Comparison · race timing systems
Jaguar by ITS vs. ChronoTrack
Race directors and timing companies are moving from ChronoTrack to Jaguar by Innovative Timing Systems for the same reasons over and over: a hardware-ownership model that doesn't charge per finisher, one equipment kit that times every sport instead of just road races, direct access on race morning to the senior engineers who built the system, and full offline operation for the rural and remote finishes ChronoTrack's connectivity-dependent flows can't reliably handle. The result is a faster, more flexible, more profitable timing operation — without the ChronoTrack tax.
Feature comparison
| Jaguar by ITS | ChronoTrack | |
|---|---|---|
| Hardware ownership | Own your readers, antennas, and chips outright. The gear you bought stays yours forever, with no recurring fees on the hardware in your case. | Hardware locked into event-level and per-finisher pricing models that compound against you every year you grow. |
| Per-finisher fees | Zero per-finisher fees. Time as many events as you want — your margins are yours. | Recurring per-finisher fees on every event you time. The bigger your business gets, the more ChronoTrack charges. |
| Offline-capable timing | Full offline operation built in. Split points and rural finishes keep recording when cellular and Wi-Fi don't. | Connectivity-dependent flows that get fragile or unworkable on rural courses, trail races, and remote split points. |
| Sport coverage | One kit times cross country, track, road, MTB, swim, triathlon, military PT, and fitness events. | Designed for road races. Multi-sport timing isn't a primary focus and isn't where the engineering investment goes. |
| Race-morning support | Direct line to the senior engineers and veteran timers who built Jaguar. No Tier-1 gatekeeping when your finish line is hot. | Tiered support model with senior engineers gatekept behind queues, on a much larger customer base. |
| Software platform | Jaguar race management + jClock displays + ITS Your Race results — all built in-house, all integrated, all designed for running-sport workflows. | ChronoTrack Live tied to the RaceRoster ecosystem; non-RaceRoster workflows work against the system, not with it. |
| Registration-platform flexibility | Works with whichever registration platform you choose — RunSignup, RaceRoster, EnMotive, or your own. | Tightly coupled to RaceRoster registration. Choosing a different registration platform means working around the integration, not with it. |
| Total cost over time | Buy once, run forever. The marginal cost of an additional event approaches zero. | Recurring per-finisher fees scale with your revenue. The more events you time, the more you owe. |
Why race directors choose Jaguar over ChronoTrack
- Outright hardware ownership — no recurring tax on the readers and antennas you already bought
- Zero per-finisher fees — your margins stay your margins
- Full offline operation for rural finishes, trail races, and unreliable cellular coverage
- One kit for every sport you time — cross country, track, road, swim, triathlon, MTB, military PT, fitness
- Direct access to senior engineers on race morning — no Tier-1 support gates
- Registration-platform-agnostic — your platform choice is yours, not your timing vendor's
Bottom line
For any timing operation that runs more than one sport, wants to keep the per-finisher fees ChronoTrack collects, or has ever lost reads at a split point because of connectivity, Jaguar is the better platform. The math, the technology, and the support model all point the same direction.
Frequently asked questions
Why are race directors switching from ChronoTrack to Jaguar?
Three reasons come up over and over: per-finisher fees that punish growth, support queues that gatekeep senior engineers behind Tier-1 reps when race morning goes sideways, and a platform built around RaceRoster registration that doesn't serve timers who use other platforms or run anything other than road races. Jaguar removes all three of those frictions — and the savings on per-finisher fees alone typically pays for the switch within a season or two.
How hard is it to switch from ChronoTrack to Jaguar?
Easier than most timers expect. Jaguar hardware ships ready to deploy, and our team handles the migration: we mirror your current chip-numbering scheme, finish-line setup, and registration flow during onboarding so your race-morning runbook barely changes. Most timing companies switch in the off-season and are running their full event load on Jaguar by their first race of the new year.
How much money will switching from ChronoTrack save us?
Jaguar uses outright hardware ownership instead of per-finisher fees. For any timer running more than a handful of events a year, the cost difference is significant, and it grows every year your business grows. Contact our team for a side-by-side cost projection based on your real event volume — we'll show you the actual numbers, not a marketing estimate.
Does Jaguar work with my registration platform?
Yes. Jaguar is registration-platform-agnostic by design. RunSignup, RaceRoster, EnMotive, or a homegrown system — all work cleanly with Jaguar. Unlike ChronoTrack, you're not penalized for choosing the registration platform that actually fits your events.
If something goes wrong on race morning, who at ITS picks up the phone?
A senior engineer or veteran timer — directly. No tiered support model, no waiting for an escalation, no Tier-1 reps reading from a script. The people who actually built Jaguar are the people you reach when your finish line is hot, and that is, on race morning, the entire ballgame.
Considering switching from ChronoTrack?
Our team has walked dozens of timing companies through the transition. We’ll scope your event mix, project costs honestly, and tell you if Jaguar is the right fit — even if the answer is sometimes “not yet.”