Comparison
CheckBadges vs Fleetio
Choose CheckBadges if you need pre-use checks on equipment: a sticker per machine that opens in any phone's browser, the operator's name or PIN on every check, and an email with photos when something's wrong. Choose Fleetio if you need to run fleet maintenance — work orders, parts, fuel and telematics — and want inspections in the same system.
The short answer
CheckBadges is QR code equipment checklists: operators scan a sticker on each machine with their own phone and do its pre-use check in the browser — no app, login or per-user seat. Fleetio is fleet maintenance software that tracks vehicles and equipment, work orders, parts and fuel, with inspections done in its Fleetio Go app.
CheckBadges vs Fleetio at a glance
| CheckBadges | Fleetio | |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | The driver or operator opens the Fleetio Go app (or the web app), signs in, chooses the vehicle or scans its label, and submits the inspection form. A public link can also take submissions without a login. |
| Does each operator need an app or login? | No. No app, account or password: operators type their name, or a 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on. | Usually yes: inspections are done in the Fleetio Go app or web app by users with permission to submit them. Fleetio's Public Inspection Submission Link lets anyone with the link submit without an account, but it's one link per form and every submission is recorded as a single Guest User. |
| QR codes on equipment | Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click. | You can print asset labels or link your own barcodes and QR codes, which are scanned in the Fleetio Go app. The public submission link is per form, not per machine. |
| When a check finds a problem | Emails you what's wrong with photos the moment it's submitted, flags the machine, and warns the next operator until it's marked fixed. | Defects are routed into Fleetio's maintenance workflow, so they can be tracked to repair through work orders. |
| Free plan | Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators. | No free plan; a free trial. |
| 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. | Billed per vehicle or asset each month on Essential, Professional and Premium plans. We couldn't confirm Fleetio's October 2026 dollar prices on its own site. |
| Monthly cost, 10 machines, 20 operators | $19.50/mo | Not confirmed |
| Monthly cost, 25 machines, 50 operators | $42/mo | Not confirmed |
| Monthly cost, 50 machines, 100 operators | $79.50/mo | Not confirmed |
Fleetio's costs use list prices from Fleetio's own site, which we couldn't read when we checked (it bills per vehicle or asset each month). CheckBadges is billed monthly. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change, so check Fleetio's site before you buy.
What it costs a month
10 machines, 20 operators
25 machines, 50 operators
50 machines, 100 operators
The biggest difference: a maintenance system vs a pre-use check
Fleetio runs your fleet's maintenance; CheckBadges does one job, the check before a machine is used. In Fleetio, inspections sit alongside work orders, parts, fuel and telematics integrations, and they're usually done in the Fleetio Go app by users with permission to submit inspections. Failed items feed straight into maintenance.
CheckBadges has no work orders or parts. Each machine gets a QR sticker; operators scan it with their own phone's camera, do the check in the browser, and problems email you with photos at once.
Fleetio's public inspection link
Fleetio's closest feature to a no-login check is its Public Inspection Submission Link. Fleetio's help center says it "enables any Fleetio Inspection Form to be submitted without logging into Fleetio" and doesn't require employees to have a Fleetio user account. Three details matter for equipment checks:
- It's one link per form, not per machine. The operator still has to say which vehicle or machine they're checking.
- Every submission is recorded as a single "Guest User". The account doesn't tell you who did the check.
- "Anyone with access to this link can submit the Inspection Form," as Fleetio warns. Forms that block stored photos can't generate a public link.
CheckBadges stickers are per machine, so the scan says which machine it is, and each check carries the operator's typed name — or their own 4-digit PIN if you turn PINs on.
