Best home inventory apps for UK homeowners in 2026

The best home inventory app for most UK homeowners is Under My Roof Home Inventory + for privacy-conscious, insurer-ready records, Sortly for photo-first simplicity, and Bevel when you need AI-driven speed after a loss. Here is a quick-reference shortlist by use case:

• Insurance claims and PDF export: Under My Roof Home Inventory + (local iCloud storage, voice entry, receipt attachments)
• Moving and box tracking: BoxBuddy (QR labels, voice dictation, offline box-level photos) or Sortly (barcode scanning, photo tagging)
• AI and photo recognition: Bevel (photo-to-item AI) or InventAI (voice and automated item detection)
• Offline-first use: inventory.app (works without Wi-Fi, audio transcription, insurer-ready PDF export)
• Free tier with web access: Stowly (unlimited items free, browser-based PWA, paid PDF exports)
• Power users and custom exports: Airtable (fully customisable schema, CSV and multi-user collaboration)
• Property management plus inventory: HomeZada (maintenance logs alongside item records)
• Moving day with a professional team: Westlondonremoval’s house removal service handles physical labelling and insured transport, so you do not have to manage it alone.

All apps listed are available to UK users. Pricing is in USD or GBP depending on the vendor’s own billing currency.

Key takeaways

The most reliable home inventory is one built before any incident occurs, stored with receipts and photos attached, and exported as a PDF your insurer can read without any specialist software.

Table of Contents

• Which home inventory app is right for you? A comparison
• Short reviews: what each app actually does
• How to choose the right app for your home
• How to build an insurer-ready home inventory step by step
• Privacy, backups and UK considerations
• Why a home inventory matters for UK insurance claims
• What most home inventory advice gets wrong
• Moving with Westlondonremoval: when a professional team makes more sense
• Sources

Which home inventory app is right for you? A comparison

The table below covers the 12 most relevant apps for UK homeowners and renters. Apps with thin public profiles appear in the notes beneath rather than as full rows.

Notes on remaining apps:

• Find My Stuff: Home inventory — a straightforward iOS app for room-based item tracking; suited to simple household lists with photo support.
• Nest Egg — iOS-focused with clean item entry, photo capture and iCloud backup; a solid lightweight option.
• Inventory Manager — Android-friendly general inventory tool adaptable to home use; basic photo and category support.
• Memento Database — highly flexible database app for Android and iOS; requires setup effort but supports complex custom schemas.
• Home Inventory (by Binary Formations) — a long-standing macOS and iOS app with detailed item records, receipts and iCloud sync; well regarded among Mac users.
• Smart Inventory System — a general-purpose inventory tool; limited public detail on home-specific features.
• HouseBook — a newer entry focused on home asset records; limited public profile at time of writing.
• United Policyholders Home Inventory Spreadsheet — a free downloadable spreadsheet template from a US non-profit consumer advocacy group; no app required, works in Excel or Google Sheets, and is a reliable starting point if you prefer no third-party account.

UK availability note: All apps above are accessible to UK users via the App Store, Google Play, or browser. Pricing shown in USD reflects vendor billing; most accept UK payment methods. NerdWallet’s home inventory guidance recommends prioritising apps that produce insurer-ready outputs with photos and receipts attached.

Short reviews: what each app actually does

Under My Roof Home Inventory +

The standout feature is its local iCloud sync model: your data stays on your device and iCloud, never on a third-party server. Voice quick-entry lets you dictate items room by room without typing, and barcode scanning speeds up adding electronics and appliances. Receipt and warranty attachments sit directly on each item record. The App Store rating is 4.7. The main limitation is iOS only, so Android users need an alternative.

Pros: strong privacy, voice entry, receipt attachments. Con: iOS/iCloud only.

Sortly

Sortly’s photo-first interface is the most polished of the group. You photograph an item, add a tag, and the app organises it by room or custom folder. QR and barcode label printing lets you stick a scannable label on a box and retrieve its contents instantly. The free tier covers up to 100 items, which is enough for a single room but not a whole house. Paid plans unlock unlimited items and moving-day box tracking.

