Trace is the camera every US youth soccer parent asks about right after Veo. The pitch is simple: the camera is free, you pay for your kid’s highlights.
That pitch is true. It is also the whole story. Trace is not really a camera you buy. It is a highlights subscription that comes with a camera on loan, and once you see it that way the pricing, the limits and the complaints all make sense.
Here is the breakdown.
Quick Verdict
- Buy Trace if: You are a parent who wants a clean highlight reel of one player, every game, without editing anything. For recruiting footage it is the most direct tool on the market.
- Skip Trace if: You are a coach who wants the whole match for tactical review, or a team where only a few families will pay. The per-family model gets expensive fast and full-game downloads are gated behind seven paying families.
- Price reality: $180 to $300 per family per year on the annual plans. The camera and 16-foot tripod (valued at $795) are included on loan. Monthly plans add a one-time $99 camera lease fee.
One honesty note up front. I have not put a Trace on a tripod myself. This review is built from Trace’s own pricing page, help center and how-it-works docs, user reports, and the plan rules as they are written in 2026. Where a claim comes from a competitor, I say so.
What Trace Actually Is
Trace is an Austin, Texas company. Its product is PlayerFocus: an AI that finds one player in the game footage from the jersey colours and number you give it, follows them, and cuts a personal highlight reel after every match. The camera, called TraceCam, exists to feed that AI.
This is the opposite of how Veo works. Veo sells the team a camera and one subscription that covers every coach, player and parent. Trace sells each family its own subscription and lends the team a camera to make that possible.
Supported sports are soccer, basketball and football, with lacrosse and volleyball listed as coming soon. Soccer is where it started and where most of the user base is.
The Hardware
The kit is a dual-lens AI camera with 180-degree field coverage, a 16-foot tripod with three sandbags, and carrying cases. The tripod case is about four feet long and under ten pounds. Trace says the camera is ready to record in about 15 minutes, which is honest: a 16-foot tripod with sandbags is not a two-minute job.
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Trace does not publish a resolution on its current product pages. It describes the camera as “high def”. Older hands-on reviews put it at 1080p, and the recruiting-reel use case does not need more than that. If you want 4K at 60 fps for frame-by-frame analysis, that is a Veo Cam 3 job, not a Trace job.
The camera is fixed. It does not pan or tilt. Like Veo, it records the whole field and the “following” happens in software afterwards. The 4x PlayerCam zoom on your player is a digital crop of that wide recording.
Livestreaming is included in the kit. One competitor describes it as still in beta, so test it before you promise grandparents a stream.
How a Game Day Works
- One person on the team has the kit. Trace verifies that each team has only one camera, and it ships after a team confirmation link is completed.
- Before kickoff you enter the home and away jersey colours and your player’s number in the Trace Teams app.
- Set the tripod at midfield, start recording in the app, and leave it alone.
- After the game, connect the camera to the internet and press upload. Trace says upload times vary with your connection.
- You get an email when the footage and highlights are ready. Trace says within hours. Users report the same.
Every subscribed family then sees their own player’s channel: spotlight clips where their kid is the focus, tactical clips (a team goal they were part of), the full game on the platform, and an optional “Always-on Spotlight” circle or name tag that follows the player through the footage.
Plans and Pricing
| Plan | Paid yearly | Paid monthly | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| PlayerFocus Basic | $15/mo, billed $180/yr, camera lease included | $25/mo + $99 one-time camera lease | Last 5 games, player highlights, tactical highlights, auto spotlight, 4x PlayerCam, 2 shared logins |
| PlayerFocus Pro | $25/mo, billed $300/yr, camera lease included | $40/mo + $99 one-time camera lease | Everything in Basic, all games, PlayerFocus Analytics, create and edit your own highlights, unlimited downloads, 4 shared logins |
| Team / Club | Team discount on quantity | — | Clubs and facilities contact Trace directly |
Three rules matter more than the headline prices.
Only Pro can download highlights. On Basic you watch and share links. If you want the MP4 for a recruiting email, you need Pro.
Full-game file downloads need seven subscribing families. Pro subscribers can download the full game file only after seven families on the team subscribe, or on a Club plan. Anyone subscribed can watch the full game on the platform. This is the rule that catches coaches out.
