The short version
i-Neighbour is TimeTec's smart-community system and one of the most complete ecosystems in Malaysia — a resident app, a management dashboard, a property accounting module and TimeTec's own line of gate hardware, used by more than 170 communities. If your committee wants everything from one vendor, it belongs on your shortlist.
Teras starts from a different place: your residents shouldn't need to install anything, and your community shouldn't need to buy a new gate. Teras runs on WhatsApp and the web, and it's software-first — it plugs into the barrier and ANPR hardware you already own instead of selling you a replacement. Here's how the two compare, honestly.
Side by side
| Teras | i-Neighbour | |
|---|---|---|
| Resident experience | WhatsApp + web — nothing to install | Mobile app (App Store / Google Play) |
| Announcements & alerts | Delivered natively on WhatsApp — no app required | In-app push notifications |
| Guard tools | Browser-based guard app (PWA) on any phone | Guard app; i-Patrol checkpoints from RM100/month (as published) |
| Pricing model | Per community — one subscription | RM500–800/month packages, Klang Valley, up to 800 units (as published) |
| Gate hardware | Integrates with your existing ANPR system | Own hardware: LPR from RM20,000, barrier gate from RM11,000 (as published) |
| Fee collection | Invoicing, smart reminders and pay-to-pass gate control included | Accounting module from the mid-tier package |
| Visitor passes | QR passes residents share over WhatsApp | In-app pre-registration with QR |
| Walk-in visitors | IC scan pre-fills the register; the image is never stored | Guardhouse VMS registration |
| Community types | Landed, gated and high-rise on one platform | Strongest in high-rise and strata |
| Track record | Newer, focused on landed neighbourhoods | 170+ communities, TimeTec group behind it |
Your residents already have the app: WhatsApp
App-based systems put every resident through the same gauntlet before day one: download, register, and wait to be approved. Tenants have it worst — a recurring theme in app-store reviews of community apps, i-Neighbour's included, is tenants nominated by their owner and then stuck in limbo, unable to book a facility while the approval sits in a queue.
Teras removes the gauntlet. Residents and tenants sign in with their phone number, share visitor passes straight from WhatsApp, and get announcements and invoices where they already talk. Guards run a browser-based app on any phone — no app store, no updates to chase, no minimum hardware.
Notifications your residents actually see
A push notification only reaches residents who installed the app, kept it, and left notifications on — and app-store reviews of community platforms are full of announcements that loaded slowly or never arrived. Every muted or missing app is a household your committee quietly stops reaching.
Teras delivers announcements, fee reminders and gate alerts natively on WhatsApp, where open rates are commonly reported around 96%. And that visibility compounds: residents who see security working — passes verified, alerts arriving in their own chat — trust it more, and a fee residents can see working is a fee they're far more willing to keep paying.
The gate you own, not the gate you're sold
i-Neighbour's published pricing is a monthly software package — RM500 to RM800 a month under its current promotion, for Klang Valley communities of up to 800 units — plus one-time hardware add-ons from its own catalogue: licence-plate recognition from RM20,000, a barrier gate system from RM11,000, TNG RFID from RM8,500. If your community is starting from bare tarmac, one vendor for everything is genuinely convenient.
Most communities aren't starting from bare tarmac. They already paid for a barrier and cameras — what's missing is the software that makes them smart. Teras plugs into the ANPR system you already run (via our integration partner) and becomes the brains at your gate, not a reason to replace it. And fee collection — invoicing, smart reminders, pay-to-pass gate control — ships in the core product, not in a higher tier. Book a demo and we'll quote one number, per community.
Visitor privacy, built for PDPA
Under Malaysia's PDPA, your committee is responsible for the personal data your gate collects — every IC number and plate in the visitor log is your liability. The lazy default in this industry is to hoard it.
Teras is built the other way. When a guard scans a walk-in visitor's IC, Teras AKAR reads the name and IC number to pre-fill the register — then discards the image. It is never stored, never uploaded to a gallery, never sitting in a vendor's bucket waiting to leak. Extract, validate, discard.
Where i-Neighbour may fit better
An honest comparison cuts both ways. i-Neighbour offers depth Teras doesn't try to match today: a full property accounting module with financial statements and meter readings, maintenance management, analytics dashboards, and a one-stop hardware catalogue installed by the same vendor — all backed by the TimeTec group's scale and years in the market. A large strata scheme that wants software, accounting and hardware from a single supplier will find that a credible package.
If your priority is resident adoption without app installs, a gate that works with the hardware you already own, and collection tools included from day one, that's the ground Teras was built on.
Frequently asked questions
Is Teras an i-Neighbour alternative?
Yes. Teras is a community management platform for Malaysian residential communities — landed, gated and high-rise — covering visitor passes, guard verification, announcements, fee collection and gate access, with a WhatsApp-first resident experience instead of a mandatory mobile app.
How much does i-Neighbour cost?
As published on its pricing page (July 2026), i-Neighbour's promotional packages run RM500 to RM800 per month for Klang Valley communities of up to 800 units, with the property accounting module included from the mid tier. Gate hardware is a separate one-time cost — licence-plate recognition from RM20,000, a barrier gate system from RM11,000. Pricing may have changed — confirm with the vendor.
Do residents need to install an app to use Teras?
No. Residents use Teras through WhatsApp and the web browser — visitor passes, announcements, invoices and payments all work without an app-store install.
Does Teras require new gate hardware?
No. Teras integrates with the ANPR and barrier hardware your community already runs (via our integration partner). It becomes the software brain at your existing gate — no rip-and-replace.
Does Teras store visitor IC images?
No. The IC scan extracts the name and IC number to pre-fill the walk-in register, and the image is discarded immediately. It is never stored.
See it on your own gate
Fifteen minutes, your neighbourhood's layout, an honest answer on whether Teras fits.
Book a demo