Home inventory app vs a video walk-through
Filming every room is the fastest home inventory you can make. Here's what a video alone misses after a claim, and how to turn it into a list.
The BoxTrack team · Facts checked · We make BoxTrackHome inventory app
"Just film every room" is common advice, and it's good advice. A five-minute video shot today is far better than nothing after a fire or a break-in. If that's all you have time for this weekend, do it, and keep the file somewhere other than your phone.
At a glance
Home inventory app (BoxTrack)
Pax is an AI. He knows BoxTrack and moving, not other apps, so check them on their own sites.
The details
Why this comparison+
Here's what a video doesn't give you, and when an app is worth it.
What a video does well+
- Fast. One slow lap of the house, with closets and drawers open.
- Shows what was there, and roughly what condition it was in.
- Free, on any phone.
What a video leaves out+
After a loss, your insurer will ask for a list: each thing, what it is, roughly what it cost, when you got it and what it would cost to replace. State insurance departments' home inventory guides ask for the same details. A video shows a TV. It doesn't show the model, the serial number or the price. So someone still has to watch the video and type the list, usually after the loss, when you least want to.
It's also hard to search. "Did we have the stand mixer, and what was it?" means scrubbing through footage.
What an app adds+
In BoxTrack, you snap photos room by room, and AI turns each photo into items with names, quantities and estimated replacement values. You can photograph a whole open drawer or shelf and get several items from one picture. Each item keeps its photo and the date, and you can add serial numbers and purchase dates. You can search any of it ("mixer") and make a PDF report with every photo and value.
The honest trade-off+
An app takes longer than a video: you're building the list as you go instead of leaving it for later. And BoxTrack's free plan covers 1 box with up to 5 items, so a whole home needs a paid plan. If you'll only ever do the video, do the video.
Do both+
Our suggestion is to film the walk-through today, then build the list one room at a time, starting with the expensive rooms: the living room, the kitchen and the main bedroom. Our free checklist lists what to record in each room.
More on doing it right: how to make a home inventory for insurance.
About BoxTrack’s plans: the free plan is 1 box with up to 5 items, with every feature to try. On paid plans, Starter has up to 5 boxes and 10 AI photo scans a month; Plus has up to 49 boxes, unlimited AI scans (whole boxes too), the insurance PDF report, Excel and CSV export, sharing and custom fields; Unlimited adds unlimited boxes and Ask Pax, the AI assistant. New accounts get 72 hours free on any paid plan.