For plant pre-starts done by many operators, CheckBadges (our product) needs no app: each machine's QR sticker opens its pre-start in the phone's browser, free for 3 machines. SafetyCulture (Mitti) is the default all-round platform, Lumiform bills in GBP or EUR and sends reminders, MaintainX ties pre-starts to maintenance, and Connecteam and Jotform are low-cost options.
Key takeaways
'Pre-start' is the Australian and New Zealand term; in the UK it's a pre-use check or walkaround. It means the operator's check before using plant each day or shift.
In Australia, the model WHS Regulations (r.213) require plant to be maintained, inspected and tested in line with the manufacturer; pre-start checks come from codes of practice and manufacturers.
In the UK, HSE's lift truck code (L117) says operators should do a pre-shift check and document the results.
Most pre-start apps price per user or per asset and need an app login for every operator.
Keeping a defect from reaching the next shift matters more than the form itself.
A QR sticker on each machine opens its pre-start in any phone's browser — no app, account or seat — and a failed item emails you with photos and warns the next operator until it's fixed.
QR code equipment checklists: every machine gets a printed QR sticker, operators scan it with their own phone's camera and do its pre-use check in the browser, and problems email the owner with photos straight away. Best for: Anyone whose people run machines that need checking before use — warehouses, construction, rental yards, plants, farms and fleets — who wants checks done and recorded without rolling out an app.
How an operator does a check
Scan the QR sticker on the machine with the phone's camera, answer that machine's checklist in the browser, submit. About a minute.
Operator needs an app or login
No. No app, account or password: operators type their name, or a 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators.
Pricing
Free for up to 3 machines. Pro is $9 a month for your first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that. Operators and checks are unlimited on both.
Pre-start checklists for forklifts, machinery and vehicles in a huge template library, with an offline app and scheduling; free for 10 seats, then per seat.
SafetyCulture, rebranded in 2026 as Mitti (and long known for its iAuditor app), is a large inspection and operations platform where each person who does inspections uses its app with their own seat. Best for: Safety and operations teams that run many kinds of audits and inspections, want scheduling, actions and training in one place, and have people who will all use the app.
How an operator does a check
The operator opens the Mitti app (or the web app), signs in, picks the inspection template or scans the asset's code inside the app, and completes it — online or offline.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Each operator signs in to the Mitti (SafetyCulture) app or web app with their own seat: free for up to 10 seats, then $29 a seat a month. The pricing page also lists free guest seats, but we couldn't confirm whether guests can complete inspections.
Free plan
Free for up to 10 seats, with 5 active inspection templates.
Pricing
Free for up to 10 seats and 5 active templates. Premium is $29 a seat a month billed monthly, or $24 billed annually, according to Mitti's pricing page; Enterprise is quoted.
QR-triggered forms, missed-check reminders, a scheduler and multilingual forms, billed in EUR, GBP or USD — sold by quote.
Lumiform is a German mobile inspection and audit app with QR-triggered forms, reminders and a scheduler, licensed by user seat and now sold by quote. Best for: Companies that want scheduled inspections and audits with reminders, approvals, analytics and multilingual forms, and are happy to buy through a sales quote.
How an operator does a check
The worker opens the Lumiform app (or, per its forklift page, a web browser), scans the QR code on the machine, completes the checklist and submits.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes, as far as we could confirm: Lumiform is licensed by user seat, and a seat can log in on two mobile devices. Its forklift page mentions using a web browser, but we couldn't confirm that someone without a seat can submit.
Free plan
No public free plan; pricing is by quote.
Pricing
Quote only as of October 2026: Professional is 'Request a quote' and Enterprise 'Individual', billed in EUR, GBP or USD. Earlier public per-user prices no longer appear on its site.
10 machines: Quote only · 25 machines: Quote only · 50 machines: Quote only
Pre-starts as procedures on repeating work orders, with failed items becoming repairs in the same CMMS; every operator is a paid user.
MaintainX is a maintenance and operations platform (CMMS) with work orders, procedures, preventive maintenance and asset QR codes, used through its mobile and web apps. Best for: Maintenance teams that want work orders, preventive maintenance, parts and analytics, and will license every person who completes procedures.
How an operator does a check
The operator opens the MaintainX app, signs in, scans the asset's QR code or finds the work order, and completes the procedure (checklist) attached to it.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Every operator needs their own MaintainX login, and each one is a paid user on Essential or Premium. Free requester accounts can submit work requests, not complete procedures.
Free plan
Basic is free, but allows only 2 work orders with attached procedures and 2 active repeating work orders.