Pros: intuitive, QR labels, barcode scanning. Con: free tier is limited; cloud-only storage.

Bevel

Bevel uses AI to convert photos into itemised lists, which is genuinely useful after a fire or flood when you need to reconstruct what you owned quickly. NerdWallet identifies Bevel as one of the AI-driven tools that can dramatically speed inventory creation in high-loss situations. Pricing is not publicly listed; contact the vendor directly.

Pros: fastest item extraction from photos, insurer-focused output. Con: pricing opaque; less suited to routine inventory building.

InventAI

Voice-first workflows and automated item recognition make InventAI quick for initial capture. You speak a description and the app logs it; the AI fills in likely categories and values. Good for renters who want a fast first pass rather than a meticulous catalogue.

Pros: voice entry, AI detection, fast setup. Con: AI accuracy varies; cloud-only.

inventory.app

Offline-first design means it works in basements, attics and moving vans where signal drops. Photo recognition and audio transcription handle entry without typing. The insurer-ready PDF export is the key selling point for UK homeowners making claims. A free tier exists; full export features require a paid plan.

Pros: offline-first, audio transcription, insurer PDF. Con: full features behind paywall.

Stowly

Stowly runs in any browser as a PWA, so there is nothing to install and it works across devices without an account sync headache. The free tier offers unlimited items, warranty reminders and return-date tracking. Insurance-ready PDF export is a paid feature. A practical choice for renters who want no app installation and no item cap.

Pros: unlimited free items, browser-based, warranty reminders. Con: PDF export is paid; cloud-only.

Airtable

Airtable is not a dedicated home inventory tool, but its flexible database structure means you can build exactly the schema you want: custom fields for serial numbers, purchase dates, replacement values, and room tags. Multi-user collaboration is strong, making it useful for shared households or landlords managing multiple properties. Export to CSV, PDF, or Excel is straightforward once configured. The learning curve is steeper than dedicated apps.

Pros: fully customisable, strong export, multi-user. Con: requires setup; not purpose-built for home inventory.

HomeZada

HomeZada combines a home inventory with maintenance scheduling and home-project tracking. If you want one place for appliance records, service histories, and item values, it delivers. The inventory module supports photos and receipts. Suited to property owners rather than renters.

Pros: inventory plus maintenance logs, property-owner focus. Con: broader than most renters need; paid plans for full features.

Encircle

Encircle is used by loss adjusters and contractors as much as by homeowners. Its structured claim reports and contractor-friendly exports make it the most professional-grade option on this list. Overkill for routine home inventory, but worth considering if you have experienced a significant loss and need documentation that will hold up to scrutiny.

Pros: professional claim reports, contractor workflows. Con: paid tool; more complex than needed for routine use.

BluePlum Home Inventory

A conventional room-by-room catalogue app for iOS. The familiar structure suits users who want a straightforward digital equivalent of a paper list, with photos, serial numbers and simple PDF or CSV export. iCloud backup keeps data local.

Pros: simple structure, iCloud backup, PDF export. Con: iOS only; no barcode scanning.

Homebox

Homebox offers a self-hosted option, which is rare and valuable for privacy-focused users who do not want any data on a vendor’s server. The cloud-hosted version is also available. Asset tracking, warranty dates and attachments are well handled. The self-hosted route requires a little technical setup.

Pros: self-hosted option, strong privacy, warranty tracking. Con: self-hosting requires technical comfort.

MyStuff2 Pro

A one-off purchase for iOS and macOS, with no subscription. Custom fields, photos, serial numbers and receipts are all supported, and iCloud keeps data local. A reliable choice for Mac households who dislike recurring fees.

Pros: one-off price, iCloud, custom fields. Con: iOS/macOS only.

How to choose the right app for your home

The right choice depends on four practical factors: what your insurer will accept, which devices you use, how much privacy matters to you, and how quickly you need to build the inventory.