Side by side
For equipment checks, the two compare like this:
| CheckBadges | Fleetio | |
|---|---|---|
| Usual operator setup | Nothing: camera and browser | Fleetio Go app and a user login |
| No-login option | Every check | Public link, one per form |
| Which machine | The sticker identifies it | Chosen in the form, or scanned in the app |
| Who did it | Typed name or personal PIN | User account, or "Guest User" on the public link |
| Problem found | Email with photos; next operator warned until fixed | Routed to maintenance and work orders |
| Work orders, parts, fuel | No | Yes |
Price
Fleetio bills per vehicle or asset each month on Essential, Professional and Premium plans. We couldn't read its pricing page when we checked in October 2026, so we haven't shown a figure; check Fleetio's site for current rates. CheckBadges is free for 3 machines, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per machine after 3: $19.50 for 10 machines and $79.50 for 50, with unlimited operators.
Using both
If you already run Fleetio for your road vehicles, CheckBadges can cover the forklifts, lifts and yard equipment whose operators would never log in to Fleetio Go. There's no integration between them: a problem email from CheckBadges is your cue to open a work order in Fleetio. For where one job ends and the other starts, see pre-use inspection vs preventive maintenance.
Fleetio: what it does well, and where it falls short
Strengths
- A full fleet maintenance system: work orders, parts, fuel and telematics integrations.
- A public inspection link that takes submissions without a Fleetio account.
- Asset labels and barcode or QR scanning in the Fleetio Go app.
- Widely used: Fleetio says it powers more than 1,300,000 fleet assets, and it has over 1,000 reviews.
Drawbacks
- Inspections normally need the Fleetio Go app and a user with permission to submit them.
- The public link is one per form, not per machine, and every submission is recorded as the same Guest User.
- Anyone with the public link can submit, as Fleetio itself warns.
- Built and priced for vehicle fleets, and heavier to set up than a checklist.
- Dollar prices couldn't be confirmed on its own site.
Choose CheckBadges if…
Choose CheckBadges if you need pre-use checks on equipment: a sticker per machine that opens in any phone's browser, the operator's name or PIN on every check, and an email with photos when something's wrong.
Choose Fleetio if…
Choose Fleetio if you need to run fleet maintenance — work orders, parts, fuel and telematics — and want inspections in the same system.
Frequently asked questions
How much do CheckBadges and Fleetio cost?
We couldn't confirm what Fleetio costs for these fleets when we checked in October 2026, so check its pricing page. 10 machines, 20 operators costs $19.50/mo on CheckBadges and 25 machines, 50 operators $42/mo. CheckBadges is free for up to 3 machines; Pro is $9 a month for the first 3 plus $1.50 per machine after that, with unlimited operators.
Do operators need an app or login for Fleetio?
Usually yes: inspections are done in the Fleetio Go app or web app by users with permission to submit them. Fleetio's Public Inspection Submission Link lets anyone with the link submit without an account, but it's one link per form and every submission is recorded as a single Guest User.
What's the main difference between CheckBadges and Fleetio?
Fleetio is fleet maintenance software that tracks vehicles and equipment, work orders, parts and fuel, with inspections done in its Fleetio Go app. CheckBadges does one job: every machine gets a QR sticker, and operators scan it with their own phone to do that machine's pre-use check in the browser — no app, account or per-user seat — while problems email you with photos and warn the next operator.
Can you submit a Fleetio inspection without logging in?
Yes, with Fleetio's Public Inspection Submission Link, which lets anyone with the link submit a form without a Fleetio account. It's one link per form rather than per vehicle, and every submission is recorded as a single Guest User.
Does Fleetio support QR codes on equipment?
Fleetio lets you print asset labels and link your own barcodes or QR codes, which are scanned in the Fleetio Go app. CheckBadges stickers open each machine's checklist in any phone's browser.
Is Fleetio a good fit for forklift and yard equipment checks?
It can record them, but Fleetio is a fleet maintenance system priced per vehicle or asset, and operators normally use the Fleetio Go app. If daily pre-use checks are all you need, a per-machine QR checklist is simpler.
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Switching from Fleetio? Your machines could be checked by QR code today.
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.