A CertFocus Alternative Without the $7,500 Minimum or the Six-Week Setup
CertFocus, from Vertikal RMS, runs from self-service software to full service in which credentialed insurance professionals review every certificate and phone non-compliant vendors. Its owner prices self-service at $6–$8 per vendor a year — on top of a $7,500 annual minimum and an implementation fee. TrackMyVendor has no minimum, sets up in minutes and checks each sub's license with the state.
Choose CertFocus if
- ✓You want credentialed insurance professionals (CIC, CPCU, CISR, CRIS) reviewing certificates and phoning vendors for you (full service).
- ✓Your roster runs to the thousands, where $6–$8 a vendor beats any flat plan.
- ✓You'd like vendors to pay for their own submissions (vendor partnership option).
- ✓Certificates still arrive by fax and mail, and you want a team to process them.
Choose TrackMyVendor if
- ✓You have dozens or hundreds of subs, not thousands — with no annual minimum to clear first.
- ✓You want to start today instead of after a six-to-eight-week implementation.
- ✓You need each sub's license checked against the state database, not stored as another document.
- ✓You want the endorsement forms read — additional insured, waiver, primary and noncontributory — not just the ticked boxes (Pro).
- ✓Your insurer's premium audit should take an afternoon: every sub's coverage by day, with the evidence (Pro).
- ✓You pay subs from QuickBooks Online and want their compliance on the vendor record before you do (Pro).
- ✓You track more than contractors — tenants, renters, franchisees — each on their own list, with requirements set per job, site or property.
TrackMyVendor vs CertFocus, feature by feature
Both read certificates for you and grade them against your requirements. The differences are the minimum spend, the setup time, who does the reviewing, and whether the license is checked.
| Capability |
TrackMyVendor
|
CertFocus
From $6–$8 per vendor/yr; $7,500 minimum
|
|---|---|---|
|
Published pricing
See the price before you talk to anyone
|
✓
Free plan; paid plans priced on the website
|
Partial
Owner's guide: $6–$8/vendor/yr self-service; certfocus.com says "Call for info"
|
|
Annual minimum and setup fee
What you pay before the first certificate
|
✓
No minimum, no implementation fee
|
✗
$7,500 minimum (self-service), $10,000 (full); $3,500–$4,800 implementation
|
|
Free plan and self-serve trial
Load your own roster before you commit
|
✓
A free plan; 30-day trial on paid plans, no card
|
Partial
90-day test drive for RIMS members
|
|
Setup
Who configures the account, and how long it takes
|
✓
You, in about ten minutes
|
6–8 weeks with a Client Success Manager
|
|
How certificates are collected
What the sub has to do
|
✓
One-time link from their phone, no account to create
|
Collected by fax, email or mail on Flex and Full service
|
|
AI certificate reading
Coverage data pulled from the PDF
|
✓
Carrier, policy number, dates and limits on every row — every plan
|
✓
Hawk-I AI extracts coverage within minutes
|
|
Contractor license verification
The license checked against the state database
|
✓
TX, FL, CA, WA, OR, IL, CO, AZ, CT, AR, VA and OH state databases; licenses in every state tracked by expiration
|
✗
Not mentioned on its site
|
|
Endorsement forms read
Additional insured, waiver, primary and noncontributory
|
✓
Read by ISO form number — Pro
|
Not described on its site
|
|
Premium audit report
Was every sub insured, every day of the policy period?
|
✓
Coverage by day for each line, gaps named, evidence ZIP — Pro
|
Not described; reports run any time
|
|
Why a sub is non-compliant
What's missing, in words
|
✓
Each red badge lists the reasons and the tab that fixes them — every plan
|
✓
Deficiencies highlighted in red
|
|
QuickBooks Online
Compliance where you pay subs
|
✓
Status on the matched vendor record — Pro
|
Partial
Integration into your accounting system
|
|
Calendar feed
Deadlines in the calendar you already use
|
✓
Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar — Starter and up
|
Not described on its site
|
|
Any mix of third parties
Contractors, vendors, tenants, renters in one roster
|
✓
Each on its own list (Pro); every job, site or property with its own coverage (Starter and up) and documents (Pro)
|
✓
Vendors, tenants, service providers and locations
|
|
Expert review
People checking certificates and calling vendors
|
✗
AI reads; you make the judgement calls
|
✓
CIC, CPCU, CISR or CRIS account manager on Full service
|
|
W-9 collection and reading
Collected with the COI, read for you
|
✓
Name, tax classification, TIN type and last four read by AI — every plan
|
Not described on its site
|
|
Renewal reminders to the sub
Before each certificate expires
|
✓
90/60/30/7 days, with the upload link — Starter and up; weekly digest on every plan
|
✓
Automated deficiency and renewal notifications
|
|
Projects and per-project requirements
Subs grouped by job or property
|
✓
Per-project coverage minimums — Starter and up
|
✓
Project profiles with their own requirements
|
|
Users
Who on your team can sign in
|
✓
Unlimited on Pro
|
✓
Unlimited at no extra cost
|
|
Bulk import
Bring your roster and certificates across
|
✓
Spreadsheet, or a ZIP of certificates read one by one — Starter and up
|
Handled during implementation
|
|
Data export
Take everything out, any time
|
✓
Full data export on every plan; Excel and PDF reports on Pro
|
Partial
Reports run any time; full export not described
|
|
API and webhooks
Connect compliance to your own systems
|
✓
REST API, REST hooks and signed webhooks — Pro
|
✓
"Open APIs" to ERP and contract systems
|
|
Ready-made integrations
No code required
|
✓
QuickBooks Online, Zapier and Make — Pro
|
Partial
System integrations optional on every level
|
CertFocus's column is taken from its own website, checked October 2026. Features change — confirm anything that decides it for you on a call with them.
