EquipLoopEquipment Tracking Spreadsheet Alternative
EquipLoop is an equipment tracking spreadsheet alternative for South African teams. Manage equipment and stock in one online system, give more than one person access at a time, and check records from anywhere with an internet connection.
See who has each item, keep its movement history and add QR or barcode labels. Choose a plan with inventory when you also need quantity-based stock management.
Replace your equipment tracking spreadsheet.
Free forever: 50 equipment units · 10 people · 2 users · 1 location
Cordless drill
- Recorded holder
- Thabo Mokoena
- Recorded location
- Site A
- Expected return
- 30 October
- Issue condition
- Good
Which type of spreadsheet alternative fits your team?
Equipment spreadsheet alternatives include dedicated equipment systems, inventory software and configurable database tools. Choose according to what you track, how items move and how many people need to update the records.
EquipLoop publishes this guide and is one of the options below. These are examples of different approaches, not a ranking. Check each provider's current features and plan limits against your workflow.
Equipment custody and shared use
Consider this approach when your main question is who has an item, when it is due back and what happened at its last handover. EquipLoop combines those records with grouped stock; Shelf also describes a dedicated equipment workflow with custody and bookings. Compare the specific capabilities and plans you need.
IT assets and software licences
Snipe-IT covers IT asset assignments, check-ins, history and licence management. It offers self-hosted open-source software and hosted services. Consider who will run and maintain the system as well as the records you need.
Stock and inventory operations
Sortly emphasises equipment inventory and barcode/QR scanning. Scanlily combines inventory cataloguing with optional QR labels. inFlow includes inventory and order-management products. Check whether you need quantities and equipment assignments, or a wider purchasing and sales workflow.
A configurable database
Airtable provides an inventory template; Notion provides databases with custom properties and views. These can suit a team that wants to configure its own records. Decide who will build and maintain the assignment, return and history process.
Plant, fleet and maintenance operations
MapTrack describes a broader field-asset platform with GPS and Bluetooth hardware options, inspections, work orders and servicing. Evaluate that category when continuous tracking or maintenance planning is central to your requirement. EquipLoop's recorded locations, equipment condition and movement history serve an equipment-accountability workflow; QR labels do not provide continuous GPS tracking.
Before choosing, list your equipment types, stock quantities, locations, required history and number of signed-in users. Try a real handover and return, then check which plan supports that process.
Is your team outgrowing its equipment spreadsheet?
An equipment spreadsheet can work well for a small, stable list. The pressure comes when equipment moves more often than the register is updated. These are useful signals to review your process.
The holder column keeps falling behind
Equipment changes hands in the store or on site, but the spreadsheet is updated later. You need the handover and the record to happen together.
Today's row has replaced yesterday's story
You can see a name beside an item, but finding the previous holder or return condition means searching older files, messages or extra sheets.
More people and locations share the list
Several teams need to check availability and responsibility. A clear update routine matters more as equipment moves between stores, offices and sites.
Equipment tracking software vs Excel
Excel gives you flexibility. EquipLoop gives you a dedicated equipment workflow. The choice depends on how your team records handovers, checks responsibility and follows up on returns.
Swipe the table to compare Excel and EquipLoop.
| Your task | Excel / Google Sheets | EquipLoop |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment register | Flexible rows and columns for IDs, serial numbers and equipment details. | Equipment records with individually identified units, condition and recorded locations. |
| Stock quantities | Maintain quantity columns and connect stock movements to a separate log. | Keep quantity-based stock alongside individual equipment. Record quantities issued and returned, and review available stock. |
| Who has it? | Add a holder column and keep it current after each handover. | Issue an item to a named person, with an issue date and expected return. |
| Issues and returns | Build a separate transaction log and maintain the links to your item list. | Record an issue and its return against the same assignment. |
| Condition and history | Design condition fields and a movement log; keep earlier entries when updating the list. | Review recorded condition, assignments, returns and transfers in the item's history. |
| Finding and labelling items | Search or filter by asset ID. Labels and scanning workflows need to be set up around the sheet. | Open equipment records with QR codes. Create printable QR or barcode labels using the free label tools. |
| Working together | Supported cloud versions allow shared editing and version history. Agree how everyone updates the register. | More than one authorised person can access the same workspace at a time, using their own account and assigned permissions. |
| Access away from the office | Cloud spreadsheets can be accessed from supported devices. Local files need to be shared or uploaded. | Sign in to one online system from a phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection. |
| Reporting | Build filters, formulas or pivot tables around the questions you need answered. | Use equipment reports and download CSV files for further review in Excel. |
| Getting started | Use a familiar spreadsheet and maintain your own process and formulas. | Set up equipment, people and locations, then teach the team the issue-and-return routine. |
A fair comparison matters: supported Excel setups offer co-authoring and version history. EquipLoop's value is the equipment record and the actions around it. Both approaches need people to record what actually happens. Microsoft's Excel collaboration guide explains supported sharing setups.
A handover should leave a useful record.
For a contractor, workshop or office team, the question is practical: who has this item, when is it due back and what condition was it returned in? Here is how a cordless drill moves through the equipment workflow.
Identify DR-014
Give the physical drill its own asset ID and serial number. Two identical drills can then have different holders and histories.
Issue it to a named person
Record the recipient, issue date, expected return and issue condition. The assignment connects the person to the individual drill.
Record the return
Record when the drill comes back and its return condition. Keep that completed assignment in its history for the next review.
Scan the item's QR code to open the right record. Your team still records each issue, return and location transfer. For a closer look at item identification and custody, explore equipment tracking software.
Add QR codes and barcode labels to your items.
