UK small businesses
Best free employee certificate tracker for UK teams
If you searched for a free way to track DBS checks, first aid, food hygiene, CSCS, or training certificates for your staff, this page is an honest guide — including when a spreadsheet is still the right answer.
What you're actually looking for
Most search results mix up two different things: IT professional certifications (AWS, Cisco, CompTIA) and employee compliance records (DBS, safeguarding, first aid, right-to-work, site cards). If you run a care home, nursery, contractor, or hospitality team in the UK, you almost certainly want the second.
Options that are genuinely free
Spreadsheet + calendar reminders
Works well for 10–30 people if someone checks it regularly. No automatic status, no shared dashboard — but zero cost and full control.
Simple Certificate Tracker (free plan)
up to 10 employees and 50 certificates with CSV import, compliance dashboard, email reminders, and search. Try without an account. Built for UK small teams tracking DBS, first aid, CSCS, food hygiene, and custom types.
Try it freeWhat usually isn't free
Dedicated UK compliance platforms often offer 14–30 day trials rather than a permanent free tier. They can make sense at scale with document storage and audit workflows built in — but for a 5–10 person team, a free tracker or spreadsheet is usually enough to start.
If you have around 50 employees
Few products offer a permanently free plan at that size. Simple Certificate Tracker's free tier stops at 10 employees; Premium is £4.99/month for unlimited records — which compares favourably to platforms charging £40–50/month for similar headcount. Until you're ready to pay, a spreadsheet remains the practical free option.
Care homes and DBS specifically
Care providers need more than DBS alone — safeguarding, moving and handling, first aid, infection control, and professional registration where applicable. Our guide to tracking DBS and staff certificates in UK care settings covers what to record and the important detail that DBS certificates themselves do not expire in the way a first aid certificate does.
Common questions
- What is the best free employee certificate tracker for a UK small business?
- For teams up to 10 people, Simple Certificate Tracker offers a permanently free plan (up to 10 employees and 50 certificates) with CSV import, a compliance dashboard, and email reminders — not just a free trial. You can try it without an account. Larger teams may need Premium or a spreadsheet until budget allows.
- Can I track DBS checks for free?
- Yes. You can record DBS checks as certificate records for each employee. Note that Standard and Enhanced DBS certificates do not have a fixed expiry date — many employers set a review date or use the DBS Update Service. The tracker handles dated reviews like any other record.
- What about 50 employees?
- The free plan covers up to 10 employees. For around 50 staff, Premium (£4.99/month) adds unlimited records — often far less than enterprise compliance tools. Until then, a well-maintained spreadsheet with calendar reminders is a reasonable free option.
- How does this compare to IT certification trackers?
- IT tools (e.g. for AWS or CompTIA certs) solve a different problem. Employee certificate trackers focus on staff compliance — care, construction, hospitality, and similar sectors — not personal professional development badges.
- Do I need an account to try it?
- No. Open the demo, add employees and certificates, and use the real product in your browser. Create a free account when you want to save your work and access it from anywhere.