According to the American Moving and Storage Association , over 11% of Americans relocate in any given year. Add this to the number of people who have to claim renter’s or homeowner’s insurance every year and it’s a wonder why everyone doesn’t have home inventories.
However, if the thought of noting down everything you own, calculating its price, and then keeping this document safe terrifies you, you aren’t alone.
It is because of this reason that home inventory apps came about. So many that it is hard to choose which one to use.
That is why we have scoured the market and made this list of the best home inventory apps out there for you to consider.
What is a Home Inventory App?
A home inventory app is a tool that allows you to organize and document the items you have in your home, storage, or other properties.
Such applications enable you to keep track of your belongings with a comprehensive inventory of your belongings, along with prices for your items, receipts, barcodes, serial numbers, and photos, depending on which app you use.
But the question is why would you want to do this?
How Do Home Inventory Apps Help You?
There are multiple benefits you can gain out of investing in a home inventory app, and here are just some of the advantages to look forward to.
#1 Help with Homeowners or Renter’s Insurance Claims
Having a home inventory app is particularly important in instances where you may need to make a homeowners or renters insurance claim after a loss.
Calculating the total value of your possessions provides you with the information you need to choose the correct insurance limits on your homeowner’s policy.
Moreover, having a list of items and a calculation of their worth makes insurance claiming process easier.
You will have all the information an insurance company may want in a single app that will help you get reimbursed faster.
Furthermore, this information can also be used to help substantiate losses for your income tax return.
#2 Provide Organization
With a home inventory app, you can keep track of everything you own, knowing what you have and the worth of your items can provide ease to make informed decisions about your possessions.
You will no longer have mishaps of buying items you already own or having to search for receipts and warranties.
#3 Make Moving a Breeze
There are two major elements of moving to a new place, and that is packing and then unpacking. Home inventory apps can make the former a breeze.
With many home inventory apps, you have the option to create printable QR labels that you can place on your packed boxes. Once you scan the code you will have the ability to see a list of the box’s contents. Therefore, allowing you to find what you are looking for without opening every box in your house.
What to Look for in a Good Home Inventory App?
All home inventory apps are not the same. It will be of benefit to identify what is your primary purpose of using a home inventory app. After figuring this out you will be able to highlight features that will be of use to you.
There are certain standard features we felt can benefit you no matter your purpose for using the app. That is why when looking into the best home inventory apps we based our list on the following.
#1 Backup Capabilities
The whole purpose of a home inventory app is to have information regarding your belongings be secure. Therefore, if an app does not have a backup feature, it defeats the purpose of the tools itself.
Now, keep in mind this feature may be presented to you in a multitude of ways.
- An app may have an export feature that lets you manually back up or transfer information to another storage location
- Alternatively, an app may automatically back up your data to the cloud therefore no longer being stored directly on your device
- Moreover, other apps provide offline access to your data, thus eliminating the fear of losing your data if you lose your internet connection.
#2 Photo Storage
Having photo storage is also always a good idea. Being able to image storage capabilities lets you save a picture of your items as well as important documents.
Make sure that the app has enough storage that can easily keep photos of all the things you need without reaching the app’s storage limits.
#3 Sorting Capabilities
Before you choose the right home inventory app, consider the amount of information you wish to store.
Base your decision not only on the amount of information you want to store but also on how many properties you are hoping to do an inventory for. Having an app that supports multiple properties or locations would be ideal.
Moreover, if you have a specific way in the mind of how you want to categorize your items, choose an app that gives you the flexibility to do so.
#4 Pricing
Finally, an important consideration for any investment is its price. While there are multiple free apps available for you to choose from, they may not meet your requirements.
It is always a smart idea to opt for those apps that give you a free trial so that you can see how the software performs before you make the purchase.
Best Home Inventory Apps To Use In 2020
Here are our top picks for home inventory apps:
1. Sortly
Sortly is the top of our list because it is an inventory app that not only caters to homes but provides for businesses and teams across industries.
You can use the app for medical inventories, construction inventories, event inventories which is just to name a few.
