Best QR code app for storage bins and totes

We make BoxTrack, and SnapFind does much of what we do. Here's how to tell these apps apart.

1. Who can scan the label? Some labels open only inside the app that made them. Others open in any phone's camera, which matters when your partner, your kids or a friend helping you move wants to look in a bin. Scanlily says its stickers open the item's web page in any phone camera with no app needed. BoxTrack's labels open in any phone camera too, and only you and the people you share with can see what's inside.

2. How do you get the labels? Print your own on sticker sheets, buy pre-printed ones, or both. Pre-printed is less fuss; printing your own is quicker.

3. How does the list get filled in? Typing each thing, scanning product barcodes, or AI from a photo. For a bin of 40 small things, this is the difference between doing it and not.

SnapFind: best iPhone app for photo AI plus labels. From MEGAROOSTER LLC, iPhone only. Snap a bin and AI tags and sorts the items, then link it to a QR label you make and print. CSV export includes item values. Free with in-app purchases.

ToteScan: best ready-made labels. Its own labels, printed yourself or ordered pre-printed. Totes can sit inside totes, a product barcode can fill in an item's title and image, and it exports PDF, CSV or HTML. It also works with Alexa. On iPhone, with an Android version reported.

Scanlily: best for labels anyone can scan, on every platform. iPhone, Android and the web. Narrate a video as you walk around and AI builds the inventory. It also does equipment checkout for teams. A free plan is listed.

BoxyID: best for people who still like a marker. Its QR labels leave space for handwritten notes, so the bin says "XMAS LIGHTS" and still opens a full list. Free on iOS.

Codenize: best for one code per bin, for good. Each bin keeps the same QR code permanently, across several places (home, office, storage unit), with sharing for family or roommates. Free on iPhone.

Sortly: best for a business. Bulk QR and barcode label generation with templates, on standard printers, plus strong exports. It's built for small-business stock, so it's more than a garage needs. See BoxTrack vs Sortly.

HomeBox: best free, self-hosted label maker. Open source, on your own server. Its label maker prints QR labels and scanning one opens the item.

BoxTrack: best if bins are part of a bigger picture. It runs in any phone's browser, on iPhone and Android alike. Snap an open bin and AI lists everything in it. Print QR labels on standard Avery sheets (5163 Letter, L7165 A4) or plain paper. Bins can sit inside bins, a search tells you which bin the camping stove is in and where that bin sits and the same app does your home inventory and moving check-in. Weak spots: it's new, there's no app-store download, it can't import from other apps, and the free plan is 1 bin with up to 5 items. A garage full of bins needs a paid plan, with a 72-hour free trial.

• Everyone in the house on iPhone? SnapFind and ToteScan are strong. Mixed phones? Pick something with Android or a browser version.
• Will you change what's in bins often? Choose a label that opens a list you can edit, not a printed one.
• Stick labels on a side as well as the lid, so you can scan a bin in a stack.

Do I need an app to scan QR labels on storage bins?

It depends on the app. Some labels open only in their own app. Scanlily's and BoxTrack's open from your phone's camera. With BoxTrack, the list opens in the browser for you and anyone you've shared it with.

What labels should I print QR codes on?

Any printable sticker labels. BoxTrack prints on Avery 5163 (Letter) or L7165 (A4), and plain paper with tape works. In a damp garage, clear packing tape over the label helps it last.

More: how QR code labels for storage bins work and QR labels vs writing on boxes.