If you own more than a handful of guns, you eventually hit the same wall: a shoebox of receipts, a spreadsheet nobody updates, and no idea how many rounds are through that carry pistol. Two apps attack that problem from different directions. GunTrack has been around since 2018 and sells itself as a secure record vault. Armory Atlas is newer, runs on iOS, Android and the web from one account, and adds travel law, AI intake and range analytics on top of the inventory.
Full disclosure before we start: Armory Atlas is built by the team behind this site. We’ve tried to keep this fair by pulling every GunTrack claim from GunTrack’s own website and store listings, and every Armory Atlas claim from its published feature and pricing pages. Where GunTrack does something Armory Atlas doesn’t, we say so.
The Two Apps in One Paragraph Each
GunTrack is three products under one name. The free Mobile Edition (iOS and Android) covers firearm records, ammo, accessories, range logs and maintenance, with a one-time $9.99 in-app purchase to unlock everything. The Web Edition is a cloud subscription starting at $2.99 a month with a 15-day trial, and GunTrack says it has “many additional features not currently available on the Mobile App Edition,” including the Genesis extras: Inventory Intelligence dashboards, an NFA Center, a Reloading Center and an Export Center. The Software Edition is a separate Windows and macOS program that keeps an AES-256 encrypted database on your own computer, sold as an annual license after a 10-day trial.
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Armory Atlas is one app, one account, everywhere. The same encrypted vault syncs between the iOS and Android apps and the web app, and works offline at the range. The free tier holds three firearms, one accessory and two ammo types with maintenance scheduling, one range session and encrypted sync. Premium is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, and at the time of writing new subscribers get the first year free before the first renewal. Premium unlocks unlimited inventory, the Travel Co-Pilot, the reloading vault, AI target analysis, chronograph and shot-timer integrations, advanced reports and executor access.
Feature Comparison
Everything in this table comes from each company’s published feature list. “Web” for GunTrack means the paid Web Edition; several of its features are not in the free mobile app.
| Feature | Armory Atlas | GunTrack |
|---|---|---|
| Platforms, one account | iOS, Android, web/PWA, synced | iOS, Android, Web (synced); Software Edition is separate, local only |
| Offline use | Yes, offline-first with sync on reconnect | Software Edition only (desktop) |
| Encryption model | Zero-knowledge: AES-256-GCM on device, keys never leave your device, servers hold only encrypted blobs | 256-bit encryption and SSL to cloud; AES-256 local database in Software Edition |
| Firearm, ammo, accessory records | Yes, with lot tracking, cost per round, reorder thresholds | Yes, with ammo restocking history and accessories |
| Range logging | Yes, with automatic ammo deduction, drills, weather, distance | Yes, multi-firearm sessions with ammo deduction (Web) |
| Maintenance | By time or round count, with reminders | Maintenance and malfunction history |
| Receipts and documents | AI receipt intake: photo in, line items extracted, UPC-matched, approved before save; documents linked per item | Receipt and document photos attached to records |
| Barcode / catalog lookup | UPC scanning plus Lipsey’s catalog search to prefill specs | Not listed |
| Travel and state law | 50-state summaries, reciprocity matrix, route legality checks, law-change alerts | Not offered |
| Target analysis | AI group size, scoring, POI drift, session comparison | Target photos stored, no analysis |
| Bluetooth gear | Chronograph and shot-timer integrations (Premium) | Not offered |
| Reloading | Components, recipes, batches, cost per round (Premium) | Reloading Center with recipes, batches, COAL/CBTO (Web, Genesis) |
| NFA records | NFA fields on firearms and accessories, stamp/trust uploads | Dedicated NFA Center (Web, Genesis) |
| Reports | Encrypted PDF/CSV insurance, valuation and estate packets; CSV import/export | PDF and Excel exports (Web, Genesis Export Center) |
| Estate planning | Executor Access workflow for a trusted contact | Beneficiary field per record |
| Analytics | Spend and depreciation curves, barrel-life projections, usage heatmaps, accuracy trends | Inventory Intelligence: investment, current value, composition |
| Shopping | In-app catalog with member pricing on firearms and ammo | Not offered |
| Advertising trackers | None; no third-party ad pixels | Camera is the only permission requested |
| Free tier | 3 firearms, 1 accessory, 2 ammo types, 1 range session | Free mobile app with limited features |
| Paid pricing | $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr; first year free at time of writing | Mobile $9.99 one-time; Web from $2.99/mo; Software Edition annual license |
Security: Encrypted vs. Zero-Knowledge
Both apps say “encrypted,” and the word hides a real difference. GunTrack’s cloud editions describe “256-bit encryption/authorization” between your device and its data center, and the company’s pitch is that its servers are “Fort Knox secure.” That’s transport and server-side protection: GunTrack’s systems can read your data, which is how the Web Edition renders your dashboards. If you want data that never leaves your control, GunTrack’s answer is the desktop Software Edition, which stores an AES-256 database on your PC or Mac and does not sync to the phone app.
