Quick answer. Pick by situation. Free with an insurance form: Itemized Home. Free from the insurance regulators' association: NAIC. Whole-home admin: HomeZada. Claims PDF from video: Manifest. Android: NAIC, HomeZada or Itemtopia. Business stock: Sortly. Photos into a searchable list on iPhone, iPad or the web: Vorby (ours).
Vorby is ours, so weigh our placement accordingly. This comparison is built from each vendor's public pages and store listings, plus first-hand use of Vorby. It is not a lab test, and we paste no screenshots of any app. Prices and features checked Oct 16, 2026 on each vendor's own site and the US App Store or Google Play.
Quick comparison: nine home inventory apps
Nine apps are compared below. Two are free and aimed at insurance claims (Itemized Home and NAIC), one is a whole-home tool (HomeZada), two lean on AI capture (Vorby and Manifest), and the rest cover Android, barcodes, one-time pricing or business stock. Every cell was checked on Oct 16, 2026.
| App | Best for | Platforms | Photos / AI | Barcode | Insurance export | Price and plans | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vorby (ours) | Photos into a catalog | iPhone, iPad, web. No Android. | Batch AI detection with categories | QR codes (PNG download); product barcode scanning not listed | CSV or XLSX only; no photos, no PDF report | Start without an account on iOS; 14-day trial, then a subscription | Oct 16, 2026: App Store, help |
| Itemized Home | Free, offline, insurance forms | iPhone, iPad. No Android. | Photos; burst capture makes draft items | Not listed | CSV, Excel, PDF with photos; Proof of Loss draft | Free; no subscription or in-app purchase | Oct 16, 2026: site, support, terms |
| NAIC Home Inventory | Free, from regulators | iPhone, iPad, Android | Photos; AI not listed | Scans barcodes | Export; format not stated | Free | Oct 16, 2026: App Store, Google Play, NAIC |
| HomeZada | Whole-home admin | iPhone, iPad, Android, web | Photos; AI photo recognition | Not listed | Household Inventory PDF; spreadsheet export | Essentials free. Premium $99/year or $15.95/month. Deluxe $189/year | Oct 16, 2026: pricing, inventory page, App Store |
| Manifest | AI capture from video and receipts | iPhone, iPad, web. No Android app. | Photos and video with AI | Not listed | One-tap claims PDF with RCV and ACV | 7-day trial. Vault $11.99/year or $1.99/month. Unlimited $39/year | Oct 16, 2026: site, App Store |
| Itemtopia | Many devices | iOS, Android, Mac (Apple silicon), Windows, web | Photos; AI assistant for item questions | Scans barcodes and QR codes | Premium: PDF reports and CSV | Free to try, 20 items (Play). Premium $7.99/month or $79.99/year (App Store) | Oct 16, 2026: site, App Store, Google Play |
| Sortly | Business stock | iOS, Android, web | Photos; AI not listed | Barcode and QR scanning | General reports; no claim export listed | Free: 100 unique items, 1 user. Advanced $49/month list, $288 first year yearly | Oct 16, 2026: pricing, home page |
| Nest Egg | One-time purchase | iPhone, iPad | Photos; AI not listed | Scans barcodes with product lookup | Email, print, CSV, HTML | $6.99 once. Lite free to 25 items | Oct 16, 2026: App Store, Lite |
| Itemlist | Nested containers | iPhone, iPad | Photos; AI not listed | Built-in barcode scanner | CSV export | Free to 100 items, 20 containers. PRO from $2.99/month or $19.99/year | Oct 16, 2026: site, App Store |
What makes a home inventory app the best one?
The best home inventory app is the one you will still open in six months, with an export you can hand to an insurer or adjuster. Everything else is secondary. Photos, rooms, serial numbers and values only matter if the list stays searchable and you can take a copy out.
Apps fail the same way: adding items feels like homework, and you stop after the living room.
The nine apps compared
Each app below gets who it suits, one strength, one limit and a price, all read on Oct 16, 2026. Vorby comes first because this is our site. The rest are ordered by fit for a typical household, not by any affiliation, and nothing here is a ranking for every situation.
