Comparison
CheckBadges vs UpKeep
Choose CheckBadges if operators need to check machines before use without seats, apps or implementation fees — a sticker per machine and a price per machine. Choose UpKeep if you need a CMMS with work orders, preventive maintenance and free requester accounts, and the people doing checks are technicians you'd license anyway.
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. UpKeep is a maintenance and asset management platform (CMMS) with work orders and preventive maintenance, where custom checklists are a Premium feature for paid users in its app.
CheckBadges vs UpKeep at a glance
| CheckBadges | UpKeep | |
|---|---|---|
| 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 UpKeep app, signs in as a paid user, and completes the checklist on the asset or work order. |
| 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. Completing checklists needs a paid user (custom checklists start on Premium) signed in to UpKeep. Its free Requester, View Only and Third-Party users can submit work requests or update a work order, not complete checklists. |
| QR codes on equipment | Every machine gets its own printed QR sticker, 8 to a page. A lost sticker is reissued in a click. | Third-party roundups list UpKeep among QR equipment-inspection tools; we didn't confirm the details on UpKeep's own site. Checklists run in the UpKeep app either way. |
| 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. | Problems become work orders in the CMMS, assigned and tracked to completion; contractors can update a tagged work order through a public link. |
| Free plan | Free for up to 3 machines, with every feature and unlimited operators. | No free plan for people who complete checklists (a free trial is available); View Only, Requester and Third-Party users are free. |
| 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. | Essential is $24 a user a month and Premium, which adds custom checklists, $55; Professional and Enterprise are quoted. UpKeep also lists one-time implementation fees of $500–$5,000. |
| Monthly cost, 10 machines, 20 operators | $19.50/mo | $1,100/mo |
| Monthly cost, 25 machines, 50 operators | $42/mo | $2,750/mo |
| Monthly cost, 50 machines, 100 operators | $79.50/mo | $5,500/mo |
UpKeep's costs use Premium at $55 a user a month (the first plan with custom checklists), with every operator as a paid user and no implementation fee included; UpKeep doesn't state an annual discount. CheckBadges is billed monthly. Prices were checked in October 2026 and change, so check UpKeep'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: checklists are a paid CMMS feature
In UpKeep, a checklist is part of a maintenance system; in CheckBadges it's the whole product. UpKeep's custom checklists start on its Premium plan, and the person completing them is a paid user signed in to the app. That makes sense for technicians doing preventive maintenance. It's expensive for operators who check a forklift or a lift at the start of every shift.
CheckBadges puts a QR sticker on every machine. Operators scan it with their phone's camera and answer that machine's checklist in the browser — no app, account or seat — and problems email you with photos the moment they're submitted.
UpKeep's free users
UpKeep has three free user types, and none of them is for completing checklists:
- View Only users can submit work requests and run reports.
- Requesters can submit work requests.
- Third-Party Users are "Vendors and contractors who submit updates to a tagged work order through a public link. They cannot sign in."
So the operator who spots a leak can report it for free, but the operator doing the daily check needs a paid seat. UpKeep's External Request Portal is on Professional and above.
Side by side
For a pre-use check, the two compare like this:
| CheckBadges | UpKeep | |
|---|---|---|
| Who can do a check | Anyone who scans the sticker | Paid users, Premium and up |
| Operator setup | Nothing to install | UpKeep app and a login |
| Problem found | Email with photos; next operator warned until fixed | Work order, assigned and tracked |
| Work orders and preventive maintenance | No | Yes |
| Setup fees | None | One-time implementation fees listed |
| Free plan | 3 machines, every feature | No; free requester-type users |
Price
UpKeep's Essential plan is $24 a user a month and Premium, the first plan with custom checklists, is $55. Its pricing page doesn't state an annual discount, and lists one-time implementation fees of $500 to $5,000. Twenty operators on Premium is $1,100 a month; 50 is $2,750. CheckBadges is free for 3 machines, then $9 a month plus $1.50 per machine after 3 — $19.50 for 10 machines and $42 for 25 — with no setup fee.
Where UpKeep is stronger
UpKeep is a real maintenance system: work orders, preventive maintenance, asset records and free request accounts. CheckBadges has none of that. If you need both, use CheckBadges for operator checks and a CMMS for the repairs that follow; see what to do when equipment fails inspection.
UpKeep: what it does well, and where it falls short
Strengths
- A full CMMS: work orders, preventive maintenance and asset management.
- Free View Only, Requester and Third-Party user types.
- Contractors can update a tagged work order through a public link without signing in.
- A native mobile app for technicians.
Drawbacks
- Custom checklists start on Premium, at $55 a user a month.
- Every operator who completes a checklist needs a paid seat and the app.
- One-time implementation fees of $500–$5,000 are listed on top.
- Built for maintenance teams, not two-minute operator checks.
Choose CheckBadges if…
Choose CheckBadges if operators need to check machines before use without seats, apps or implementation fees — a sticker per machine and a price per machine.
Choose UpKeep if…
Choose UpKeep if you need a CMMS with work orders, preventive maintenance and free requester accounts, and the people doing checks are technicians you'd license anyway.
Frequently asked questions
How much do CheckBadges and UpKeep cost?
For 10 machines, 20 operators, CheckBadges costs $19.50/mo and UpKeep costs $1,100/mo; for 25 machines, 50 operators it's $42/mo against $2,750/mo. UpKeep's figures use Premium at $55 a user a month (the first plan with custom checklists), with every operator as a paid user and no implementation fee included; UpKeep doesn't state an annual discount, 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 UpKeep?
Yes. Completing checklists needs a paid user (custom checklists start on Premium) signed in to UpKeep. Its free Requester, View Only and Third-Party users can submit work requests or update a work order, not complete checklists.
What's the main difference between CheckBadges and UpKeep?
UpKeep is a maintenance and asset management platform (CMMS) with work orders and preventive maintenance, where custom checklists are a Premium feature for paid users in its 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 UpKeep requesters fill out inspection checklists?
No. UpKeep's free Requester and View Only users submit work requests, and Third-Party users can only update a tagged work order through a public link. Completing custom checklists needs a paid user on Premium or above.
How much does UpKeep cost for equipment inspections?
Custom checklists start on UpKeep's Premium plan at $55 per user a month, so 20 operators is $1,100 a month. UpKeep also lists one-time implementation fees of $500–$5,000.
Do I need a CMMS for daily equipment checks?
Not unless you also need maintenance management. A CMMS like UpKeep runs work orders, schedules and parts. A daily pre-use check needs a checklist per machine, a record of who did it, and a fast way to report problems.
More comparisons
- UpKeep alternativesLooking for a UpKeep 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 UpKeep? 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.