Pricing
Basic is free. Essential is $25 a user a month billed monthly ($20 annually) and Premium $75 ($65), which allows unlimited procedures on work orders; Enterprise is quoted.
Checklists inside an employee app with scheduling and time tracking, free for up to 10 users and $35 a month for 30.
Connecteam is an all-in-one app for deskless teams — time clock, scheduling, chat, forms and checklists — where each employee uses the Connecteam app with their own account. Best for: Teams where everyone has a smartphone and you want scheduling, time tracking, chat and checklists in one employee app.
How an operator does a check
The operator opens the Connecteam app, signs in, finds the checklist or form and fills it in.
Operator needs an app or login
Yes. Each operator needs a Connecteam account and the app; forms and checklists live inside it. It's free for up to 10 users.
Free plan
Free for up to 10 users.
Pricing
Free for up to 10 users. Operations Hub Basic is $35 a month billed monthly ($29 yearly) for the first 30 users, plus $1 ($0.80) per extra user; Advanced and Expert cost more.
A public pre-start form anyone can fill in without an account, free for 100 submissions a month; you build the per-machine setup yourself.
Jotform is a popular online form builder: you can make an inspection form (it publishes forklift checklist templates), share it as a public link or QR code, and collect submissions. Best for: Teams that want one flexible, inexpensive form tool for many jobs — inspections among them — and are happy to build and watch the forms themselves.
How an operator does a check
The operator scans a QR code or opens a link to the form, fills it in in the phone's browser (or Jotform's mobile app), and submits.
Operator needs an app or login
No. Operators fill in a public form link in the browser without an account; Jotform's mobile app is optional.
Free plan
Free Starter plan: 5 forms, 100 submissions a month and 100 MB of uploads.
Pricing
Starter is free. Bronze is $39 a month ($34 billed annually) for 1,000 submissions a month, Silver $49 ($39) for 2,500 and Gold $129 ($99) for 10,000; these plans have one user, and multi-user accounts need Enterprise.
No. No app, account or password: operators type their name, or a 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on.
Yes. Each operator signs in to the Mitti (SafetyCulture) app or web app with their own seat: free for up to 10 seats, then $29 a seat a month. The pricing page also lists free guest seats, but we couldn't confirm whether guests can complete inspections.
Yes, as far as we could confirm: Lumiform is licensed by user seat, and a seat can log in on two mobile devices. Its forklift page mentions using a web browser, but we couldn't confirm that someone without a seat can submit.
Yes. Every operator needs their own MaintainX login, and each one is a paid user on Essential or Premium. Free requester accounts can submit work requests, not complete procedures.
Yes. Each operator needs a Connecteam account and the app; forms and checklists live inside it. It's free for up to 10 users.
No. Operators fill in a public form link in the browser without an account; Jotform's mobile app is optional.
QR codes on equipment
Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click.
Inside the Mitti app: assets can carry QR codes or barcodes that the app scans to start an inspection. The phone's own camera doesn't open a check without the app and a login.
Yes: its plans list 'QR code triggers form', and its forklift page describes scanning the code on the forklift to open the checklist.
Yes: MaintainX generates QR codes and barcodes for every asset, scanned in its app.
Not found: checklists are opened inside the Connecteam app rather than from a code on each machine.
Do it yourself: point a QR code at the form (Jotform has a QR code generator). A code per machine means a form or a prefilled link for each machine.
Free plan
Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators.
Free for up to 10 seats, with 5 active inspection templates.
No public free plan; pricing is by quote.
Basic is free, but allows only 2 work orders with attached procedures and 2 active repeating work orders.
Free for up to 10 users.
Free Starter plan: 5 forms, 100 submissions a month and 100 MB of uploads.
10 machines, 20 operators / month
$19.50/mo
$580/mo
Quote only
$1,500/mo
$35/mo
$39/mo
25 machines, 50 operators / month
$42/mo
$1,450/mo
Quote only
$3,750/mo
$55/mo
$49/mo
50 machines, 100 operators / month
$79.50/mo
$2,900/mo
Quote only
$7,500/mo
$105/mo
$49/mo
Monthly list prices for each fleet on the cheapest plan that runs equipment checks, assuming two operators per machine (two shifts), checked in October 2026. Each comparison page shows the exact plan used. Annual billing is cheaper with most vendors.
