The best apps for finding things in storage boxes
An honest comparison of home inventory and QR box label apps, for people who want to find their stored things, not just list them for insurance.
Updated 3 November 2026 · By the FindMyItem team at Railstons GmbH
Most lists of "home inventory apps" are written with insurance in mind. They help you record what you own and what it is worth, in case of a fire or a burglary. That matters, but it is a different job from the one most people actually have: finding the camping stove that is somewhere in one of 30 boxes in the loft.
This guide compares apps on that second job. If you mainly need an insurance record, skip to the end; we name the best choice for that too.
What to look for
A box finding app earns its place if it does six things well.
- Search that forgives. You will not remember whether you typed "tent pegs" or "pegs, tent". Partial words should work.
- Labels you can print yourself. A QR label on each box lets you scan it and see what is inside. Some apps make you buy their stickers.
- More than one place. Few people store everything at home. A storage unit, a garage, a relative's loft and an office drawer all count.
- Works without a signal. Lofts, cellars and storage units are often dead zones.
- Sharing. If your partner cannot see the inventory, they will still ask you where everything is. Check whether each extra person costs money.
- A fair free plan and a way out. You should be able to try it properly and export your data if you leave.
The apps
FindMyItem
Best for: households with things kept in several places.
You photograph items, put them in boxes, drawers, shelves or bags, and print QR labels in seven sizes, from ordinary sticky label sheets to a label printer. To find something, you search, scan a label, or ask Siri "Where is my passport in FindMyItem?". Every place gets a pin on a map, with directions in Apple Maps or Google Maps, which helps when the thing you need is at a storage unit across town.
The free plan covers 3 places and 100 items with every finding feature. Pro costs £3.99 a month or £39.99 a year after a free month, and adds unlimited places and items and 10 photos per item. Pro also includes sharing with up to 5 other people (6 including you), each a Viewer or an Editor, and there is no charge for additional users: the people you invite never pay.
Weak points: it is only on iPhone for now (it needs iOS 16 or later; Android and iPad versions are coming), it is on sale in the UK, US, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and it is not designed for insurance valuations.
Sortly
Best for: small businesses, and households happy to pay business prices.
Sortly is a polished inventory app with photos, folders, tags and barcode and QR scanning. Its pricing is now built around businesses. The free plan allows 100 unique items and one user. The Advanced plan costs $49 a month, or $24 a month for the first year on a yearly plan, and raises the limit to 500 items and two users. Paid plans add QR label creation. Every person who uses Sortly takes a seat: one on the free plan, two on Advanced, five on Ultra at $149 a month, and seats beyond your plan cost extra.
Weak points: the cost for a household, especially once each family member needs a seat, and many features (purchase orders, stock alerts, job tracking) that a family will never use. We look at this in more detail in our guide to Sortly for home use.
Itemtopia
Best for: detailed records across home and work.
Itemtopia has been around for over ten years and runs on iPhone, Android, Mac and the web. It is flexible, with custom fields and categories. There is a limited free version; Premium, at $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year, unlocks QR label creation, sharing and reports. Extra users are sold as add ons, from $2.99 for one person to $34.99 for ten.
Weak points: QR labels and sharing need Premium, and each extra person costs more, so for a family it is in practice a paid app with a per person fee.
Smart Labels and other sticker kits
Best for: people who would rather buy ready printed stickers than print their own.
Kits such as Smart Labels, Smatagee and ToteScan sell packs of printed QR stickers that work with a companion app. Smart Labels sells sticker packs, and its app plans start at $11.95 a year. Smatagee charges $10.99 a year.
Weak points: you pay twice, once for stickers and again for the app, and your labels only work with that vendor. Neither Smart Labels nor Smatagee mentions sharing an inventory with family in its App Store listing.
HomeZada
Best for: running the whole house, including a record for insurance.
HomeZada combines an inventory with maintenance schedules, budgets and renovation planning. Family members can join for free, and Premium, which adds reports, costs $118 a year.
Weak points: a lot of app if you just want to find the Christmas lights.
What's in that Box?
Best for: a free, simple QR box catalogue.
A new app with no adverts that is free to use, with a $1.99 Pro unlock and an optional tip. It prints PDF labels for Avery sheets, detects items in photos and lets you share storage spaces with others as Editors or Viewers.
Weak points: very new, with only a handful of ratings so far.
At a glance
| App | Best for | Free plan | Paid from | Each extra person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FindMyItem | Several places, families | 3 places, 100 items | £3.99/month | No charge: Pro shares with up to 5 others |
| Sortly | Small businesses | 100 items, 1 user | $49/month (less on yearly plans) | A paid seat |
| Itemtopia | Detailed records | Limited | $7.99/month | Add ons, $2.99 to $34.99 |
| Smart Labels | Ready printed stickers | Not clear | Sticker packs, plus from $11.95/year | No sharing mentioned |
| HomeZada | Whole home management, insurance records | Limited | $118/year | Free for family |
| What's in that Box? | Simple free catalogue | Free | $1.99 Pro unlock | Shared spaces, Editor or Viewer |
Which one should you choose?
- You mainly want an insurance record: HomeZada.
- You run a business from home: Sortly.
- You keep things in more than one place, or want the family to share one list without paying per person: FindMyItem.
- You prefer buying stickers to printing them: a sticker kit, but check what the app costs after the first year.
Whatever you pick, start with one cupboard or one shelf of boxes. A partial inventory you actually use beats a complete one you never finish.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free app for tracking what is in storage boxes? Yes. FindMyItem, HomeZada and What's in that Box? all have free options. FindMyItem's free plan includes QR labels, search, the map and Siri for up to 3 places and 100 items.
Do I need special QR stickers? No. Apps that print their own labels work with standard sticky label sheets from any stationery shop. See our guide to QR code labels for storage boxes.
Can my family see the same inventory? In FindMyItem, yes, with Pro: share everything, a place, an area or a single box with up to 5 other people (6 including you), each a Viewer or an Editor. There is no charge for additional users: the people you invite never pay. In Sortly every user takes a paid seat, and in Itemtopia extra users cost $2.99 to $34.99 on top of Premium.
Do I have to pay for each person I share with? Not in FindMyItem: one Pro subscription covers sharing with up to 5 other people, and they never pay. Sortly and Itemtopia charge for extra users; HomeZada and What's in that Box? also let other people join without a per person fee.
FindMyItem
Remember where everything is. Never wonder where you put it. FindMyItem is a home inventory app: label boxes with QR codes, search your belongings and find stored items on a map.
More guides
- QR code labels for storage boxes: do you need to buy special stickers?
- How to organise a storage unit so you can find anything in it
- How to label moving boxes so unpacking takes a day, not a month
- Sortly for home use: is it worth it, and what are the alternatives?
- Moving house checklist: what to do and when (free printable)
- Garage sale checklist: plan, price and sell in a weekend (free printable)