Alternatives
The NAIC Home Inventory app is official. The rating is 2.1.
We build Itemlist, one of the apps below, so read this knowing that. Insurance articles recommend the NAIC Home Inventory app because it is free and has zero commercial interest, and both of those things are true. The App Store rating, 2.1 as of August 19, 2026, describes the part they skip: using it. Here is what to use instead, free options included.
First, fairly
What the NAIC app is
The NAIC Home Inventory app is published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the association of US insurance regulators. It is free on iOS and Android. It groups belongings by room, takes photos, scans barcodes and exports your inventory, and it is not trying to sell you anything. That is why it appears in nearly every insurance-adjacent roundup, and the recommendation is made in good faith.
It is also still maintained: version 1.5.0 shipped in October 2025. But as of August 19, 2026 it is rated 2.1 on the App Store, and reviews report problems with photos and PDF export, the two features a home inventory lives on.
At a glance
The alternatives, compared
| App | Best for | Platforms | Price | Rating (Aug 19, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Itemlist | Free start with a real app experience | iPhone, iPad | Free up to 100 items, Pro $29.99/yr or $59.99 lifetime | 4.7 (198) |
| Under My Roof | Inventory plus documents, native Mac app | iPhone, iPad, Mac | $4.99/mo or $34.99/yr | 4.7 (504) |
| Home Contents | Longest track record, one-time unlock | iPhone, iPad | Free 25 items, then $5.99 once | 4.7 (1,436) |
| NAIC Home Inventory, for reference | Zero commercial ties | iOS, Android | Free | 2.1 (14) |
Ratings are App Store averages with the number of ratings in parentheses, checked on August 19, 2026.
The picks
Where each one fits
Itemlist, the app we build, keeps the thing people like about the NAIC app, starting free, and fixes the part they do not. It is free up to 100 items and 20 containers on iPhone and iPad, rated 4.7 from 198 ratings. It organizes by location, room and nested container, items carry photos, values and serial numbers the barcode scanner fills in, and the whole inventory exports to CSV free, a format insurers can read. It is iPhone and iPad only; Android users should look at the NAIC app's Android build or elsewhere.
Under My Roof is the paid step up for Apple households: inventory plus document scanning and insurance policy management, natively on iPhone, iPad and Mac, at $4.99 a month or $34.99 a year.
Home Contents has run since 2011 and is rated 4.7 from 1,436 ratings: free for 25 items, then a $5.99 one-time unlock, no subscription. A solid pick if you want to pay once and be done.
No app at all is a real answer too. A phone camera, our free room-by-room checklist and our free spreadsheet template document a home completely, with no email required for either. An app mainly adds search and keeps the record current over time.
FAQ
NAIC app questions
Is the NAIC Home Inventory app free and legitimate?
Completely. It is published by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners, the US insurance regulators’ association, it costs nothing, and it has no commercial ties. Nothing on this page questions that. The issue is the app experience: a 2.1 App Store rating as of August 19, 2026.
Is the NAIC app still updated?
Its last iOS update, version 1.5.0, shipped on October 10, 2025, so it is not abandoned. Even so, it is rated 2.1 on the App Store as of August 19, 2026, and reviews report problems with core features like photos and PDF export, which is exactly what a home inventory app exists to do.
Does my insurer require a specific inventory app?
No. Insurers want a readable record of what you owned: photos, descriptions, serial numbers, values. A spreadsheet, a PDF or a CSV export all work. That is why app choice is about which one you will actually keep using, not about any official status. Our home inventory for insurance guide covers what to document.
What are the free alternatives?
Itemlist is free up to 100 items and 20 containers on iPhone and iPad, no time limit. And going app-free is legitimate: our room-by-room checklist and our spreadsheet template are both free downloads with no email required, and a phone camera plus a spreadsheet covers what insurers actually ask for: photos, descriptions and values.
Keep going
Related reading
Free to start, built to be used
100 items and 20 containers free on iPhone and iPad. Photos, serial numbers, rooms and nested containers, searchable in seconds, with free CSV export.
Free to start on iPhone and iPad