Resgrid vs Beacon
Beacon, from the nonprofit Trek Medics International, is a mobile-first dispatch platform used by mobile crisis teams, alternative response programs, and EMS systems in more than 20 countries. Resgrid and Beacon share a belief that crisis teams don't need legacy 911 CAD. Here's how they differ.
The quick take
Choose Beacon if you need
- Responders reachable by SMS alone, with SMS fallback when there's no data connection
- Crowdsourced dispatch of community first responders
- A mission-driven nonprofit vendor with a 90-day free trial
Choose Resgrid if you need
- Shift scheduling, credentials, messaging, and optional push-to-talk in the same system as dispatch
- Field-level PHI encryption with step-up MFA, and a BAA
- Direct FHIR R4 or HL7 v2 hand-offs of each encounter to your EHR
- An open-source platform with published pricing and a free tier
Two lightweight alternatives to 911 CAD
How Resgrid compares to Beacon for mobile crisis and alternative response teams.
| Capability | Resgrid | Beacon |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Resgrid, LLC — open-source platform (Apache 2.0) | Trek Medics International — nonprofit |
| Dispatch | Dispatch console with custom call types, priorities, and statuses | Mobile-first dispatch: manual, automated, or crowdsourced |
| Alerting | Push, SMS, email, and voice | Push notifications with SMS fallback when responders have no data connection |
| Mobile apps | Responder and Unit apps for iOS and Android | Apps for iOS 16+ and Android 7+ |
| Security and compliance | Opt-in field-level encryption, step-up MFA, PHI-free alerts; BAA with Advanced Data Protection | Vendor lists HIPAA and SOC 2 on its site |
| Deployment | Hosted cloud, or self-hosted from open source | Cloud |
| Setup time | About 15 minutes | About 30 minutes (vendor estimate) |
| Pricing | Published per-entity pricing; free up to 10 users & units | Monthly or annual fee based on volume; quote-based, with nonprofit discounts and a 90-day free trial |
Where Resgrid is different
Both platforms get teams moving quickly. Resgrid adds the staffing, data protection, and EHR hand-off a clinical crisis program eventually needs.
- Scheduling and credentials built in
- 24/7 shift rotations, open-shift pickup, and license and training expirations live in the same system that dispatches the teams.
- Encounters that reach the EHR
- When a call closes, an approved Protected Workflow sends a FHIR R4 Encounter with Observations, or an HL7 v2 message, and saves the EHR's encounter ID on the call.
- Field-level PHI encryption
- Advanced Data Protection encrypts call details under your department's own key and requires step-up MFA before anyone reveals them.
- Open source and self-hostable
- The Resgrid platform is Apache 2.0 licensed. Counties that need data on their own infrastructure can run it themselves.
Healthcare data, protected
With the Advanced Data Protection add-on, Resgrid is ready for PHI:
- Field-level AES-256-GCM encryption with a per-department key
- Step-up MFA before anyone reveals protected data
- Generic, PHI-free push, SMS, email, and voice alerts by default
- Protected Workflows to your EHR as FHIR R4 or HL7 v2, with a hash-chained disclosure log
- A HIPAA Business Associate Agreement once the add-on is enabled
Information about Beacon comes from its public website and published sources, reviewed September 2026. Features and pricing change, so confirm details with the vendor. Beacon and other product names are trademarks of their respective owners; Resgrid is not affiliated with them. Spot something out of date? Let us know.
Crisis dispatch with room to grow
Start free with up to 10 users and units, then add Advanced Data Protection and your EHR connection when your program is ready.