The camera is on loan. On yearly plans the lease is $0 and renewing it is free. On monthly plans it is a one-time $99. Trace confirms your team does not already own a camera, and a competitor’s page says return fees can apply if you do not film within 30 days of receiving it. That last point is a rival’s claim, so confirm it with Trace before you order.
What a Team Really Pays
This is where Trace and Veo stop being comparable on a price tag.
- One parent, one player: $180 to $300 a year. Nothing on the market gets you an automatic personal reel for less.
- Twelve families on Basic: $2,160 a year, paid separately by each family.
- Twelve families on Pro: $3,600 a year.
- Veo Cam 3 for the same team: about $1,299 for the camera plus from $67 a month in the US, roughly $2,100 in year one and $800 a year after, covering everyone.
Veo’s own comparison page says it works out cheaper for any team larger than two players. That is Veo’s math, but on the numbers above it is roughly right once most of a roster subscribes. Trace wins when only a handful of families care, because those families pay and nobody else has to.
What’s Good
- Zero editing. The reel arrives sorted. Most Veo users I know never finish tagging a match. Trace users do not have to.
- Nothing to buy up front. A single parent can get a team filming for $180 with no camera purchase and no club meeting.
- Recruiting built in. Trace iD gives a player a shareable profile and playlists. Veo has nothing equivalent.
- Fast turnaround. Hours, not the next day, in most reports.
What’s Not
- You never own anything. Stop paying and the camera goes back, and so does access to the footage. There is no “pay once” option like the XbotGo Falcon.
- Costs scale with the roster. Every family that wants their kid’s reel is another subscription.
- No coaching platform. There is no drawing tool, no journal, no stitched tactical view. Coaches get what parents share with them.
- The seven-family rule. A coach on a team where four families subscribe can watch the full game online but cannot download the file.
- Fixed camera, software zoom. On a full-size pitch the 4x PlayerCam crop is working from a 1080p-class wide shot. Fine on a phone, soft on a TV.
- Billing complaints. Several users report surprise annual renewals. Put the renewal date in your calendar.
Trace vs Veo vs XbotGo Falcon
| Trace | Veo Cam 3 | XbotGo Falcon | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Each family | The team, once | Whoever buys it, once |
| Camera cost | Free on loan | ~$1,299 | ~$700–$800 |
| Subscription | $180–$300 per family per year | From $67/month for the team | None |
| Best at | Personal highlight reels | Team analysis and full matches | Owning your footage |
| Full game download | Pro + 7 families, or Club plan | Yes | It is on the microSD card |
The full three-way breakdown is in Veo vs Trace vs XbotGo Falcon. If you have not settled on a category yet, start with Pixellot vs Veo vs Hudl for the club-grade cameras or the BYOD AI camera roundup for the parent-budget ones.
Who Should Buy It
Parents of a player aged 14 and up who is building a recruiting profile. This is Trace’s customer and it serves them well. $300 a year for every game cut into a clean reel is cheaper than one session with a highlight editor.
Teams where most families want footage and nobody wants to run a camera budget. Family-by-family payment removes the club treasurer from the loop.
Not for coaches who want tactical review, not for anyone who wants to own their recordings, and not for a team where three families will pay and nine will not.
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FAQ
How much does the Trace camera cost?
Nothing up front on a yearly plan. The camera and tripod, valued at $795, are leased free with a $180 (Basic) or $300 (Pro) annual PlayerFocus subscription. Monthly plans add a one-time $99 lease fee.
Do you own the Trace camera?
No. It is leased, one per team, and tied to active subscriptions.
Can you download the full game?
Only on Pro, and only once seven families on the team subscribe or the team is on a Club plan. Watching the full game online works on any plan.
Does Trace work for basketball?
Yes. Soccer, basketball and football are supported now; lacrosse and volleyball are listed as coming soon.
Is Trace cheaper than Veo?
For one family, yes by a wide margin. For a whole roster, Veo’s flat team subscription is usually cheaper. See the cost scenarios above.
Current plans and the order form are on Trace’s site (affiliate link).
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