1. Vorby (ours)
Vorby is a home inventory app for the house you live in. Photograph rooms and batch AI detection proposes items with categories for you to check, so labels need a human glance. Forward a receipt and it creates an item, upload a PDF to an item, and the warranty end date is calculated from the length you enter, with 30 and 7 day reminder emails. Read-only share links let others view. Export is CSV or XLSX only, with no photos, receipts or condition field and no PDF report. It is a poor fit if you need Android, a native Mac app or product barcode scanning. On iOS you can start without an account, then a 14-day trial runs and a subscription follows. See the App Store listing for current plans.
2. Itemized Home
Itemized Home is a free iPhone and iPad app built around insurance paperwork. You work room by room with photos, receipts and serial numbers, and burst capture turns several photos into draft items. It works offline with no account, handles several properties, and exports CSV, Excel or PDF with photos. It can also draft a Proof of Loss from selected items in the Florida format, which you review with your adjuster. The limit is storage: the inventory lives only on your device with no cloud sync, so back up the phone and keep an exported copy. Price: free, with no subscription or in-app purchase, though its terms say it is currently offered free and may change.
3. NAIC Home Inventory
NAIC Home Inventory is a free app from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. You can take photos, scan barcodes, sort items by room or category, and export the inventory at any time. It runs on iPhone, iPad and Android. The limits: the store listings do not say which export formats it produces, no AI recognition is listed, and the App Store shows a low rating from a small number of reviewers, so try a few rooms before you commit. Price: free in both the App Store and Google Play.
4. HomeZada
HomeZada treats inventory as one part of running a house, with documents, maintenance and projects. Its site describes AI photo recognition that turns photos into inventory data, and it can create PDF reports to share with insurance providers. It runs on iPhone, iPad, Android and in a browser. The limit is scope: if you only want a photo catalog, much of it is extra, and Premium at $99 a year is above the yearly price of Itemtopia or Manifest. Price: Essentials is free, Premium is $99/year or $15.95/month, and Deluxe is $189/year for up to three properties, with each extra property $99/year.
5. Manifest
Manifest is built to cut typing: you film a room, photograph an item or forward a receipt, and its AI proposes the entries. It also tracks recalls, warranties and return windows, and one tap produces a claims-ready PDF with replacement cost and actual cash value totals. It runs on iPhone, iPad and the web, and there is no Android app, though a browser works. The limit is the money model: after a 7-day trial with no card, Vault is $11.99/year or $1.99/month with a light AI allowance, and heavier use needs Unlimited at $39/year or a $3.99 boost.
6. Itemtopia
Itemtopia covers the widest set of devices here: iOS, Android, Mac with Apple silicon and Windows, plus a web version. It supports photos, receipts, warranty reminders, QR labels and camera barcode scanning, with an AI assistant for questions about your items. Its listings say Premium exports insurance claim and estate reports as PDF or CSV. The limit is the free tier: the Google Play listing says free to try up to 20 items, so a whole house needs Premium. On the US App Store, Premium is $7.99/month or $79.99/year, and Itemtopia says options vary by country, so confirm in your own store.
7. Sortly
Sortly is inventory software for small businesses and teams, with a page for home use. It supports photos, folders, barcode and QR scanning and printed labels, on iOS, Android and the web. For a household it is more tool than you need, and no AI recognition or insurance claim export is listed on the pages we read. Price: the free plan covers 100 unique items and one user. Advanced lists at $49/month, shown as $24/month billed $288 for the first year of a new yearly plan, and paid plans have a 14-day trial that needs a card.
8. Nest Egg
Nest Egg is the one-time-purchase option: $6.99 on the US App Store, with no subscription and no account, and the data stays on your device. You scan a barcode and it looks up the product, add up to ten photos per item, track warranties, and email or print items for your insurance agent. It exports CSV for Excel or Numbers and HTML with images. The limits: iPhone and iPad only, no AI recognition listed, and CSV import is a separate $1.99 in-app purchase. Nest Egg Lite is free but stops at 25 items.
