Equipment inspection app
An equipment inspection app for every machine, with nothing for operators to install.
An equipment inspection app records pre-use checks on machines and gets problems to the people who fix them. CheckBadges does it with a QR sticker on each machine: operators scan it with their phone's camera and complete that machine's checklist in the browser, with no app or login. Problems email you with photos, and every check is saved to the machine's history.
- Your operators need
- Their phone's camera. No app, account or password.
- On each machine
- A printed QR sticker that opens its checklist.
- Checklists
- Ready-made for forklifts, lifts, loaders and vehicles, or your own.
- When something's wrong
- You get an email with what's wrong and photos.
- Price
- Free for 3 machines. Then $9/mo + $1.50 per machine.
- Records
- Every check, by machine. Print it or export a CSV.
What an equipment inspection app should do
An equipment inspection app has four jobs: get the check done before the machine is used, record who did it and when, get problems to someone who can fix them, and keep a history you can find later. Dashboards, analytics and template libraries are only worth paying for if they help with those four.
Most inspection software is built around the inspector: a safety manager or supervisor who installs the app, signs in and works through audits. Pre-use equipment checks are different. They're done by whoever is about to run the machine, often a different person every shift and sometimes someone who started yesterday. The step that fails usually isn't the checklist. It's getting every operator onto the app.
How CheckBadges works for any machine
- Add your machines. Forklifts, lifts, loaders, trucks, generators, compressors, saws, mowers: anything that gets a check before use.
- Assign each one a checklist. Start from a ready-made template (forklift, scissor and boom lift, excavator and loader, vehicle pre-trip, or a general check that suits most machines and power tools) or pick one of the free equipment checklists. Each machine uses one checklist, and one checklist can serve every machine of a type.
- Print and stick the QR stickers. One per machine, eight to a letter page.
- Operators scan and submit. Phone camera, name or PIN, answers, submit.
The builder covers the question types pre-use checks need: OK/Problem items (with N/A for parts not every machine has), multiple choice, dropdowns, number readings with a unit such as hours, miles or psi, and free text. You can reorder questions and preview the checklist exactly as operators will see it. Each submitted check keeps its own copy of the questions, so editing a checklist later never changes old records. If you're writing your own, read how to write a pre-use inspection checklist first.
What you see as the owner
Your dashboard shows which machines were checked today and which have open problems, updated live as checks come in. Every check is filed by machine with the operator's name and the time, and you can filter by machine, by checks with problems, or by date. Any check prints as a clean record with its photos, and the CSV export gives you a row per check or a row per answer for Excel, Google Sheets or a maintenance system.
What happens when a machine has a problem
A problem is emailed to you the moment the check is submitted. The operator marks the item Problem, writes what's wrong and can add up to three photos. Your alert list (you by default, plus anyone you add) gets the details at once, and the machine shows red on your dashboard. CheckBadges also shows the open problem to the next person who scans that machine, before they start. Mark it fixed with a note when it's repaired and the warning clears.
Equipment inspection apps compared
| CheckBadges | Paper checklists | Online form builders | Inspection and maintenance apps | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built for | Pre-use checks on machines | Anything | Any form | Audits, inspections, maintenance |
| Operator setup | None: scan a sticker | None | None, with a public form | App install and account |
| Per-machine history | Automatic | Filed by hand | A spreadsheet to sort | Yes |
| Problem alerts | Email with photos | Word of mouth | Possible with setup | Yes |
| Works offline | No | Yes | No | Often |
| Work orders | No | No | No | Usually, in maintenance apps |
| Pricing | Per machine, free for 3 | Printing | Free or per account | Usually per user |
Full inspection platforms win when you need audits across sites, offline mode, scheduled inspections, work orders or analytics. CheckBadges wins when the job is getting a pre-use check from every operator on every machine without onboarding anyone. The best equipment inspection apps roundup compares named tools, and compare has head-to-head pages.
What it costs
CheckBadges is free for up to 3 active machines with every feature. Pro is $9 a month for the first 3 machines, plus $1.50 a month for each machine after that: $19.50 a month for 10 machines, $42 for 25. Operators and checks are unlimited, and there are no per-user fees, contracts or setup costs. See pricing.
When CheckBadges isn't the right fit
- Scheduled inspections. You can build a checklist for a monthly or annual inspection, but nothing schedules it, assigns it or reminds anyone when it's due.
- Offline work. Checks need a data connection when they're submitted.
- Maintenance management. No work orders, preventive-maintenance schedules or parts. The difference matters: see pre-use inspection vs preventive maintenance.
- Telematics and enterprise IT. No GPS or machine data, and no single sign-on, API or integrations.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best equipment inspection app?
It depends on who does the inspections. For pre-use checks by operators, including temps and people who share machines, an app nobody has to install works best, such as CheckBadges' QR stickers. For scheduled audits, offline sites or maintenance work orders, a full inspection platform or CMMS fits better.
Can one app handle different checklists for different machines?
Yes. In CheckBadges you build as many checklists as you need and assign one to each machine, so forklifts, lifts and vehicles each get their own questions. Scanning a machine's sticker always opens the checklist assigned to that machine.
Is equipment inspection software the same as a CMMS?
No. Inspection software records checks and flags problems; a CMMS plans and tracks the maintenance work itself, with work orders, preventive schedules and parts. Many CMMS tools include inspections but charge per user. CheckBadges is inspection only, and its CSV export can feed a CMMS.
Can I use an equipment inspection app on a computer instead of a phone?
With CheckBadges, yes. The check opens in any browser, so a shop computer or tablet works as well as a phone. Operators who can't scan can type the short web address printed under each code.
How long does it take to set up an equipment inspection app?
With CheckBadges, minutes: list your machines, pick a starting checklist and print the stickers. There's nothing to roll out to operators, because they only need their phone's camera. You can try it with your real machines before signing up.
Keep reading
- QR code equipment checklistA QR code equipment checklist: a sticker on each machine opens its pre-use check on any phone, with no app or login. Problems email you. Free for 3 machines.
- The best equipment inspection apps in 2026The best equipment inspection apps of 2026 compared: how operators do checks, whether they need an app or login, and what 10, 25 or 50 machines cost a month.
- All checklists
- Write a pre-use checklistHow to write a pre-use inspection checklist: start from the manual, follow the walkaround, say what a pass looks like, keep it to 10–25 items and test it.
- All comparisons
- Pre-use inspection vs preventive maintenanceA pre-use inspection is the operator's daily check for defects; preventive maintenance is scheduled servicing by a mechanic. How they differ and work together.
Every machine checked, with one scan.
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.