Armory Atlas takes the zero-knowledge route on every platform. Data is encrypted with AES-256-GCM on your device before upload, keys are derived from your master password with Argon2 or PBKDF2, and the company states plainly that if its database were compromised an attacker would see only encrypted blobs. The trade-off is spelled out in the FAQ: forget your master password and nobody can recover it for you, so you need your recovery phrase. For a record of serial numbers, values and safe locations, that’s the model we’d want, and Armory Atlas is the only one of the two that delivers it on mobile and web at the same time.
Getting Your Collection In
Data entry is where inventory apps die. GunTrack’s approach is conventional: create a record, type the details, take a photo of the receipt and attach it. Its listings emphasize guided record creation and custom manufacturers and record types, and users who’ve migrated from paper praise it.
Armory Atlas removes most of the typing. You can scan a UPC barcode, search Lipsey’s distributor catalog to prefill manufacturer, model and specs, import a spreadsheet, or photograph a receipt and let the AI intake extract the line items. The receipt flow matches each line against UPC and title data, shows you the proposed firearms, ammo and accessories, and saves only what you approve. The original receipt is preserved once and every item created from it keeps a link back to the source, so the proof chain survives when you later need an insurance packet. GunTrack has nothing equivalent listed.
What Happens After the Range Trip
Both apps log range sessions and deduct ammo. GunTrack’s multi-firearm sessions and Inventory Intelligence dashboards give you totals: rounds fired, investment, current value, category composition. It stores target images alongside the session.
Armory Atlas does something with the target. Upload a photo and the AI analysis measures group size in MOA or MRAD, scores it, flags point-of-impact drift and overlays a centroid so you can compare sessions and drills over time. Premium also pairs with Bluetooth chronographs and shot timers so velocities and splits land in the session without retyping. On the analytics side it projects barrel life from round counts, correlates maintenance with malfunctions, and charts spend and depreciation by category. If you shoot to get better rather than just to keep a diary, that’s the gap between the two apps.
Travel and Compliance: Only One App Has It
This is the clearest difference. GunTrack is an inventory and records tool and doesn’t claim to be anything else. Armory Atlas ships a legal knowledge base for all 50 states and D.C. covering carry, transport, magazine limits, duty to inform and storage, and the Premium Travel Co-Pilot turns it into a route check: pick your destinations and permits, and the app surfaces reciprocity coverage, legality checkpoints along the drive, federal transport versus state vehicle carry rules, and a packing checklist. Alerts are personalized to your actual inventory, so a magazine-capacity issue only appears if you own a magazine it affects. Armory Atlas says each state briefing is prepared with legal counsel and timestamped. If you cross state lines with guns more than once a year, this feature alone justifies the app.
Where GunTrack Is Stronger
Credit where it’s due. GunTrack has eight years of users and a track record. Its Software Edition is a genuine local-only option for people who refuse to put records in any cloud, encrypted or not, and Armory Atlas doesn’t offer a desktop-only product. GunTrack’s Genesis Web Edition has a dedicated NFA Center and a Reloading Center with COAL and CBTO measurements, and the GUNFAX shareable record packets look useful for sales once they ship. The founder is responsive in store reviews, and the $9.99 one-time mobile unlock is cheap if all you want is a phone-based list with photos.
Two cautions from GunTrack’s own listings. The three editions don’t fully sync: the Software Edition is separate from Web and Mobile, and a migration tool is listed as “in development.” And Play Store reviews include users surprised that the Web Edition is a separate subscription from the mobile purchase. Read the pricing page before you commit.
Pricing
GunTrack is cheaper to start and more complicated to price. The mobile app is free with a $9.99 unlock, the Web Edition starts at $2.99 a month, and the desktop Software Edition is an annual license with tiers by collection size. Getting the full feature set means the Web Edition, and full local control means the Software Edition; you can’t have both in one plan.
Armory Atlas is one price for everything: $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year, with the first year free for new Premium subscribers at the time of writing and no charge until renewal. Premium also unlocks member pricing in the in-app shop, listed as $10 to $100 off firearms and 8 percent off ammunition. The free tier is enough to try the vault, maintenance reminders and target uploads with three guns before deciding.
Which One Should You Use?
- Choose GunTrack if you want a mature, firearms-only record keeper, you’re happy on desktop with a local database, or you only need a basic phone list and $9.99 is your budget.
- Choose Armory Atlas if you want zero-knowledge encryption on every device, you travel with firearms, you’d rather scan receipts than type them, or you want your range data analyzed instead of just stored.
Verdict
GunTrack is a solid filing cabinet. Armory Atlas is a filing cabinet plus a lawyer’s briefing, a range coach and a receipt clerk, wrapped in encryption the company itself can’t read. For the same $9.99 a month GunTrack charges for its Web Edition’s upper tiers, Armory Atlas delivers travel compliance, AI target analysis, chronograph sync, reloading and estate tools that GunTrack either doesn’t offer or splits across separate products. Unless a desktop-only database is a hard requirement, Armory Atlas is the more complete tool for the modern gun owner, and the free first year makes trying it low-risk.
What do you use to track your collection today, and which feature would actually make you switch? Tell us in the comments.
