Lemon vs Navitas Safety: software-only checks or hardware sensors?

Navitas is the established UK hardware-led option: sensors in each unit give continuous monitoring rather than twice-daily manual checks, which suits sites where round-the-clock temperature assurance justifies the hardware cost and a 12 to 24-month contract. The counter-argument is that an EHO actually values the manual check, because it represents a moment of human attention to the unit. Lemon is software-only: no sensors to buy or maintain, no multi-year contract, and a manual check logged in seconds. Choose Navitas for continuous IoT monitoring; choose Lemon for a low-cost, no-hardware, no-contract record system.

Where Lemon wins

• No hardware to buy, install or maintain.
• No 12 to 24-month contract, monthly and cancel anytime.
• A £19 flat price with unlimited team members included.
• The manual check an EHO actually wants to see, logged in seconds.

Where Navitas Safety fits

• Continuous automated monitoring rather than twice-daily snapshots.
• Sensor alerts if a unit starts to fail overnight, before stock spoils.
• An established UK player at the hardware and software end of the market.

Do I need sensors or hardware to use Lemon?

No. Lemon is software-only. Your team takes the reading with a probe or the unit's own thermometer and logs it in the app in seconds. There is no hardware to buy, install or maintain, and nothing to break.

Isn't continuous sensor monitoring better than manual checks?

It depends. Sensors give round-the-clock data and can flag an overnight failure, which is a real benefit. But an EHO values the manual check precisely because it represents a moment of human attention to the unit. For many small kitchens, the cost of hardware and a multi-year contract does not pay off against a fast manual log.

Is there a contract with Lemon?

No. Lemon is monthly with no long-term commitment, and the trial needs no card. Navitas typically involves hardware costs and a 12 to 24-month contract.

How do the costs compare?

Navitas starts from around £39 per month plus hardware on a multi-year contract. Lemon is £19 per month per location with no hardware and no contract. If continuous monitoring is essential to your operation, the hardware may be worth it; if not, Lemon is materially cheaper to run.