CheckedSafe vs FleetMark: which do you actually need?

We get asked this a lot, so let's be straight about it. CheckedSafe and FleetMark are not the same product. They serve different purposes, and depending on what you need, one might be right and the other wrong — or you might need both.

What CheckedSafe does

CheckedSafe is a compliance platform. Its core product is the daily walkaround check — the one your drivers do every morning to confirm the vehicle is safe to drive. Lights work, tyres have tread, no fluid leaks. It's about answering the question: "Is this vehicle roadworthy right now?"

They also offer driving licence checks, lone worker monitoring, dynamic risk assessments, and GPS tracking. It's a broad platform with multiple modules. They've been around since 2014, they're DVSA Earned Recognition validated, and they have some big clients — Northgate, Enterprise, Network Rail.

What FleetMark does

FleetMark does one thing: vehicle condition at handover. When a vehicle changes hands — hire return, lease end, fleet delivery, auction intake, driver changeover — you need to record exactly what state it's in. Every scratch, dent, and scuff marked on a diagram, photographed, severity-rated, timestamped, GPS-stamped, and signed off.

It answers a different question: "What is the condition of this vehicle right now, as it changes hands?"

The pricing difference

CheckedSafe charges per vehicle per week — £1 per vehicle per week for their compliance module. That works out to £52 per vehicle per year. For a 50-vehicle fleet, that's £2,600 a year. For 200 vehicles, £10,400.

FleetMark charges a flat monthly fee regardless of fleet size. The Pro plan is £29/month — £348 a year — whether you have 10 vehicles or 1,000. The per-vehicle model punishes growth. Flat pricing rewards it.

The technology difference

CheckedSafe requires a native app download from the App Store or Play Store. FleetMark runs in the browser — no download required, works on any phone, installable to the home screen as a PWA.

FleetMark integrates with the DVLA at the point of inspection — scan a plate, get the vehicle details automatically. CheckedSafe doesn't offer this.

FleetMark includes camera-based number plate recognition. Point your phone at the plate, it reads the reg. CheckedSafe doesn't offer this either.

So which do you need?

If you need daily walkaround compliance checks to meet DVSA requirements, CheckedSafe is the established option. If you need condition reporting at handover, FleetMark is built specifically for that. If you need both, they're not mutually exclusive — use CheckedSafe for the daily compliance, FleetMark for the handover condition. Different tools, different jobs.