What a pre-start app has to do
A pre-start is the operator's check of a machine before using it, usually at the start of each day or shift. The term is Australian and New Zealand; in the UK the same job is a pre-use check or, for vehicles, a daily walkaround. The rules don't name an app, and mostly don't spell out the form:
Australia: the model WHS Regulations (r.213) require plant to be maintained, inspected and tested by a competent person in line with the manufacturer's recommendations. "Pre-start" isn't a term in the regulations; pre-start checks come from codes of practice and manufacturers' manuals. See pre-start checks in Australia.
UK: under PUWER, HSE says that "in many cases, a quick visual check before use will be sufficient", and that records aren't normally needed for the simplest pre-use checks. HSE's code of practice for rider-operated lift trucks (L117) goes further: operators should do a pre-shift check and document the results. See PUWER pre-use checks and forklift pre-use checks in the UK.
So a pre-start app should make the check fast enough to happen every shift, record who checked which machine and when, and stop a machine with a defect from being used by the next shift.
How we compared them
We compared each tool on what makes pre-starts happen on a real site:
Operator setup: an app and login per operator, or a scan in the browser. Plant crews include labour hire, subcontractors and casuals, so we counted every onboarding step.
Per-machine records: does each machine have its own history?
Defects: who's told, how fast, and whether the next operator sees it.
Price and currency: per user or per asset, and what you'd pay for 10, 25 and 50 machines. The table above is in US dollars; regional tools below are in their own currencies.
Regional tools you may see
Several pre-start tools are built in or for Australia, New Zealand and the UK. They aren't in the comparison table, but they're worth knowing:
Ideagen Asset Guard (sold in North America and Australia) is a free machinery pre-start app with unlimited pre-starts and a library of over 120,000 makes and models. Each operator downloads it and creates an account; the fleet dashboard is part of the paid Ideagen Machine Safety platform.
CheckedSafe (UK) charges £1 per vehicle per week for vehicle compliance, with unlimited driver app downloads and DVSA walkaround checks, and advertises plant compliance at £1 per asset. Its app is required.
MapTrack (Australia) tracks assets and forms from A$8 per asset a month for fleet and plant, with unlimited users and QR code forms in its mobile web app.
HireCheck (Australia) prints a QR sticker for each piece of hire equipment that opens the inspection in the browser with no app install, built for hire-company condition reports; staff logins are capped by plan, from A$39 a month.
HazardCo (New Zealand and Australia) added a plant and machinery pre-start tool to its construction safety app in 2024; Premium is NZ$219 a month plus GST on a 12-month term.
MEX (Australia) is a CMMS with digital prestart checklists, priced per named user from $1,080 a year.
SiteBook (Australia) is a site-management suite: Safety Pro, with checklists, starts at $149 a month plus GST, and Site Pro, which adds plant and equipment management, at $299.
Which one to choose
Choose by who does your pre-starts and where you're billed:
Crews with labour hire, casuals and subbies, and machines shared across shifts: CheckBadges — no app or account for anyone, priced per machine.
A safety team already on an inspection platform: SafetyCulture (Mitti), which has pre-start checklists for most plant.
Billing in pounds or euros, or reminders when a pre-start is missed: Lumiform.
Pre-starts that should raise work orders for your workshop: MaintainX.
One operator who wants a free app for their own machine: Ideagen Asset Guard.
UK vehicle walkaround checks with defect reporting: CheckedSafe.
Hire companies documenting condition at check-out and return: HireCheck.
An app for recording the check an operator does on plant or a vehicle before using it each day or shift. Good ones file each check under the machine, record who did it, and alert someone when a defect is found.
Is a pre-start check a legal requirement in Australia?
The model WHS Regulations don't use the term. Regulation 213 requires plant to be maintained, inspected and tested by a competent person in line with the manufacturer's recommendations, and pre-start checks are how most businesses do that day to day. Check your state regulator and the manufacturer's manual.
Is there a free pre-start app?
Yes. Ideagen Asset Guard is a free pre-start app for individual operators, each with their own account. CheckBadges is free for 3 machines with unlimited operators and no app. SafetyCulture (Mitti) is free for up to 10 seats.
Do pre-use checks need to be recorded in the UK?
Not always. HSE says records aren't normally required for the simplest pre-use checks under PUWER, but its code of practice for rider-operated lift trucks (L117) says operators should do a pre-shift check and document the results.
Can operators do pre-starts on their own phones without an app?
Yes, with a browser-based tool. CheckBadges opens each machine's pre-start in the phone's browser from a QR sticker, with no app or login. HireCheck works in a similar way for hire-company condition reports, though its staff have logins.
Stick a QR code on every machine and operators do the pre-use check on their own phone — no app, no login. Free for up to 3 machines; try it with your real machines before you sign up.