Best Inspection Software for Food Safety Auditors (2025)
Inspector A is the best inspection software for independent food safety auditors and 1-5 person consulting firms conducting third-party audits. Built specifically for SQF, BRC, and HACCP certified auditors who need professional PDF reports with photo documentation, automated grading, and public score posting—without the enterprise pricing or implementation timelines.
Why Food Safety Auditors Need Specialized Software
If you're conducting 50-200 food safety inspections per year, you're likely spending 1-2 hours after each inspection creating reports. That's time you can't bill for.
The current workflow looks like this:
- Complete inspection on-site (1-2 hours)
- Return to office with handwritten notes
- Type notes into Word template (45 minutes)
- Find and rename inspection photos (20 minutes)
- Copy/paste photos into document (30 minutes)
- Format, save as PDF, email to client (15 minutes)
Total: 90+ minutes of unbillable administrative work per inspection
For an auditor conducting 100 inspections per year, that's 150 hours spent on report assembly. At a $100/hour billing rate, you're losing $15,000 in potential revenue annually.
What Inspector A Does Differently
Inspector A is mobile-first inspection software that eliminates post-inspection report assembly entirely.
The New Workflow
- During inspection: Check items on mobile app (In Compliance / Out of Compliance / N/A / Not Observed)
- Photograph violations: Each photo attaches directly to the specific checklist item
- Complete inspection: Digital signature capture on mobile device
- Generate report: One-click PDF generation with all photos in correct sections
- Deliver to client: Automatic email notification with PDF attached
Total time after inspection: 5 minutes
Feature Comparison
| Feature | Inspector A | Word/Excel | Enterprise Solutions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $129/month | Free (+ your time) | $500-2,000/month |
| Setup time | 15 minutes | N/A | 3-6 months |
| Mobile app | Yes | No | Yes |
| Photo auto-attachment | Yes | No (manual) | Yes |
| Automated grading | Yes (A-D scores) | Manual formulas | Yes |
| Email notifications | Automatic | Manual | Yes |
| Public score posting | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| Digital signatures | Built-in | Manual | Yes |
| Contract requirement | Month-to-month | N/A | Annual minimum |
| Implementation | Self-service | N/A | Requires consultant |
| Pre-loaded checklists | Compliance templates | Build yourself | Custom build |
Who Inspector A Is Built For
✅ Perfect fit if you are:
- Independent food safety consultant or auditor
- 1-5 person consulting firm
- Conducting third-party audits (SQF, BRC, HACCP, organic certification)
- Restaurant consultant doing mock health inspections
- Franchise quality auditor visiting multiple locations
- Currently using Word, Excel, or paper for reports
- Need to look professional without enterprise budgets
❌ NOT the right fit if you are:
- Large government health department (20+ inspectors)
- Require extensive customization and dedicated support
- Only conducting 1-5 inspections per year
Time Savings Breakdown
Per inspection:
- Report creation: 90 minutes → 5 minutes = 85 minutes saved
Annual savings (100 inspections/year):
- Time saved: 141 hours
- At $100/hour billing rate: $14,100 in recoverable revenue
- Software cost: $1,548/year
- Net benefit: $12,552/year
This means Inspector A pays for itself after your 11th inspection.
Real Use Cases
SQF Auditor - Third-Party Food Manufacturing Audits
"I conduct SQF certification audits at food manufacturing facilities. I complete the entire audit on my iPad with the Inspector A mobile app, capture photos of non-conformances, and attach them to specific checklist items as I go. The automated grading calculates the score instantly. The client receives their preliminary report via email notification within minutes of me leaving."
Key features used:
- Mobile app for on-site data capture
- Photo attachment to specific inspection points
- Automated A-D grading based on point deductions
- Professional PDF report generation
- Automatic email delivery
Restaurant Consultant - Mock Health Inspections
"I help restaurant owners prepare for health inspections. I used to spend an hour after each visit typing up my findings in Word. Now I complete the inspection on my phone, check the boxes as I walk through, snap photos of violations, and the report generates automatically. My clients get a professional PDF via email that looks like an official health department report—it's exactly what they need to train their staff."
Key features used:
- Compliance checklist (In/Out/N/A/Not Observed)
- A-D grading system (matches health dept scoring)
- Photo documentation attached to violations
- Digital signature capture
- Email notifications to clients
Franchise Quality Auditor - Multi-Location Consistency
"I audit 40 franchise locations per year for a regional QSR brand. Every location gets the exact same checklist, scored the same way. I used to maintain separate Excel files for each location—it was a nightmare keeping them consistent. Now all my establishments are in Inspector A, I can see history across all locations, and the franchise owner gets notified automatically when each audit is complete."
