Ekos tracks what you brewed. InGauge tracks what happened to it. One manages production. The other manages revenue.
The Short Version
Ekos is a production and inventory management platform — the back-office backbone for breweries. InGauge is a field execution platform — the front-line system that ensures your beer actually gets on taps, stays visible, and generates revenue through distribution. They solve fundamentally different problems.
The Math
Ekos doesn't do field sales. So breweries bolt on extra tools. Here's what that actually costs.
Based on actual brewery quotes — not "starting at" marketing prices.
| Tool | Purpose | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Ekos (mid-tier) | Production, inventory, compliance | $833 |
| Outfield CRM | Field sales (Ekos's own recommendation) | $200+ |
| KegID | Keg tracking | $338 |
| Mailchimp / misc | Broadcast, reporting gaps | $50+ |
| Total stack | ~$1,420/mo | |
| InGauge | Keg tracking + field execution + accountability | $149–399 |
Feature Comparison
You're paying 20–30% of revenue to distribution. Here's what each platform actually shows you about that investment.
| Capability | Ekos | Ekos + Outfield | InGauge |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS-Verified Visits | ✗ | ⚠ Outfield add-on | ✓ |
| Photo-Verified Placements | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cold Account Detection | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Execution Score | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Return on Distributor (RoD) | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Incentive Performance Tracking | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Weekly Executive Recap | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Keg Tracking | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Field Sales CRM | ✗ | ⚠ Outfield add-on | ✓ |
| Cross-Tier Communication | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Production Management | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| Inventory / COGS | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
| TTB Compliance | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ |
The Question Nobody's Asking
That's what you pay distribution. Your distributor rep visits 200+ accounts. Some are yours. How many got visited this week? How many taps are still up? How many accounts went cold?
Ekos can tell you what shipped. It cannot tell you what happened next.
InGauge introduces Return on Distributor (RoD) — a metric that quantifies what you're getting back for every dollar paid to distribution. Not revenue shipped. Revenue executed.
Category Positioning
Ekos and InGauge are not competitors. They solve different halves of the same business. Here's how they fit together.
What was brewed. What's in inventory. What shipped. What the TTB needs to know. The operational backbone. Essential for running a brewery.
What happened at the account. Who visited. What's on tap. Which accounts went cold. What your distributor actually did with the product you shipped them. The accountability layer.
Next Step
InGauge gives growing beverage brands verified field execution, keg tracking, and distributor accountability — in one platform, for a fraction of the tool sprawl.