Ranked · checked 26 September 2026
The best home inventory apps for iPhone, iPad and Mac in 2026
For a record an insurance claim can use, our pick is Roomkeep ($29.99 once): of the apps here, it is the only one that is a single purchase on iPhone, iPad and Mac and prints a PDF report with the receipts attached. iPhone only and on a budget? Home Contents is the one to beat. Want to pay nothing at all? The NAIC's free app.
Roomkeep is our app. Everything below about the others was read from their makers' own sites or Apple's App Store listings on . Where those sources did not settle a question we say so, and where another app does something better, we say that too.
How we ranked them
Four questions, in this order — they are our criteria, stated so you can weigh them differently:
- Does the record leave the app as a document? A PDF somebody else can read, not just a list inside an app.
- Do you pay once? An inventory is kept for years; a subscription is a bill for every one of them.
- Where does the data go? Serial numbers and photos of valuables next to an address — we rank "on your devices" above "in our account".
- Does it run where you work? Phone to photograph, Mac to finish and print.
At a glance
| # | App | Price | iPhone & iPad | Mac | PDF report | App Store privacy label |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roomkeep (ours) | $29.99 once | Yes | Yes | Yes | Data Not Collected |
| 2 | Home Contents | $5.99 · one purchase | Yes | No | Yes | Data Not Collected |
| 3 | BluePlum Home Inventory | $24.99 · one purchase | Companion app | Yes | Yes | Data Not Collected |
| 4 | Under My Roof | $34.99 a year · subscription | Yes | Yes | Not stated | Data Not Collected |
| 5 | Everspruce Home Inventory | Subscription | Yes | No | Yes | Data Used to Track You |
| 6 | NAIC Home Inventory | Free | Yes | As the iPad app | Not stated | Data Not Collected |
| 7 | Nest Egg – Inventory | $6.99 · one purchase | Yes | No | Not stated | Data Not Linked to You |
US prices. "Not stated" means the maker's site and listing do not say, not that the feature is missing. Every column in detail, with sources: the full comparison.
1. Roomkeep — best for a claim-ready record on iPhone, iPad and Mac
Roomkeep is built around one document: the report. One tap makes a printable PDF with totals by room and category, item tables with photos, and the receipts attached at the back, on A4 or US Letter — here is a real one. Getting there, the camera stays open between shots so a shelf goes in without reopening it; photograph a receipt and Roomkeep suggests the store, date and total for you to confirm; serial numbers come off the nameplate with a live scanner. A readiness list shows what still has no photo, price or receipt, most expensive first.
It is $29.99 once for Roomkeep Pro, and one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac. Everything stays on your devices and, with sync on, in your own iCloud; the App Store label reads Data Not Collected, and there is no account.
Where it falls short. It costs several times what Home Contents does. It is new — on the App Store since August 2026 — so it has none of the track record the older apps here have. The free version stops at one property, one room and thirty items, with only a preview of the report. And it needs iOS 26, iPadOS 26 or macOS 26 or later.
2. Home Contents — best value on iPhone and iPad
The strongest competitor here, and the cheapest one-time unlock of any app in this list. Its Quick Capture mode walks you through each room taking one photo per item, then lets you fill in values later; it records purchase dates, values, serial numbers, warranties and barcodes, attaches PDF receipts to items, and prints PDF reports by location, category or value. Data stays on the device or in your own iCloud, and its label reads Data Not Collected — the same privacy position as Roomkeep. The catch is the Mac: there is no Mac version, so if you want to build the inventory on a laptop or print from a desktop, it cannot help. If you only ever use an iPhone or iPad, it is the one to beat on price.
Price: $5.99 once, to unlock unlimited items and properties ("No subscription required"). Free for 25 items and one property. Runs on: iPhone and iPad. No Mac version in Apple's catalogue. Home Contents — source
3. BluePlum Home Inventory — best for a Mac-first inventory
A long-running Mac application with the deepest record-keeping in this list: make, model, serial number, purchase price, depreciation rate, heirs, warranties, loans to friends and scheduled maintenance, with several report types — item list, summary, comprehensive, warranty, photo album and estate — saved as PDF. It is sold once and its maker says plainly that it is not a subscription. The phone side is a separate, free helper app that sends photos to the Mac rather than a full inventory of its own, so the Mac stays the place you work. Pick it if you think of your inventory as a desktop database first.
Price: $24.99 once, on the Mac App Store; "not a subscription", in its maker's words. Also sold direct from its maker's site. Runs on: Mac. A free companion app for iPhone and iPad, Home Inventory Easy Entry, takes the photos away from the Mac. BluePlum Home Inventory — source
4. Under My Roof — best for managing the whole house, not just the contents
The most polished all-round home app here, and a native one on iPhone, iPad and Mac. It goes well beyond an inventory — renovations, maintenance, paint colours, property assessments, square footage — with unlimited custom fields, heirs and moving boxes, iCloud sync and sharing through Family Sharing. Its privacy position matches ours: your devices and your own iCloud, Data Not Collected. It is a subscription, though, and if you stop paying you keep read access to what you entered but lose the rest. Its maker used to sell a one-time Mac app, Home Inventory, and replaced it with this. Choose it if you want one app for the house itself and are happy to pay yearly.