Product Features:
- Add custom fields to track every detail of your item
- Group items by category, condition, location, etc
- Search and update items by generating custom Barcodes and QR labels
- Access your inventory on any device
- Sort and filter inventory to create custom lists
- Export reports and information via CVS, PDF, or Dropbox
Pricing:
- You can use Sortly for free or upgrade to the
- Advanced plan for $49/month billed monthly
- Ultra-plan for $119/month billed monthly
2. Nest Egg
Nest Egg is another inventory app that provides the ability to stock manage for inventories both small and large.
Nest Egg focuses on helping you build your inventory with photos, letting you capture and store up to 10 HD photos per item at full resolution
Product Features:
- The application recognizes millions of everyday items while being able to look up information based on barcodes making the app fast to use
- The application is simple to use, simply requiring you to scan items, take pictures, and you are done
- The application is available in 22 languages including Chinese, German, French, and Spanish
- Flexible features allow you to simplify inventory organization and tracking processes
Pricing:
- Starter plan for $7.99/year
- A basic plan for $23.99/year
- Standard plan for $42.99/year
- Enhanced plan for $85.99/year
3. Blue Plum Home Inventory
Blue Plum Home Inventory helps you create and maintain a home inventory for any property you own.
The app lets you organize your belongings in collections, by rooms, locations, or by the tags that you assign.
The application lets you include videos, photos, receipts, manuals, contracts, any other document you wish that is related to your item.
Product Features:
- Display your inventory’s value history in different charts
- Assign insurance policies and claims to your items, generate reports, keep up to date on soon to expire policies
- Create multiple packing lists with weight tracking, print checkmark reports, and make your moving or selling simpler
- Backup all your inventory information and files to a single compressed file
- Maintain a recorded history for each item, assign a monetary value to each journal entry
Pricing:
- Buy the app for $21
4. Magic Home Inventory
Magic Home Inventory app is somewhat limited to who it caters to, only being available for Android users.
The app lets you organize your items across properties. You can then categorize each home’s items by room. Moreover, you can list each item’s location along with a description and photo.
Product Features:
- Custom camera
- Advanced search capabilities
- Quick entry
- Be able to navigate and edit categories
- Ability to use multiple images per item
- Importing and exporting options to and from other apps
Pricing:
- You can use Magic Home Inventory for free
5. MyStuff2 Pro
Rick Maddy designed MyStuff2 Pro a home inventory app designed specifically for you. You can organize several different collections with the app.
Although it has been highlighted by users that the app requires a bit of time and effort to set up, the things you can use it for are varying.
Product Features:
- Ability to import inventory lists
- You can store an unlimited number of items
- You also have the option to scan in items by barcode
- You can check for duplicate items
- Customize your lists
- Format your inventories with pictures or summaries
- Sync across your devices
Pricing:
- You can download the app for free, with an option to upgrade for further features
6. Encircle Home Inventory
Encircle is one of the most affordable home inventory apps, allowing you to download and document up to 2 properties absolutely free.
With Encircle, you create your inventory by uploading photos and creating notes about each item.
You can manage your inventory from your mobile device or desktop while also being able to create exports of reports in PDF and Excel form.
Product Features:
- Unlimited storage of items
- Encircle gives you the option to generate detailed reports in both PDF and Excel formats
- Updates are automatically synced across all devices
- You can access your inventory from your mobile phone, tablet, or through the Encircle website
Pricing:
- Basic use is free for download with the option to upgrade and purchase advanced features.
7. Home Inventory by ‘Binary Formations’
This handy tool lets you keep all the important information about your belongings in one place.
The application offers a host of features that allows you to organize your documents, receipts, and other information related to your belongings.
Product Features:
- The ability to upload and store receipts, photos, and warranty information of your items
- An estate planning tool for assigning inventory items to heirs
- The ability to upload digital manuals and attach them to your inventory items
- Coverage analysis to determine if you have sufficient homeowner’s or renter’s insurance
Pricing:
- You can buy the app for $23.99
Conclusion
There you have it! Our list of the best home inventory apps for all your needs. If your favorite app is not on the list, feel free to drop an insight in the comments section below.
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