9. Itemlist
Itemlist is an iPhone and iPad tracker built around nested places: locations hold rooms, rooms hold containers, and containers nest inside other containers. It works offline, has a built-in barcode scanner and photos, and exports your whole inventory to CSV for insurance. The limits: Apple devices only, no AI recognition listed, and the export is a spreadsheet, not a claims PDF. Price: free up to 100 items and 20 containers, and PRO adds unlimited items, with in-app prices listed from $2.99/month and $19.99/year to lifetime options at $29.99 and $59.99. See also Vorby versus Itemlist.
Free home inventory apps: what you really get
Vorby and Manifest start with a trial, then charge a subscription. Two of the nine apps are free outright: Itemized Home and NAIC. HomeZada, Sortly and Itemlist have free plans with caps, and Itemtopia and Nest Egg Lite are free only for small catalogs.
| App | Free offer | What it leaves out or limits | Checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Itemized Home | Free, no account, offline | Device-only data; terms may change | Oct 16, 2026: support, terms |
| NAIC Home Inventory | Free, iPhone, iPad, Android | Export format not stated | Oct 16, 2026: App Store, Google Play |
| HomeZada Essentials | Free plan | Capped AI chats and design photos | Oct 16, 2026: pricing |
| Sortly Free | 100 unique items, 1 user | One user | Oct 16, 2026: pricing |
| Itemlist | Up to 100 items and 20 containers | PRO adds unlimited items, sharing | Oct 16, 2026: App Store |
| Itemtopia | Free to try, 20 items, no card | Whole house needs Premium | Oct 16, 2026: Google Play |
| Nest Egg Lite | Free, 25 items | Capped; full app is $6.99 once | Oct 16, 2026: Lite |
| Manifest | 7-day trial, no card | No free plan listed after trial | Oct 16, 2026: site |
| Vorby (ours) | None: 14-day trial, then a subscription | Start without an account on iOS; subscription after the trial | Oct 16, 2026: App Store |
Free versions usually leave out item caps, photo storage, export depth and sharing. Here, Sortly's free plan is one user, HomeZada Essentials limits AI chats, and Itemized Home keeps data only on the phone. For the longer free-versus-paid read, see our home inventory app free guide.
Vorby is a subscription app: on iOS you can start without an account, then a 14-day trial runs and a subscription follows. The App Store listing has the current plans and prices.
Which app for insurance claims?
Itemized Home, Manifest, HomeZada and Itemtopia Premium produce PDFs, and Itemized Home also drafts a Proof of Loss. NAIC exports but does not state the format. Vorby, Nest Egg, Itemlist and Sortly give spreadsheets or reports without a claim form; Vorby has no PDF report. None replaces your policy, so ask your insurer what it accepts.
The NAIC consumer page says an accurate inventory gives your carrier the information to help settle claims. Vorby has no built-in PDF report, but its AI connector (vorby.com/mcp, checked Oct 16, 2026) works with Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini. Connect one, ask for an insurance list, and the assistant builds a table, document or PDF from your items, values and photo links, depending on what it can produce. The PDF comes from the assistant, not from Vorby, and the assistant is sent the items it asks for under that provider's privacy terms. Ask your insurer which format it accepts. For the claim process, read our stolen items list for an insurance claim guide, and see home inventory for insurance and the blog version.
Photos, AI, or barcodes: which capture method fits your house?
Photos and AI suit furniture, art and shelves, where typing a description is the slow part. Barcodes suit boxed retail goods that carry a UPC. NAIC, Itemtopia, Nest Egg, Itemlist and Sortly scan barcodes. Vorby, Manifest and HomeZada lead with photos and AI, and Vorby adds QR codes that download as PNG.
For the photo habit, read how to make a home inventory with photos, and for furniture before a move see how to organize a furniture inventory before moving.
iPhone, iPad, Mac, Android, web: where each app runs
Vorby runs on iPhone, iPad and the web, with no Android app. Itemized Home, Nest Egg and Itemlist are Apple only. NAIC, HomeZada, Itemtopia and Sortly have Android apps. Manifest is iPhone, iPad and web. On a Mac, Vorby and Manifest work in a browser, and Itemtopia lists Mac and Windows.