Price: $34.99 a year, or $4.99 a month: a subscription, with a one-week free trial. Free to download with a 10-item limit. Runs on: iPhone, iPad and Mac. Under My Roof — source
5. Everspruce Home Inventory — best free tier with a PDF export
Well rated and actively developed, with the most generous free tier that still exports: fifty entries, backed up to the cloud, with CSV and PDF export included before you pay anything. Past fifty items it becomes a subscription. The privacy picture is the opposite of the apps above — its App Store label lists data linked to you and data used to track you across other companies' apps and websites — and there is no Mac version. Good for a small inventory you want out as a PDF this weekend.
Price: free for up to 50 entries, then an Everspruce Plus subscription. The listing shows more than ten Plus price points across monthly, half-yearly and yearly terms, so we print none of them. Runs on: iPhone and iPad. No Mac version in Apple's catalogue. Everspruce Home Inventory — source
6. NAIC Home Inventory — best completely free option
Free, with nothing to buy, from the organisation US state insurance regulators use to set standards — which is a reason to trust it more than most free apps. It groups belongings by room and category, takes photos, scans barcodes, exports the inventory and carries preparedness and claims tips; its label reads Data Not Collected. It is deliberately simple, and the listing does not say what format the export takes. If you want a free, no-strings record on your phone, start here.
Price: Free no in-app purchases listed. From the NAIC, the standard-setting organisation governed by US state insurance regulators. Runs on: iPhone and iPad. It also runs on Apple silicon Macs as the iPad app, which Apple marks "Not verified for macOS". NAIC Home Inventory — source
7. Nest Egg – Inventory — best for collections and barcodes
A paid app, no account and no monthly fee, with data kept on the device. Its strength is barcode scanning with automatic product lookup, which makes it quick for books, films, music and anything else with a UPC, plus up to ten photos per item. Several features — CSV import, attachments, Dropbox — are separate small purchases, and exports are CSV and HTML rather than a PDF report. Best for cataloguing collections rather than preparing a claim.
Price: $6.99 to buy the app, with optional add-ons at $1.99 each — CSV import, attachments, Dropbox and others. Runs on: iPhone and iPad. Nest Egg – Inventory — source
Also looked at
- Itemtopia (Itemtopia Inc.) — Receipts forwarded by email become items, and QR labels can be printed and scanned; PDF reports come with the Premium subscription.
- Sortly (Sortly Inc.) — Built for business stock — low-stock alerts, multiple users, barcodes — and priced like it.
- Home Inventory (Binary Formations, LLC) — The one-time Mac app many people still search for by name. It is no longer sold; its maker points buyers to Under My Roof.
How to choose
- You want a report an insurer can read, and you use a Mac. Roomkeep, or BluePlum if you would rather work on the Mac and only photograph on the phone.
- You only use an iPhone or iPad and want to pay as little as possible once. Home Contents.
- You want to manage the house — maintenance, renovations, paint colours — not just the contents. Under My Roof, if a yearly subscription is fine.
- You want to pay nothing. The NAIC's app, or the free printable checklist and a pen.
Whatever you pick, the record matters more than the app: one line per thing, with make, model, serial number, date and price, and a photo or receipt behind it. What an adjuster actually asks for goes through it field by field.
Questions
- What is the best free home inventory app?
- The NAIC's Home Inventory app is free with nothing to buy, and its App Store label says Data Not Collected. Everspruce is free for up to 50 entries and exports PDF even on the free tier, but its label lists data used to track you. Roomkeep is free for one property, one room and thirty items, with the report as a first-page preview.
- Is there a home inventory app without a subscription?
- Yes, four of the apps here are sold once: Home Contents ($5.99 to unlock, iPhone and iPad), Nest Egg ($6.99, iPhone and iPad), BluePlum Home Inventory ($24.99, Mac) and Roomkeep ($29.99 for Roomkeep Pro, one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac).
- Which home inventory app works on a Mac?
- Roomkeep, BluePlum Home Inventory and Under My Roof are Mac apps. The NAIC's app and Itemtopia run on Apple silicon Macs as their iPad versions. Home Contents, Everspruce and Nest Egg have no Mac version.
- Which home inventory apps make a PDF report for an insurance claim?
- Roomkeep, Home Contents, BluePlum Home Inventory and Everspruce all say they export PDF, and Itemtopia does with its Premium subscription. What a particular insurer accepts depends on the insurer and the policy; a useful report lists each item with its make, model, serial number, date and price, with photos and receipts behind it.
Try Roomkeep
Free for one property, one room and thirty items. $29.99 once for everything, one purchase covers iPhone, iPad and Mac.