Comparison
CheckBadges vs GoCanvas
Choose CheckBadges if you need equipment pre-use checks by many operators: a sticker per machine, no app or login on any plan, monthly billing, and free for 3 machines. Choose GoCanvas if you need custom field forms with PDF reports, dispatch and integrations for a team of licensed users, and annual billing suits you.
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. GoCanvas, part of the Nemetschek Group, is a mobile forms and workflow platform for field teams, with unlimited forms and submissions on every plan and an app login for each user.
CheckBadges vs GoCanvas at a glance
| CheckBadges | GoCanvas | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 operator opens the GoCanvas app (or desktop web client), signs in, picks the inspection form and submits it; on the Max plan, web forms can be filled in a browser without logging in. |
| 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. | Yes on most plans: each operator is a paid GoCanvas user signing in to the app, with a 3-user minimum. The Max plan adds web forms that can be submitted from any browser without a login. |
| QR codes on equipment | Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click. | Not confirmed: GoCanvas's pricing page doesn't list QR codes on assets. |
| 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. | Each submission produces a report and can feed GoCanvas workflows and dispatch; there's no built-in per-machine defect status. |
| 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. | Essentials $29, Pro $39 and Max $49 per user a month, billed annually with a 3-user minimum; unlimited forms and submissions on every plan. |
| Monthly cost, 10 machines, 20 operators | $19.50/mo | $580/mo |
| Monthly cost, 25 machines, 50 operators | $42/mo | $1,450/mo |
| Monthly cost, 50 machines, 100 operators | $79.50/mo | $2,900/mo |
GoCanvas' costs use Essentials at $29 a user a month with every operator as a user, billed annually with a 3-user minimum (its pricing page shows no monthly option). CheckBadges is billed monthly. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change, so check GoCanvas' 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 per-user forms platform vs per-machine stickers
GoCanvas is a general field-forms platform that you license per user; CheckBadges is a pre-use check you pay for per machine. GoCanvas's pitch is "Ditch the paper. Get unlimited forms and submissions on every plan." Its users sign in to a native mobile app (or a desktop web client) and fill in forms you design, with PDF reports, dispatch and integrations around them.
CheckBadges is narrower. Each machine gets a QR sticker; operators scan it with their own phone, answer that machine's checklist in the browser and submit. Problems email you with photos, and the next operator sees the open problem until it's fixed.
GoCanvas web forms
GoCanvas does have a no-login option, on its top plan only. Its pricing page lists "Web forms: Allows users to collect and submit data easily from any browser, without requiring a log in" under Max, at $49 a user a month, billed annually with a 3-user minimum. We couldn't confirm from GoCanvas's site how web-form submissions are licensed. If people without a seat can submit them, the cheapest way in is 3 Max users: $147 a month, billed annually.
Side by side
GoCanvas is the broader tool; CheckBadges is the narrower one with no logins:
| CheckBadges | GoCanvas | |
|---|---|---|
| Operator needs | Phone camera and browser | GoCanvas app and login (web forms on Max) |
| Priced by | Machine | User, 3-user minimum |
| Billing | Monthly, no contract | Annual |
| QR on equipment | Sticker per machine | Not listed on its pricing page |
| Problem found | Email with photos; next operator warned until fixed | Report, plus workflows you design |
| Form builder | Checklist questions: pass/problem, multiple choice, dropdown, number, text | Full form designer with PDF reports |
| Works offline | No | Yes, in the app |
| Integrations | No | Yes |
Price
GoCanvas's Essentials plan is $29 a user a month, Pro $39 and Max $49, all billed annually with a 3-user minimum, according to its pricing page; there's no free plan, but there's a free trial. If every operator is a user, 20 operators on Essentials is $580 a month ($6,960 a year) and 50 is $1,450. CheckBadges is free for 3 machines, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per machine after 3 — $19.50 a month for 10 machines — billed monthly.
Where GoCanvas is stronger
GoCanvas is the better tool for complex field paperwork: forms with custom PDF reports, dispatch, and integrations into other systems. If equipment checks are one form among many that your licensed field team fills in, it fits. If the job is getting many operators to check machines before use, CheckBadges is simpler and cheaper. Start from a free checklist or the free checklist maker.
GoCanvas: what it does well, and where it falls short
Strengths
- A mature mobile form builder with unlimited forms and submissions.
- PDF report designer, dispatch and integrations.
- A native app that works offline.
- No-login web forms on its Max plan.
Drawbacks
- Priced per user, billed annually, with a 3-user minimum.
- No-login web forms only on the top Max plan, at $49 a user.
- Built for field-service paperwork, not machine-by-machine status.
- No free plan.
Choose CheckBadges if…
Choose CheckBadges if you need equipment pre-use checks by many operators: a sticker per machine, no app or login on any plan, monthly billing, and free for 3 machines.
Choose GoCanvas if…
Choose GoCanvas if you need custom field forms with PDF reports, dispatch and integrations for a team of licensed users, and annual billing suits you.
Frequently asked questions
How much do CheckBadges and GoCanvas cost?
For 10 machines, 20 operators, CheckBadges costs $19.50/mo and GoCanvas costs $580/mo; for 25 machines, 50 operators it's $42/mo against $1,450/mo. GoCanvas' figures use Essentials at $29 a user a month with every operator as a user, billed annually with a 3-user minimum (its pricing page shows no monthly option), checked in October 2026. 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 GoCanvas?
Yes on most plans: each operator is a paid GoCanvas user signing in to the app, with a 3-user minimum. The Max plan adds web forms that can be submitted from any browser without a login.
What's the main difference between CheckBadges and GoCanvas?
GoCanvas, part of the Nemetschek Group, is a mobile forms and workflow platform for field teams, with unlimited forms and submissions on every plan and an app login for each user. 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.
Does GoCanvas have a free plan?
No. GoCanvas offers a free trial, then Essentials at $29, Pro at $39 or Max at $49 per user a month, billed annually with a 3-user minimum.
Can people fill out GoCanvas forms without logging in?
On the Max plan, yes: GoCanvas lists web forms that can be submitted from any browser without a login. Max is $49 per user a month, billed annually with a 3-user minimum.
Can I pay for GoCanvas monthly?
GoCanvas's pricing page shows annual billing only. CheckBadges bills month to month with no contract.
More comparisons
- GoCanvas alternativesLooking for a GoCanvas alternative? 6 options compared on price, how operators do checks and whether they need an app or login. Checked October 2026.
- vs SafetyCulture (Mitti)CheckBadges vs SafetyCulture: how operators do pre-use checks, whether they need an app or login, and what 10, 25 or 50 machines cost. Checked October 2026.
- vs Google FormsCheckBadges vs Google Forms: how operators do pre-use checks, whether they need an app or login, and what 10, 25 or 50 machines cost. Checked October 2026.
- vs JotformCheckBadges vs Jotform: how operators do pre-use checks, whether they need an app or login, and what 10, 25 or 50 machines cost. Checked October 2026.
- 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.
Switching from GoCanvas? 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.