Why teams look for a CertFocus alternative
CertFocus is one of the few names in this category whose owner prints its rates. The reasons to keep looking are in the rest of that price sheet.
The minimum is the price, not the rate
Vertikal RMS prices CertFocus self-service at $6–$8 per vendor a year, with a $7,500 annual minimum — enough to cover roughly 940 to 1,250 vendors at those rates. With a roster of a few dozen subs, you pay the minimum regardless. TrackMyVendor has no minimum and a free plan to start.
Six to eight weeks before you start
The same guide puts implementation at 6–8 weeks, with a $3,500–$4,800 fee. TrackMyVendor has no implementation: you import your roster, set your coverage minimums and send upload links the same afternoon.
The certificate is reviewed; the license isn't
Full service puts a credentialed insurance professional on every certificate. CertFocus's site doesn't describe checking contractor licenses with the state. TrackMyVendor checks each license against the state database and shows its current status on the sub's record.
The site and the price sheet don't agree
certfocus.com says it doesn't require long-term agreements and lists "Call for info" against every service level, while its owner's guide publishes annual minimums. Ask for the terms in writing. TrackMyVendor's plans are on the page, with no minimum commitment.
When CertFocus is the better choice
For some buyers CertFocus is simply the better product. If one of these is the deciding factor, stay with it.
You want insurance professionals doing the work
CertFocus full service assigns a CIC, CPCU, CISR or CRIS accredited account manager who reviews certificates, follows up expirations, sends deficiency notices and phones non-compliant vendors. TrackMyVendor's software reads and reminds; the people are yours.
Your roster runs to the thousands
At $6–$8 per vendor a year, CertFocus self-service is inexpensive per vendor once you are well past its minimum, with unlimited users and quarterly carrier verification.
You want vendors to carry the cost
CertFocus's vendor partnership option, at $85–$150 per vendor a year by its owner's figures, passes the cost of submitting documents to your suppliers. TrackMyVendor never charges your subs.
Certificates still arrive on paper
CertFocus collects certificates by fax, email or US mail and has a data processing team to key them in. TrackMyVendor expects each sub to upload the file through their link.
Switching from CertFocus to TrackMyVendor
A migration is two files — the vendor list and the certificates — and an afternoon.
-
1
Get your records out of CertFocus
CertFocus lets you run reports from the website at any time: export your vendor list and compliance status, and ask your account manager for the certificate files before your contract renews.
-
2
Recreate your requirements
CertFocus project profiles carry their own insurance requirements. Recreate each one as a project with its coverage minimums, over a company-wide default.
-
3
Import the roster and the certificates
The vendor list as a spreadsheet, then the certificates as a ZIP; each one is read and filed under its contractor. Import and export (Starter and up).
-
4
Ask for whatever is missing
Subs without a current document get a one-time upload link. No account.
-
5
Keep your data portable
Full export on every plan; the REST API and webhooks on Pro.
Check your agreement's renewal date and any minimum commitment first. In the meantime you can run TrackMyVendor free on part of your roster alongside CertFocus and compare them on your real roster.
TrackMyVendor pricing, on the page
CertFocus starts at a $7,500 annual minimum plus an implementation fee, by its owner's figures. Every TrackMyVendor plan is on the pricing page — a free plan and flat monthly plans — with a 30-day trial on paid plans and no sales call.
Compare plansFrequently asked questions
How much does CertFocus cost?
How long does CertFocus take to set up?
Does CertFocus verify contractor licenses?
What does CertFocus do that TrackMyVendor doesn't?
How do I switch from CertFocus to TrackMyVendor?
Who owns CertFocus?
No minimum. No implementation fee.
Import your subs, read their certificates, check their licenses and send the first upload links today. Start free; paid plans come with a 30-day trial.
Rather see it first? Book a 15-minute walkthrough — optional.
Related guides and tools
All six options, side by side
Contractor License Verification
The check a certificate can't make
Your roster and certificates, in and out
REST API, REST hooks and webhooks
One link for the COI, W-9 and license
The forms behind the ticked boxes
Collected with the certificate, read by AI
Red flags and how to verify with the agent
Free to start, no sales call