A home inventory app should do four things well: catalog what you own with photos, let you find things later, survive a house move or an insurance claim, and not bleed money in monthly fees. We weighed each app on:
| App | Free tier | Paid price | QR labels | App download to scan? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2Pack Storage | Unlimited items, free forever | None, one-time labels from $5.95 per 24-label pack in the app | ✅ Yes (or print your own) | ❌ No, any phone camera |
| Sortly | Limited entries | $49–$299/month | ✅ Yes | ✅ App required |
| Nest Egg | Limited items | ~$15.99/mo Pro (cheaper annual for capped items) | Barcode focus | ✅ App required |
| Itemtopia | Up to 20 items | ~$19.99/year unlimited + insurance PDFs | Barcode focus | ✅ App required |
| ToteScan | App free | $11.95 / 45 labels | ✅ Yes | ✅ App required |
| Encircle | Trial only | Enterprise ($285+/mo) | Photo/asset focus | ✅ App/account |
2Pack Storage is built around a simple idea: the box carries a QR code, the free web app carries the details. Scan any box with a plain phone camera, no app to install, and its contents, photos, and location appear in the browser. That "no app download" step is the difference between a system your family actually uses and one only you touch.
Why it tops the list for households:
Trade-off: 2Pack Storage is focused on home and small-business storage, not enterprise asset management, no audit logs or team permission tiers. See the full app breakdown or pricing.
Sortly is a polished inventory platform with custom fields, folders, team roles, and an API. If you're tracking business assets across a team, it earns its keep. For a household it's overkill and expensive: the free tier caps entries, and unlocking the good parts runs $49–$299/month (about $288–$1,788+/year). Over five years, switching a home setup from Sortly Advanced to 2Pack Storage saves roughly $540. Details: 2Pack Storage vs Sortly.
Nest Egg leans on product barcode scanning to auto-fill item details, which is handy for cataloging pantry goods, electronics, and collectibles. It's app-only (no physical QR labels sold for your own boxes) and uses subscription pricing, around $15.99/month for the Pro tier, with a cheaper annual plan for a capped number of items. Great as a pure catalog; less suited to "which box is it in?" storage organization.
Itemtopia is a clean home inventory app for renters, families, and collectors, with receipts, warranties, and service history. The free plan covers your first 20 items; unlimited items plus insurance PDF exports run about $19.99/year. If you have a small, mostly-static inventory it's a fine free start, but a 20-item cap fills up fast in a real home, and there are no QR labels to physically find a box.
ToteScan pioneered the pay-once QR label model for totes and its app is free. The catch: labels cost $11.95 for 45 (about double 2Pack Storage's per-label price) and scanning requires the ToteScan app. If you like the QR approach but want cheaper labels and no app download, see 2Pack Storage vs ToteScan.
Encircle is professional documentation software used by restoration and insurance pros, priced from roughly $285/month. It's powerful and completely mismatched to a household budget or workflow. Skip it unless you run a claims business.
For a deeper category breakdown, see our alternatives hub, best free inventory app guide, and home inventory for insurance.
Start your home inventory free today. Create a free account · See 2Pack Storage QR labels
Catalog what is inside every bin in the free 2Pack Storage web app, then scan a QR label to see the contents on any phone. No subscription, no card to start.
Free web app · works offline · no subscription · 24-label packs from $5.95 in the app · already have an account? Sign in