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I like to think I’m organized, but I could use a bit of help on this front, especially when it comes to keeping track of my things. For example, I have a large vinyl collection, and I couldn’t tell you every album I own. However, with the help of a home inventory app, that task is considerably easier.
With an inventory app, you can keep track of anything: food, clothing, tools, games, technology, kitchen tools, appliances, serial numbers, where you purchased an item, and so much more.
Doesn’t that sound like something you could use?
If so, read on because there are five apps here, each of which can help you keep track of anything and everything you own.
1. Airtable
Airtable wasn’t exactly created as an inventory management tool, but it can be used for one. With Airtable, you create custom “databases” that can keep track of just about anything you need. Airtable has also added a new AI feature that allows you to describe what you want to do, and it will build it for you. To use this feature, you need an Airtable account, but once you’ve logged in, you can enter a query to design your inventory management app, and it will be added. It took me five minutes to build my app and start using it.
One issue to keep in mind is that when building the app with the AI system, you need to be as specific as possible. For example, make sure that you can edit entries, add categories and rooms, etc. The more specific you can be, the more viable the app is. You can also use one of the hundreds of templates available for Airtable, as well. Airtable is free to use, but you’re limited to only 500 AI credits per month. You can find out more about the pricing on the official pricing/feature matrix. Airtable is available for MacOS, Windows, Android, iOS, and web.
2. Under My Roof Home Inventory +
Under My Roof is a MacOS and iOS-only app, and it’s fantastic. With this easy-to-use app, you can keep track of your stuff, maintenance, warranty information, information about your home (such as assessment history, warranty information, square footage, photos, and more), documents and records, renovations and modifications, insurance, and so much more.
Also: My 5 favorite Android apps for staying organized – and they’re all free
As you should be able to surmise, this app is an all-in-one for keeping track of your home and the items within. Even better, the app has a well-designed UI that makes it simple to use. The company doesn’t have access to your information, so whatever you store in the app is safe from abuse. You can share information with others via cloud sharing, but you are in control of every aspect of that feature. Under My Roof is not free. You can try it out with a 14-day trial period, but after that, it’ll cost you $34.99/year or $4.99/month.
3. Find My Stuff: Home inventory
Find My Stuff is an Android app that ticks all the boxes. This app allows you to create an inventory of pretty much whatever you need to keep organized. With Find My Stuff, you can create a complete home inventory, manage a move, catalog collections, track inventory for rentals, keep track of stock for your business, and more. This app features export to Excel, advanced search, custom tags, show/hide fields, work offline, Google Drive backup, and image upload.
One interesting aspect of this app is that you create containers (such as for rooms, closets, attic, basement, garage) and then add inventory to those. Keep in mind that, after you create a container, you then add items. When you first add an item, you’ll only give it a name. Once you’ve done that, you can then edit the item and add fields like price, short description, detailed description, tags, links, dates, barcodes, and more. It does take a bit more time to get up to speed with this app, but once you know it, you’ll find it to be an invaluable tool for keeping track of your stuff. To get the full functionality (such as productivity tools), you have to pay a one-time fee of $14.99. You can also add individual features, such as Quantity Thresholds, for $3.99.
4. Sortly
Sortly is geared more for businesses, but there is a free option that you can use for home inventory. The free plan does limit you to the number of items you can save, but it does include workflows (not available for the free account), sort, tags, reports, folders, quantity, price, photos, unit variants, and more. As I said, the app was designed for businesses, but you can easily make it work for your personal needs.
Also: 5 to-do list apps on Android I recommend for staying on track
One nice quality about Sortly is, once you sign up for an account, you can install and use the mobile app (on both Android and iOS), so you can access your inventory anywhere. The web-based interface is good, and I prefer it over mobile because it’s easier for me to input items. Don’t be fooled, however, as the mobile app UI is also good and user-friendly. For household inventory, I would not recommend paying for a plan, as you’ll quickly find it to be overkill.
5. Homebox
On this list, Homebox is my favorite because I can host it on my own LAN. To do that, you have to know a thing or two about containers, but you don’t have to host it yourself. Another favorite aspect of Homebox is that it sets up a lot of things for you, so you don’t have to add a bunch of locations before you get started. You can add custom locations (and labels) so the app is perfectly suited to your needs.
Currently, there are no mobile apps for either Android or iOS, but you can install a desktop app for MacOS and FreeBSD (download the appropriate installer for your OS and architecture). Most people will probably just use the web UI (which is user-friendly). Keep in mind that Homebox is still in beta. That doesn’t mean it should be avoided. I’ve installed Homebox and found it to be stable. But if using beta software isn’t your jam, wait until the full release is available. Homebox is available for free and is open-source.
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