A consistent label helps the team identify the same item every time. Use an equipment record's QR code for direct record access, or create printable QR and barcode labels for your existing asset IDs.
QR codes for equipment records
Open the QR code on an EquipLoop equipment record, print its label and attach it to the item. Scanning opens the record for authorised access; the user can then review details and complete the actions their role allows.
Barcodes for consistent item IDs
Use the free barcode generator to print Code 128 or Code 39 labels with your item IDs and branding. A barcode contains the ID or text you enter. Your scanner and software determine how that value is used; use the equipment record's QR code when you want a link to that record.
Printing or scanning a label does not by itself record a handover, change stock quantity or reveal a live location. Record the issue, return or transfer in the shared system to keep the history useful.
Move from Excel to equipment tracking software, one step at a time.
Use your existing spreadsheet as a starting list. Check what it says against the equipment and the people holding it, then build the same recording routine into your team's daily work.
Clean up your starting list
Keep equipment names, asset IDs and serial numbers consistent. Remove duplicates and separate identical items that can be issued to different people.
Check what is actually out
Confirm the current holder, recorded location and condition of each item. Resolve old assignments before treating your spreadsheet as the opening record.
Set up a small working register
Create your workspace, add people and locations within your plan limits, then add equipment and its individual units. Start with a manageable group of items.
Complete one issue and return
Issue an item to a named person, set its expected return, then record its return and condition. Use that complete cycle to agree how the team will keep records current.
Agree who updates the record.
Choose who records issues, returns and transfers, and when those actions happen. Keep your original spreadsheet as a reference while checking the opening register. For a larger starting list, confirm bulk-import requirements with EquipLoop before preparing a file. See equipment management software for the wider reporting and review workflow.
Start managing equipment with a free plan.
Use the core register, assignments, returns, QR codes, condition records and history within the Free plan's limits. Move to a larger plan when your equipment, people or locations grow.
A working equipment register
- 10 people
- 50 tracked equipment units
- 1 location
- 2 EquipLoop users
People are the equipment holders in your register. EquipLoop users are the team members who sign in to manage those records.
Start managing equipment free$19 / month
Prices shown in USD. Annual billing options are on the pricing page.
- 100 people
- 500 tracked equipment units
- 5 locations
- 10 EquipLoop users
The Free plan includes one location. Business includes five; Pro includes unlimited locations, subject to its other plan limits.
Compare all plansQuestions about replacing your equipment spreadsheet
Answers to practical questions about using EquipLoop in your operation.
Can EquipLoop replace an Excel equipment register?
Yes. EquipLoop provides a shared equipment register with named holders, recorded locations, issues, returns, condition and history. You can also manage quantity-based stock in the same system on a plan with inventory. Your team still needs to record handovers, stock movements and returns consistently.
Can I manage equipment and stock in one system?
Yes. Use individually tracked units for equipment that needs its own identity and history, such as a drill or laptop. Use grouped stock for interchangeable items managed by quantity. Record stock quantities issued and returned and review available quantities alongside equipment. Compare plans for inventory availability and capacity.
Can more than one person access EquipLoop at the same time?
Yes. Invite authorised team members to the same workspace and give each person their own account. They can access the system at the same time, within your plan's user limit. Workspace members who sign in are separate from the people listed as equipment holders.
Can I access equipment records away from the office?
Yes. Sign in from a supported browser on a phone, tablet or computer with an internet connection. Your account permissions determine which records and actions you can access. The office and site team work from the same online workspace.
Can I add QR codes or barcodes to my items?
Yes. Use the QR code on an EquipLoop equipment record to open that record with authorised access. The free QR asset tag generator and asset barcode generator also create printable labels. A barcode stores the ID or text you provide; how a scanner uses it depends on your scanning setup. Printing a label does not create a record or record a stock movement.
Is this also a Google Sheets equipment tracking alternative?
Yes. The same equipment workflow applies whether your starting list is in Excel or Google Sheets. The difference is having dedicated issue-and-return actions and individual equipment histories, rather than building and maintaining that process in spreadsheet columns.
How do I move from Excel to equipment tracking software?
Check your existing asset IDs, current holders, locations and condition first. Set up your workspace and add a small group of equipment, then complete a real issue and return. For a larger register, contact EquipLoop to confirm bulk-import requirements, supported fields and the appropriate plan before preparing a file. Keep a copy of your original spreadsheet and reconcile the opening records.
Can I still use Excel for equipment reports?
Yes. Equipment reports can be downloaded as CSV files for review in Excel or another spreadsheet application. Keep day-to-day handovers in EquipLoop so an exported copy does not become a second register that your team also has to maintain.
Does scanning a QR code automatically track an item's location?
A QR code opens the item's record. An authorised user still records the issue, return or location transfer. The holder and location reflect recorded activity, rather than continuous GPS tracking. Read more about QR code asset tracking software.
Can I try the equipment workflow for free?
Yes. The Free plan includes 50 tracked equipment units, 10 people, two EquipLoop users and one location. You can use the core register, issue and return, QR codes, condition and history workflow within those limits. Check the pricing page for current paid-plan features and capacities.
What if a spreadsheet still suits my team?
Keep using a spreadsheet if a small, stable register and a clear update routine meet your needs. The free equipment issue register Excel template includes an item list and assignment log. Consider switching when recording and following up on equipment movements becomes difficult to maintain.
Give your equipment a record beyond the spreadsheet row.
Create your workspace, add a small group of equipment and record one complete issue-and-return cycle. Give your team a shared place to check who has each item.
Still need a spreadsheet? Use the free equipment issue register template.