Best moving inventory app for packing and tracking boxes

We make BoxTrack, so weigh our view accordingly.

A home inventory is organized by room and built for insurance. A moving inventory is organized by box and built for three moments:

• Packing day: list a box in a minute while it's open, not after it's taped and stacked.
• Unpacking: find the coffee maker on the first morning without opening ten boxes.
• Delivery day: check off each box as it comes off the truck. A number with no box is the one to ask about before the movers leave.

That last one is where most apps stop. Plenty can label a box. Few check boxes in.

BoxTrack: best for the whole move, packing to delivery. It runs in any phone's browser. Snap the open box and AI lists everything in it, with quantities and values. Print a QR label for each box on standard sticker sheets; anyone's phone camera opens the list, and only you and the people you share with can see it. On delivery day, scan each box off the truck and BoxTrack shows which are still missing. It also tracks box weights against your mover's limit, and tags things Ship, Sell, Store, Donate or Toss. The downsides: it's new, there's no app-store download, it can't import from another app, and the free plan is 1 box with up to 5 items. A whole move needs a paid plan, with a 72-hour free trial.

Box Radar: best iPhone app for an organized mover. A printable QR label and short code for each box, plus a shelf, a status and notes per box, and PDF, CSV and JSON export, with iCloud sync. You photograph the open box and type the items yourself. It's new; we saw it through an App Store mirror rather than Apple's own page.

ElephantTrax: best established QR box app. Around since 2020 on iPhone. It makes a QR code for each box, sells label packs, and uses AI to tag item photos so search works. Core features are free; sharing and export need a subscription.

BoxBuddy: best if you'd rather talk than type. An iPhone app with QR box labels and voice entry while you pack, with a free tier of up to 10 boxes. We only found its launch posts, so check it's still offered.

Moving Organizer Lite: best simple, free list. An iPhone app for boxes, items, values and locations, with a free Lite version (with ads) for one move. We couldn't date its listing.

A printed template: best for a small move. Ten boxes and a van don't need an app. Use our free moving inventory list template, in Excel or to print.

• Count your boxes. For a handful, a template is fine. For a house, an app saves you time on both ends.
• Think about who else scans. If a partner or helper unpacks with you, labels that open in any phone camera, with shared access, save handing your phone around.
• Check Android. Most moving apps here are iPhone only. If anyone in the house uses Android, a browser app works for both.
• Plan for a claim. Keep photos and rough values for anything valuable or fragile, in case something is lost or broken.

Is there a free moving inventory app?

Several have free tiers: BoxBuddy up to 10 boxes, Moving Organizer Lite for one move, ElephantTrax's core features. BoxTrack's first box is free, with up to 5 items and its QR label. A paper template is free for any size.

How do QR codes on moving boxes work?

Each box gets its own QR code on a sticker label. Scan it with your phone's camera and that box's list opens, with a photo of each thing. When the code opens a list rather than printing one, you can change what's inside without a new label.

Do I need my own inventory if the movers make one?

The movers' inventory is theirs and often says "carton, misc." Yours says what's inside. See your own moving inventory vs the movers'.

More: how to make a moving inventory list with QR labels.