---
{"title": "Moving box label and inventory apps for college students", "description": "Compare moving box label and inventory apps for college students moving out, including Packing Buddy, Sortly, Scanlily and Avery Design & Print.", "url": "https://cleverdings.com/best-moving-box-label-and-inventory-apps-for-college-students-moving-out/", "date": "2026-10-30"}
---
Compare moving box label and inventory apps for college students moving out, including Packing Buddy, Sortly, Scanlily and Avery Design & Print.

College students moving out usually need to label boxes, find items later, and keep the process simple. The options below cover different parts of this job, so start with the job you need done first.

| Option | What it does | Cost information |
|---|---|---|
| Packing Buddy | The app lists the items from your photos of what goes into a box, and picks the room it belongs in. [^1] Each box gets a code such as K-03, printed on its label. [^1] | Packing Buddy's free option gives 3 test boxes per device without an account. [^1] With a free account, the free option gives 10 boxes, 25 AI reads and up to 4 photos a box. [^1] Packing Buddy's Plus plan costs $12.99 a month for 100 boxes. [^1] Packing Buddy's Plus plan costs $59 a year for 100 boxes. [^1] Packing Buddy's Pro plan costs $19.99 a month with unlimited boxes and Bluetooth printers. [^1] Packing Buddy's Pro plan costs $99 a year with unlimited boxes and Bluetooth printers. [^1] |
| Sortly | Sortly lets users upload high-resolution photos to track each item. [^2] Sortly provides an in-app barcode and QR code scanner for inventory counts. [^2] | Price not published on this page. |
| Scanlily | Scanlily's Ultra plan includes equipment booking for checkouts, reservations and pickups. [^3] | Scanlily's Pro plan costs $9 USD per month and is aimed at homes, collectors, and solo professionals. [^3] Scanlily's Ultra plan costs $35 USD per month and is aimed at small teams that lend, move, and track equipment. [^3] Scanlily's Premium plan costs $75 USD per month and is aimed at companies and client-service professionals. [^3] |
| Avery Design & Print | You can buy blank labels and print them yourself. [^4] Ready-made label designs are free to use. [^4] | Shipping is free once the cart reaches $75. [^4] The page does not state per-item prices. |
| Encircle | Encircle's phone app is fully offline-ready, so capture keeps going with no signal, and data syncs once the device is back in range. [^5] | Encircle offers a 2-week trial of its product, and a sales expert can help start it. [^5] Pricing is not published on this page. |
| Encircle Contents | Encircle Contents offers contents inventory features that use AI to write item descriptions and prepare packouts. [^6] Its field documentation features let you add photos, videos, and notes to each record. [^6] | Not published on this page. |
| NestEgg | NestEgg accepts CSV, OFX, QIF, and PDF bank exports for import. [^7] | NestEgg's Pro plan offers a 14-day free trial. [^7] After that trial, NestEgg's Pro plan costs $15 a month. [^7] NestEgg's Pro plan costs $150 a year after the trial. [^7] |
| StuffTracker | This page does not describe StuffTracker's features, so check its own page. | Not published on this page. |

## What college students moving out need from moving box label and inventory apps

College students moving out often have a short window, a small space, and boxes that travel between a dorm, an apartment, and a family car. The main jobs are labeling each box so the room it belongs in is clear at unpacking, finding one item later without opening every box, and sharing the plan with a roommate or helpers who carry boxes. Some students want a printed label and nothing more, while others want a list that tracks what is inside. Moves at the end of a school year can be crowded, and a student may share a car with friends, so a list that a few people can see may help. Printing can be a limit too, since a home printer may not suit sticky labels and a budget may be tight, so check what supplies each option needs before buying. Tools differ in whether they focus on labels, lists, or stock alerts, so the first step is deciding which of those jobs matters most and then checking whether a tool does that job at all.