Key features used:
- Establishment management (track all locations)
- Standardized checklist templates
- Consistent scoring across locations
- Inspection history per establishment
- Automatic email notifications
Pricing
Starter - Free
- 5 inspections per month
- 1 user
- Mobile app access
- PDF report generation
- Email notifications
- Inspector A branding
Use the free tier to:
- Test the workflow on real inspections
- Verify the mobile app works for your inspection process
- Confirm report quality meets your standards
- Try before committing to paid plan
Professional - $129/month
- Unlimited inspections
- Unlimited establishments
- 1 user
- Everything in Starter
- Full access to all features
Best for: Solo auditors or consultants conducting regular inspections
Team - $199/month
- Unlimited inspections
- Unlimited establishments
- Up to 10 team members
- Everything in Professional
- Role-based access (Owner, Manager, Inspector)
- Team collaboration
Best for: Small consulting firms with multiple auditors
No setup fees. No contracts. Cancel anytime.
Getting Started
Time to first inspection: 15 minutes
- Sign up - Email and password, no credit card required for free tier
- Add establishment - The location you're inspecting
- Create checklist - Build from compliance templates or create custom
- Download mobile app - iOS or Android
- Complete first inspection - Check items, attach photos, capture signature
- Generate report - One click, professional PDF sent via email
Most auditors complete their first inspection setup within 20 minutes of signing up.
Why Not Just Use Word?
You can absolutely continue using Word. Here's the honest comparison:
Stick with Word if:
- You only do 1-2 inspections per month
- You enjoy the report assembly process
- You have administrative staff who handle documentation
- Your clients don't expect fast turnaround
Switch to Inspector A if:
- Your time is worth more than $1,548/year
- You want to take on more clients without working more hours
- Your clients complain about delayed reports
- You lose photos or have trouble organizing them
- You want automated grading instead of manual calculations
- You need to track inspection history by establishment
The math is simple: If creating reports in Word takes you 90 minutes and Inspector A takes 5 minutes, you save 85 minutes per inspection. At 20 inspections per year, you break even. At 50+ inspections per year, it's a significant ROI.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my own checklists?
Yes. You can create custom checklists with your specific inspection points and scoring. Many auditors start with our compliance templates and customize from there.
How does automated grading work?
As you mark items In Compliance, Out of Compliance, N/A, or Not Observed, Inspector A calculates the grade based on point values you assign to each checklist item. The A-D score updates in real-time and appears on the final PDF report.
What if my client wants the Word document, not a PDF?
The PDF is client-ready and matches professional standards. Most clients prefer PDF because it can't be accidentally edited and maintains formatting. If clients need editable versions, you can request this feature.
Can I track multiple establishments?
Yes. Inspector A includes establishment management so you can track all locations you inspect. View inspection history by establishment, add contact information, and organize by establishment type.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
On the free Starter tier, you keep access to your last 5 inspections. You can download PDF reports before canceling. Data is retained for 90 days after cancellation in case you want to reactivate.
Can team members see each other's inspections?
Yes, on the Team plan ($199/month) all 10 users can access inspections based on their role (Owner, Manager, or Inspector). Owners see everything, Managers can supervise, and Inspectors see their own work.
Is my client data secure?
Yes. All data is encrypted in transit and at rest. Multi-tenant isolation means your clients' data is completely separate from other Inspector A users. Each tenant has isolated data storage.
How do email notifications work?
After completing an inspection, Inspector A automatically sends an email notification to the establishment contact with the report attached. You can track email opens and bounces through the dashboard.
What is public score posting?
Each tenant gets a unique public URL where inspection scores are displayed publicly (if you choose to enable this). This feature is commonly used by health departments but can be disabled for private consulting work.
Can I export my data?
Yes. You can generate and download PDF reports for all your inspections. These PDFs contain all inspection data, photos, and scores.
Try Inspector A Free
Start with 5 free inspections per month. No credit card required.
If Inspector A saves you even 30 minutes per inspection, it pays for itself immediately. Most auditors upgrade to Professional after their 3rd inspection because they can't imagine going back to Word.
Built for food safety professionals who'd rather spend time conducting inspections than formatting reports.