Vorby's iPad app also runs on Apple-silicon Macs as designed for iPad, so we call the web app the Mac route. For the tablet angle see the best home inventory app for iPad, and for the desktop angle see the best home inventory app for Mac.
Spreadsheet or app?
A spreadsheet is enough when your list is short, you already keep it up, and you only need names, rooms and rough values. It breaks on photos, receipts and search, and most sheets stall at the junk drawer. Move to an app when the list has to start from photos and stay findable.
A photo beats a sheet when the thing is visual and messy: an open drawer, a shelf, the back of a TV. One photo holds ten unlabeled objects, while a sheet asks for ten rows you may quit before finishing.
Vorby's CSV or XLSX import reads these columns: name, description, room, location, category, quantity, price, purchased_date, purchased_from and warranty_date. Bulk import is a subscriber feature, up to 5,000 rows and under 5 MB per file, and the import help page has the template.
Searching for the best moving inventory app? Start with the home inventory for moving page and the moving inventory list template.
How to pick in one minute
Start with your hard constraint. Photos into a list: Vorby or Manifest. Android: NAIC, HomeZada or Itemtopia. One purchase: Nest Egg. Business stock: Sortly. Claims PDF: Manifest, HomeZada or Itemized Home. Free and from the regulators: NAIC. The table below gives the catch for each pick.
| Situation | Pick | Why | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| I only have Android | NAIC, HomeZada or Itemtopia | Each has an Android app | NAIC export format unstated; Itemtopia free tier small |
| I want a free regulator-made app | NAIC Home Inventory | Free, scans barcodes | Low rating, small sample; format unstated |
| I want photos to become a list | Vorby or Manifest | Both start from photos | Subscriptions; no Android app |
| I want a one-time purchase | Nest Egg | $6.99 once, no subscription | iPhone and iPad only; you scan and type |
| I run stock for a business | Sortly | Quantities, teams, barcodes | More than a home needs |
| I need a claims PDF | Manifest, HomeZada or Itemized Home | Each produces a PDF | Itemized Home is device-only; others cost money |
Before you trust any free app
- Does it work offline when the power or signal is out?
- Can you export every item in a format you can open without the app?
- What happens to your data if the app is retired or the price changes?
- Who pays for it, and could the free offer end?
- Does the free tier cap items, photos or users?
- Is the export a PDF, CSV or Excel file you can hand over?
FAQ
These four answers cover what most people ask before choosing. They repeat facts checked on Oct 16, 2026 and give names by situation, not one winner for everyone. Confirm prices and free limits on the vendor pages before you pay, because terms change.
What is the best home inventory app in 2026?
It depends on your situation. For free and insurance-focused, Itemized Home or NAIC. For whole-home admin, HomeZada. For Android, NAIC, HomeZada or Itemtopia. For business stock, Sortly. For a one-time purchase, Nest Egg. For photos turned into a searchable list on iPhone, iPad or the web, try Vorby (ours) or Manifest.
What is the best free home inventory app?
Vorby and Manifest start with a trial, then charge a subscription. Itemized Home and NAIC are free outright, and HomeZada Essentials, Sortly and Itemlist have free plans with caps. Itemtopia and Nest Egg Lite work only for small catalogs. Pick by platform and export, and read the free options section above.
Which home inventory app is best for insurance claims?
Itemized Home exports CSV, Excel or PDF with photos. Manifest and HomeZada produce PDFs, and Itemtopia Premium exports PDF or CSV. Vorby itself exports CSV or XLSX only; any PDF comes from an AI assistant you connect through its AI connector, not from Vorby. Ask your insurer which format it accepts.
Does Vorby work on Android or Mac?
There is no Android app and no native Mac app. Vorby runs on iPhone, iPad and in any modern web browser, so on a Mac you use the web app. If you need a native Android app, NAIC, HomeZada and Itemtopia have one. Manifest is iPhone, iPad and web only.
If the job is a room photo into a list you can find later, start with Vorby on iPhone, iPad or the web.