Decision checklist

1. Check your insurer’s requirements first. Ask whether they accept PDF reports, CSV files, or photos as evidence. Some UK insurers prefer a single PDF with item photos, values and purchase dates attached. Others accept a spreadsheet. Confirm before you commit to an app.
2. Match the app to your platform. iOS-only users have the widest choice (Under My Roof, BluePlum, MyStuff2 Pro). Android users should look at Sortly, InventAI, inventory.app or Airtable. Web-only access? Stowly or Airtable work in any browser.
3. Decide on privacy. If you are uncomfortable with your home contents data on a US cloud server, choose a local/iCloud option (Under My Roof, BluePlum, MyStuff2 Pro) or a self-hosted tool (Homebox). Cloud apps are convenient but your data sits on third-party servers.
4. Assess your entry method. Large household? Voice entry (Under My Roof, InventAI) or AI photo recognition (Bevel, inventory.app) will save hours. Moving house? QR label printing (Sortly, BoxBuddy) is the single biggest time saver on moving day.
5. Set a price cap. Several apps offer a genuinely useful free tier: Stowly (unlimited items), Sortly (100 items), Airtable (limited records). If you need insurer-ready PDF export, expect to pay a subscription.
6. Consider household sharing. Airtable and Sortly support multi-user access. Most iCloud-based apps share via Family Sharing but with limitations.

Questions to ask your insurer

• Do you accept a PDF home inventory report as proof of ownership?
• What evidence do you require for high-value items (receipts, valuations, photos)?
• Is a timestamped photo sufficient for items under a certain value?
• Do you have a preferred format or template?

Red flags to avoid

• No export function at all (you cannot share the data with an insurer or solicitor)
• No attachment support (you cannot link receipts or warranties to items)
• Unclear or absent privacy policy
• Mandatory third-party account with no local backup option

How to build an insurer-ready home inventory step by step

Building a complete inventory sounds daunting, but a first-pass that covers your most valuable rooms takes roughly one to two hours per room if you use voice entry or AI photo recognition. A full house typically takes a weekend of light effort.

1. Plan your rooms and categories. List every room, including loft, garage and garden. Decide whether you will also track boxes during a move (if so, choose an app with box-level tracking such as Sortly or BoxBuddy).
2. Start with high-value rooms. Kitchen, living room and bedroom wardrobes contain the highest-value items. Do these first so your inventory is useful even if you do not finish the whole house immediately.
3. Use photo or voice entry for speed. Walk a room and photograph every item, or dictate a description. Inventory and Under My Roof’s voice quick-entry both work offline, which matters in attics and basements where signal is poor.
4. Attach receipts and serial numbers. For electronics, appliances and jewellery, photograph the receipt or find the digital version and attach it to the item record. Add the serial number where visible. Adjusters expect photos, values, purchase dates and proof of purchase when processing claims.
5. Label boxes if you are moving. Print QR labels (Sortly) or use BoxBuddy’s voice dictation and box-level photo tracking to log what is in each box without opening it on moving day. Your phone becomes a handheld scanner: a standard smartphone can substitute for a dedicated barcode scanner in most inventory workflows.
6. Export and store a copy. Generate a PDF report and save it somewhere separate from the app: email it to yourself, save it to a USB drive, or share it with a trusted family member. Do this after every significant update.
7. Review annually. Set a calendar reminder to update the inventory each year and after any major purchase.

Pro Tip: Photograph the serial number label on the back of each appliance at the same time as the item itself. It takes seconds and saves a frustrating search if you ever need to make a warranty claim or replace the item.

Privacy, backups and UK considerations

UK homeowners have specific reasons to think carefully about where their inventory data lives. A home contents list is sensitive: it tells anyone who accesses it exactly what you own and where you keep it.

Privacy checklist

• Data location: Is your data stored on UK or EU servers, or on US-based infrastructure? Most US apps store data in the US. Under GDPR, US-based storage is not prohibited, but you should be aware of it.
• Encryption: Does the app encrypt data at rest and in transit? Check the privacy policy for explicit statements. Reputable apps (Sortly, Airtable, Homebox) publish this; absence of a clear statement is a warning sign.
• Third-party access: Does the vendor share data with advertisers or analytics platforms? Free apps often do. Read the privacy policy before entering sensitive item details.
• Account sharing: Avoid sharing your full app login with an insurer or solicitor. Export a PDF or CSV instead and share that document.
• Self-hosted option: Homebox’s self-hosted version keeps all data on your own server. This is the most private option available.

