Corrective action tracking software for SCARs: what to compare

For supplier corrective actions there are three kinds of corrective action tracking software: a spreadsheet, a full quality management system (QMS) such as 1factory, and a tool that does one job, chasing suppliers for their 8D responses and keeping the SCAR log. Which fits depends on whether you need a whole QMS or only the follow-up. The tool above runs your open SCAR list through the second kind, free, so you can see what it would show you.

What are the options for tracking supplier corrective actions?

There are three, and each solves a different problem.

Our corrective action tracker guide shows how to build the first option properly.

How does 1factory compare with a SCAR-only tool?

1factory is a quality suite, and its pricing page showed quality control plus supplier collaboration starting at about $475 a month in October 2026. It also lists NCR, CAPA and SCAR on its own page for that job. It is built around quality control for the whole shop, and that breadth is what the price pays for.

A SCAR-only tool covers less and costs less. SCAR Chase issues the request, chases each 8D section and keeps the SCAR log and the supplier history, and it stops there. Check 1factory's own pricing page for what it charges now, since plans and per-user or per-supplier rates change.

What should corrective action tracking software do?

Look for six things, and ask a vendor for each:

1. Section-level due dates. One date per 8D section, not one per SCAR.
2. Automatic reminders. Before the date, on it and after it, without you pressing send.
3. A supplier page with no login. Suppliers do not make an account for each customer.
4. Escalation. Someone senior at the supplier hears about a section that stays late.
5. A log and a history per supplier. Days late, closed dates and every file.
6. An export for the auditor. The request, the response, the dates and reminders in one place.

SCAR Chase does each of these: each section has its own date, the reminders go the day before, on the due date and then every 3 days while it is late, the supplier answers on a no-login page, and the manager is copied if a section stays late. The SCAR log shows due dates, days late and closed dates, there is a history for each supplier, and one click makes a ZIP audit pack for any SCAR with the request form, the response files, a timeline and the log.

What does a SCAR-only tool not do?

Be clear about the limits before you choose. SCAR Chase does not connect to your QMS or ERP: SCARs and suppliers come in as CSV files and the log goes out as CSV. It reads text from PDF, Excel and image responses, but Word files and scanned PDFs with no text are kept for you to read yourself, and it does not do inspection, NCRs or internal CAPA. It covers up to 200 suppliers and 75 open SCARs at once.

If you need those things, you need a QMS suite, and the comparison above applies. If your problem is suppliers who do not answer on time, a chasing tool does the part that costs your hours.

How do you decide?

Count the SCARs open right now and the time you spend each week reminding suppliers. If the count is small and the time is little, a spreadsheet is the right tool. If the time is large and everything else in your quality system already works, a chasing tool fits. If your quality system itself needs replacing, evaluate a suite.

You can test the chasing option without signing up. The free run above takes your open SCAR list, shows every late 8D section and the first reminder each supplier would get, and sends nothing. For the form side, see our supplier corrective action request form guide.

FAQ

Is there free corrective action tracking software?

Spreadsheet trackers are free to build. Free tools generally do not email suppliers or keep a supplier history, so the chasing stays manual.

Do I need software for 8D reports?

Not to write one. A report can be a document or a spreadsheet. Software helps with the part around it: knowing which sections are late and nudging the supplier. Our 8D report template guide covers the content.

Can suppliers answer without an account?

With SCAR Chase, yes. Each supplier gets a link showing only its own open SCARs and the sections due.