Case management software for private investigators: Trackops, CROSStrax and where an investigation board fits
The two kinds of software PIs call "case management" — running the business and working the case — with prices for Trackops, CROSStrax and Casewyze, what each leaves out, and where DeepState fits.
Short answer: PI "case management" software comes in two kinds. Business tools — Trackops (from $99/month), CROSStrax (from $45/month), Casewyze (from $39/month) — handle intake, assignments, time, expenses and invoices, but don't help you research a subject or analyse what you find. DeepState ($29–$49 per user per month) is built for the investigation itself: research with an AI assistant that cites its sources, people, companies, documents and posts linked on one board, and a client-ready PDF report. Solo investigators doing desk research often need only DeepState plus their accounting software; firms with field staff run a business tool alongside it.
Prices are from each vendor's own pricing page, checked October 16, 2026. We make DeepState.
Two jobs, often confused
Running the firm. A client calls; you open a file, assign an investigator, schedule surveillance, log hours, mileage and expenses, send an invoice and a retainer request, and keep the client updated. The software is a CRM plus billing plus scheduling, organized around the file as a job.
Working the case. You research the subject: corporate records, court filings, social media, news, addresses, associates. You collect and preserve evidence, see how people and companies connect, build a timeline, and write a report the client can rely on. The software is organized around the file as an investigation.
Business tools store your finished report and evidence files; they don't do the research or the analysis. On most files, that research and the write-up are where the hours go.
Business case management tools
| Tool | Price (Oct 2026) | Included | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trackops | Basic $99/mo (2 full users), Plus $149/mo, Premium $199/mo; extra users $39–$59 | Case files, invoicing and retainers, client and vendor management; time/expense tracking and document generation from Plus; scheduling and API on Premium | Research, link analysis, source tracking |
| CROSStrax | Entry $45/mo (1 admin, 2 investigators) to Enterprise $350/mo; 20% off annually | Case files, billing, investigation reports, GPS tracking; integrations with idiCORE, Delvepoint, IRBsearch, QuickBooks | Research and analysis tooling beyond its database integrations |
| Casewyze | From $39/mo, unlimited users (vendor claim) | Case management for PI firms | Research and analysis |
Sources: Trackops pricing, CROSStrax pricing, Casewyze compare.
CaseFleet, which often appears in these lists, is litigation software for lawyers (fact chronologies and document review), not PI operations software.
DeepState: software for working the case
DeepState is a desktop app (Windows, macOS, Linux) where each case is a board.
- Research done for you. Ask the assistant to find a subject's companies, court cases or online accounts. It searches the web, court records, corporate filings, sanctions lists, archives and social platforms, runs a US public-records person search (Professional) and a username search across about 480 sites, and adds what it finds as linked nodes that cite their sources.
- Everything on one board. People, organizations, events, locations, documents, articles, social posts, crypto wallets and identifiers (domains, emails, phone numbers) with labelled connections, a timeline and narratives.
- Lookups on identifiers. Right-click a domain, email or phone number for WHOIS, DNS, IP-owner and email checks.
- Evidence you can stand behind. Each node keeps its source and capture date; documents, social posts, web pages and people (as sources) carry a credibility rating and verification status; and every page the assistant visits, every screenshot and every download is saved with its SHA-256 in a tamper-evident evidence log you can verify and export for counsel.
- The report. The dossier builder turns the nodes you choose into a PDF with a sources appendix.
- Client data stays on your computer, not a vendor's cloud. Useful when clients or counsel ask where their case data is held.
What DeepState doesn't do: invoicing, scheduling, field assignments or GPS tracking.
Which setup suits which firm
- Solo investigator, mostly desk research (background checks, due diligence, locates, litigation support): DeepState, plus your accounting software for invoices. A business case management system adds little at this size.
- Small firm with field surveillance: a business tool (Trackops, CROSStrax or Casewyze) for assignments, time and billing, and DeepState for research and reports on each file.
- Firm doing heavy OSINT or corporate work: DeepState as the core, with a lookup service such as OSINT Industries for selectors if needed.
Frequently asked questions
What software do private investigators use?
Most PI firms combine business case management software for intake, scheduling, time and billing (Trackops, CROSStrax, Casewyze), public-records databases, and a tool to research the subject, organize the evidence and write the report, such as DeepState. Some add an evidence-capture tool or a selector lookup service.
What is the best software for private investigators doing desk research?
For background checks, due diligence and litigation support, DeepState covers research, evidence, link and timeline analysis and the written report in one desktop app for $29–$49 per user per month. Business case management tools such as Trackops and CROSStrax handle billing and scheduling but not the research itself.
How much does PI case management software cost?
As of October 2026: CROSStrax starts at $45 per month, Casewyze at $39 per month, and Trackops at $99 per month for two full users. DeepState, which covers the investigation itself rather than billing, costs $29–$49 per user per month.
Is Trackops or CROSStrax better?
They do the same job, running the business side of a PI firm. CROSStrax is cheaper at small sizes and integrates with records databases such as idiCORE, IRBsearch and Delvepoint; Trackops' higher tiers add document generation, scheduling and an API. Both offer free trials.
Can DeepState replace Trackops or CROSStrax?
For billing and scheduling, no. For everything between opening the file and sending the report (research, evidence, analysis and the write-up), DeepState replaces the browser tabs, spreadsheets, screenshots and word-processor documents most investigators use, and it works alongside a business tool.