Backup steps

• Export a PDF or CSV after every significant update and store it offline (USB drive, printed copy in a fireproof folder).
• Share a copy with a family member or executor so it is accessible if your devices are lost in the same incident that triggers the claim.
• For iCloud-based apps (Under My Roof, BluePlum, MyStuff2 Pro), confirm that iCloud backup is enabled and that the backup includes app data.

GDPR note

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to request deletion of your data from any cloud-based app. If you stop using an app, submit a deletion request rather than simply uninstalling it.

Why a home inventory matters for UK insurance claims

A home inventory is not just a tidy habit. It is the single most practical thing you can do to protect yourself financially before a loss occurs.

UK insurers and loss adjusters rely on contemporaneous evidence: photos taken before an incident, receipts attached to item records, and a timestamped export that shows what you owned and what it was worth. Attempting to reconstruct that list after a fire, flood or burglary is stressful and almost always results in under-claiming, because memory is unreliable and receipts are gone.

What UK insurers commonly request when you make a claim:

• Photographs of the item in your home (timestamped where possible)
• Proof of purchase (receipt, bank statement, or credit card record)
• Serial numbers for electronics and appliances
• A valuation for high-value items such as jewellery, art or antiques
• An exportable PDF or spreadsheet listing all claimed items with values

A good home inventory app handles all of this in one place. The furniture removal between tenancies checklist from Westlondonremoval is also worth consulting if you are a tenant, as it covers condition documentation that overlaps with inventory best practice.

What most home inventory advice gets wrong

Most guides focus on which app has the best interface. That is the wrong question for the majority of UK homeowners.

The right question is: will this inventory actually hold up when I need it? A beautiful app that stores data only in the cloud, with no export function and no receipt attachments, is less useful in a claim than a simple spreadsheet with photos attached. The United Policyholders Home Inventory Spreadsheet, which requires no app at all, will satisfy most UK insurers if you attach photos and receipts alongside it.

The second mistake is treating inventory as a one-time task. An inventory you built three years ago and never updated will miss the laptop you bought last year, the new sofa, and the jewellery you inherited. Annual reviews matter more than the choice of app.

Privacy is consistently underweighted in buying guides. Storing a detailed list of your home contents on a US cloud server is a real risk. If privacy matters to you, the local iCloud options (Under My Roof, MyStuff2 Pro) or Homebox’s self-hosted version are worth the slight inconvenience.

Finally, moving house is the best time to build an inventory, not after you have settled in. Every box you pack is an opportunity to photograph and log its contents. Pair a moving day checklist with a box-tracking app and you arrive at your new home knowing exactly where everything is.

Moving with Westlondonremoval: when a professional team makes more sense

There are other routes to a documented move: Sortly, BoxBuddy, inventory.app, and the other apps on this list all give you the tools to do it yourself. But self-managing a detailed inventory on moving day, while also coordinating boxes, furniture and logistics, is genuinely hard.

Westlondonremoval’s professional house removal service handles the physical side: packing, labelling, insured transport, and careful handling of specialist items such as pianos and antiques. Your belongings are covered during transit, which a self-serve app cannot provide. Same-day availability and transparent hourly pricing mean you know the cost upfront, with no surprises.

For West London homeowners and renters who want the move handled reliably, book your removal in Chiswick or across West London and let the team take care of the logistics while you focus on settling in.

Sources

• The Best Home Inventory Apps and Templates – NerdWallet
• Under My Roof Home Inventory + – App Store – Apple
• Inventory
• BoxBuddy App — Moving Box Inventory with QR Labels & Voice · 4.9★ iPhone
• Stowly — Home Inventory App for Insurance, Warranties & Peace of Mind
• Barcode Scanner Mobile App – Thrive by Shopventory

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