms like Radar typically scale pricing with tracked users and API request volume — reasonable at low volume, but a variable that grows in lockstep with your product's success. Self-hosted infrastructure decouples cost from event volume; you're paying for the server it runs on, not per trigger.
When a hosted SDK platform might still make sense
If your product is primarily a consumer mobile app, doesn't have backend infrastructure to run a self-hosted service, and values SDK-level polish (like Radar's mature iOS/Android libraries) over infrastructure control, a hosted platform can still be the pragmatic choice — that's a real trade-off, not a reason to dismiss the category.
Where self-hosted geofencing wins
- Teams already running backend infrastructure who'd rather add a service than integrate a third-party SDK
- Data residency or compliance requirements that make routing location data through a SaaS vendor a hard constraint, not a preference
- High and growing event volume, where per-tracked-user or per-request pricing becomes the dominant cost driver
- Webhook-native architectures — Slack/Telegram alerting, dispatch systems, and backend workflows that expect events pushed to an endpoint, not pulled from an SDK
Fencemaker is built for the second category: teams that want geofencing as infrastructure they own, not a service they route location data through.