Comparison
CheckBadges vs Google Forms
Choose CheckBadges if you want each machine's sticker to open its own checklist, photos without any sign-in, an instant email when something fails, and a warning for the next operator until it's fixed — free for up to 3 machines. Choose Google Forms if you have a couple of machines, don't need photos, and someone will read the responses every day — it costs nothing.
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. Google Forms is Google's free form builder: you can write a checklist as a form, put its link in a QR code, and collect the answers in a Google Sheet.
CheckBadges vs Google Forms at a glance
| CheckBadges | Google Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 scans a QR code (or opens a link) to the form, picks the machine if the form asks, answers the questions in the browser and submits. |
| 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. | No, for ordinary questions: anyone with the link can answer. But a file upload question — the way to attach a photo — makes responders sign in to a Google Account. |
| QR codes on equipment | Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click. | Do it yourself: make a QR code of the form's link. One form for every machine means operators pick the machine; a code per machine means a form or prefilled link for each one. |
| 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. | Nothing beyond an optional email for every new response, failed or not. The answer sits in the spreadsheet until someone reads it, and the machine has no open or fixed status. |
| Free plan | Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators. | Free with a Google account. |
| 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. | Free with a Google account. Google Workspace is optional and isn't needed to build or share a form. |
| Monthly cost, 10 machines, 20 operators | $19.50/mo | Free |
| Monthly cost, 25 machines, 50 operators | $42/mo | Free |
| Monthly cost, 50 machines, 100 operators | $79.50/mo | Free |
Google Forms' costs use the free version with a Google account. CheckBadges is billed monthly. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change, so check Google Forms' site before you buy.
What it costs a month
10 machines, 20 operators
25 machines, 50 operators
50 machines, 100 operators
The biggest difference: the form doesn't know which machine it's on
A Google Form is one form; CheckBadges gives every machine its own sticker and its own record. With Google Forms, you either make one form for all your machines and ask operators to pick the right one, or build a form (or a prefilled link) for each machine and keep them all in step when the checklist changes. Every response, from every machine, lands in one spreadsheet.
With CheckBadges, scanning the sticker on forklift 3 opens forklift 3's checklist. Every check is filed under that machine with the operator's name and the time, and the dashboard shows which machines have been checked today.
Photos need a Google sign-in
If you want operators to attach a photo of a problem, Google Forms makes them sign in. Google's own help center says of the file upload question: "To answer this question, responders need to sign in to a Google Account." That breaks a no-login setup the moment you ask for a picture, and it rules out operators who don't have a Google account or won't use a personal one at work.
In CheckBadges, any item marked Problem needs a note and can carry up to 3 photos, taken in the browser with no account.
Side by side
Here's how the two compare for daily equipment checks:
| CheckBadges | Google Forms | |
|---|---|---|
| Which machine | The sticker identifies it | Operator picks it, or one form per machine |
| Photos | Up to 3 per problem, no sign-in | File upload requires a Google sign-in |
| When something fails | Email to your alert list at once, with photos | Optional email for every response |
| Next operator | Sees the open problem until it's marked fixed | Not without custom work |
| Checked today | Live dashboard | Read the spreadsheet |
| Records | Printable record per check, CSV export | Rows in a Google Sheet |
| Setup | Pick a starter checklist, print stickers | Build the form, make the QR codes, share the sheet |
Price
Google Forms is free. CheckBadges is free for 3 machines, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per machine after 3 — $19.50 a month for 10 machines and $42 for 25, with unlimited operators. What the money buys is the work you'd otherwise do by hand: matching answers to machines, spotting and chasing failed checks, and keeping a machine that failed out of the next shift's hands.
When Google Forms is enough
For one or two machines, simple yes/no checks, no photos, and a supervisor who opens the sheet every morning, Google Forms works. Our guide to building an equipment checklist in Google Forms shows how to set it up well. When you outgrow it, CheckBadges can start from any of the free checklists on this site, and you can try it with your own machines before signing up.
Google Forms: what it does well, and where it falls short
Strengths
- Free, and most people already know how it works.
- Opens in any phone's browser, with no account needed for ordinary questions.
- Responses land in Google Sheets, where you can sort, filter and chart them.
- Fully flexible: you write every question yourself.
Drawbacks
- Photo upload questions make operators sign in to a Google Account.
- The form doesn't know which machine it's on: operators pick it, or you build and maintain a form per machine.
- No open-problem status per machine and no warning for the next operator.
- Email notifications fire for every response, not just failed checks.
- No 'checked today' view, machine history or printable record per check unless you build them from the spreadsheet.
Choose CheckBadges if…
Choose CheckBadges if you want each machine's sticker to open its own checklist, photos without any sign-in, an instant email when something fails, and a warning for the next operator until it's fixed — free for up to 3 machines.
Choose Google Forms if…
Choose Google Forms if you have a couple of machines, don't need photos, and someone will read the responses every day — it costs nothing.
Frequently asked questions
How much do CheckBadges and Google Forms cost?
Google Forms is free (the free version with a Google account, checked in October 2026). 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 Google Forms?
No, for ordinary questions: anyone with the link can answer. But a file upload question — the way to attach a photo — makes responders sign in to a Google Account.
What's the main difference between CheckBadges and Google Forms?
Google Forms is Google's free form builder: you can write a checklist as a form, put its link in a QR code, and collect the answers in a Google Sheet. 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 Google Forms work for forklift checklists?
Yes, for simple checks: build the form, put its link in a QR code on the truck, and answers land in a Google Sheet. The limits show up later — photo uploads need a Google sign-in, every truck's answers share one sheet, and nothing warns the next operator about a failed check.
Can operators fill in a Google Form without a Google account?
Yes, for ordinary questions. A file upload question — the way to attach a photo — requires responders to sign in to a Google Account, according to Google's help center.
Can Google Forms email me when an equipment check fails?
Not on its own. Google Forms can email you for every new response, failed or not; an alert only for failures needs a script or add-on. CheckBadges emails your alert list only when a check has problems, with the photos.
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Switching from Google Forms? 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.