Excel is free, familiar, and already installed — real advantages worth taking seriously. The comparison that matters is not features; it is what each approach can prove when challenged.
Zero cost, zero training, total flexibility. For a single small crew whose records will never face an inspection, insurer, or lawsuit, a disciplined spreadsheet may honestly be enough. The problem is that nobody knows in advance whether their records will be tested.
Verification (typed names prove typing), integrity (every cell silently editable forever), timeliness (updated when someone gets to it), multi-site visibility (one file, one owner), and retrieval under pressure (versions, copies, and whose laptop is it on).
A signature proves somebody wrote a name. An Arkvos check-in records a photo of the worker, GPS coordinates, and a timestamped attendance record, sealed at the moment of scan. That is the difference between saying a worker was trained and showing who was standing at the briefing.
Every briefing exports as an audit-ready PDF formatted for OSHA 29 CFR 1910 and 1926, DOT/FMCSA, and the Canada Labour Code. When someone asks for documentation for a specific worker on a specific date, the answer takes seconds, not a search through storage boxes.
At the first moment records must convince a skeptic: an OSHA inspection, an insurance audit, an injury claim, or a customer prequalification. Each asks how you know the data is true, and a spreadsheet has no answer beyond the diligence of whoever typed it.
Plans start at $89 per month with unlimited participants and check-ins, against Excel's zero subscription cost. The comparison to run is against the hours spent transcribing and assembling reports, and against the cost of one contested citation defended with spreadsheet evidence.
Plans start at $89 per month, with unlimited participants and check-ins on every plan. Operator and Place limits vary by plan, with no hardware required. The free 14-day trial requires no credit card, and the platform supports teams from 10 to 100,000 workers.
No. Workers scan a QR code and check in through the browser on their own phone. There is no app, no login, and no account to create.
Attendance records are retained and remain exportable for as long as your organization needs them. OSHA retention requirements vary by standard — some training records must be kept for the duration of employment — so records that cannot be lost or discarded are safer than any paper retention policy.
Arkvos offers a free OSHA citation response generator. Upload the citation and get a formal response letter, a corrective action plan with dates, and a checklist of evidence to attach. Employers have 15 working days from receipt of a citation to contest it. Open the free citation responder.
Arkvos separates product capabilities from regulatory requirements. For federal OSHA requirements, the primary authority is OSHA's current regulations and guidance. California construction employers should also review the applicable Cal/OSHA Title 8 requirements.
OSHA 29 CFR 1904.33 requires the OSHA 300 Log, annual summary, OSHA 301 Incident Report forms, and privacy case list if one exists to be retained for five years after the end of the calendar year they cover. Cal/OSHA Title 8 §1509(e) requires construction supervisors to conduct toolbox or tailgate safety meetings, or equivalent, with crews at least every 10 working days. Requirements vary by jurisdiction and work activity, so employers should verify the rule that applies to their facts.
Use the topical libraries below to move between product workflows, industries, standards, sourced guidance, and compliance documentation instead of treating this as an isolated page.