## Packing Buddy for college students moving out

Packing Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. You take photos of what goes into a moving box, and AI lists the items and picks the room. [^1] Each box gets a code like K-03, printed on its label. [^1] Labels print from a home printer on store-bought Avery 5163 or compatible sheets, or on plain paper you cut out and tape on. [^1] Scanning a box's QR code with any phone camera opens that box in the browser, no app needed. [^1] Share links let a partner, friends or movers join by typing their name, with no account needed. [^1] The free option gives 3 test boxes per device without an account. [^1] Plus costs $12.99 a month or $59 a year for 100 boxes. [^1]

## Sortly for college students moving out

Sortly lets users upload high-resolution photos to track items visually. [^2] Sortly provides an in-app barcode and QR code scanner. [^2] Sortly says over 15,000 businesses trust it to track inventory. [^2] This page has only these facts about Sortly, so check its own page for what a list of household boxes looks like before you choose.

## Scanlily for college students moving out

Scanlily's Pro plan costs $9 USD per month. [^3] Its Ultra plan costs $35 USD per month. [^3] Its Premium plan costs $75 USD per month. [^3] This page has only these prices, so check what each plan covers on Scanlily's own page before you sign up.

## Avery Design & Print for college students moving out

Avery Design & Print offers blank labels for customers to print themselves. [^4] Avery says millions of labels have been sold worldwide. [^4] Avery offers free shipping when the cart reaches $75. [^4] Check the per-item prices on its site before ordering, since this page has none to compare.

## Matching the tool to the job

If the job is labeling boxes, Packing Buddy takes photos of what goes into each box, lists the items and picks the room, and gives each box a code such as K-03 printed on its label. [^1] [^1] If the job is finding an item later, Packing Buddy lets you search your boxes to find which box an item is in. [^1] If the job is sharing the plan with roommates or movers, you can invite a partner, friends or movers to see the plan by typing their name, with no account needed. [^1] The movers link comes with your plan. [^1] Sortly lets you upload high-resolution photos to track each item. [^2] Sortly also lets you scan barcodes and QR codes with the app. [^2] If the job is buying printed labels, you can buy blank labels from Avery Design & Print and print them yourself. [^4] Shipping is free once the cart reaches $75. [^4] Scanlily's Pro plan costs $9 USD a month for homes, collectors, and solo professionals. [^3] Its Ultra plan costs $35 USD a month for small teams that lend, move, and track equipment. [^3] Its Premium plan costs $75 USD a month for companies and client-service professionals. [^3] The table also lists Encircle, Encircle Contents, NestEgg and StuffTracker, with the facts this page has on each, so check each tool's own page to see whether it fits moving boxes.

## Questions to ask before you choose

Ask how many boxes you expect to pack, and whether the list needs to cover every box or only the ones you want to find later. Ask whether you need a printed label or whether a list on a phone is enough, and which printer, if any, the tool needs. Ask whether a roommate or movers need to add or see boxes, and how they would join. Ask whether the tool works on the phones and computers your roommates use. Ask whether you need the list after the move ends, and what happens to it if you stop paying. Ask about trial periods and total cost before you sign up, and check each tool's own page for current prices.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is Packing Buddy free for college students moving out?

Packing Buddy has a free option. [^1] Without an account, it gives 3 test boxes per device. [^1] With a free account, you get 10 boxes, 25 AI reads and up to 4 photos a box. [^1] Plus costs $12.99 a month or $59 a year for 100 boxes, and Pro costs $19.99 a month or $99 a year with unlimited boxes. [^1] If you cancel a paid plan, you keep your boxes and can still open, edit, reprint and search them, but you cannot add new ones. [^1]

### Can Packing Buddy print labels on a regular home printer?

Labels print from a home printer on store-bought Avery 5163 or compatible sheets, or on plain paper you cut out and tape on. [^1] You can print blank QR labels in advance and start a box later by scanning one. [^1] Scanning a box's QR code with any phone camera opens that box in the browser, no app needed. [^1] On Pro, Bluetooth label printers work in the phone app, not in the browser. [^1]

### Can Packing Buddy share boxes with friends or movers?

Share links let a partner, friends or movers join by typing their name, with no account needed. [^1] The movers link comes with your plan. [^1] You can search your boxes to find which box an item is in. [^1] After you sign in, AI assistants like ChatGPT or Claude can search and read your backed-up boxes, but cannot change them. [^1]

### How much does Scanlily cost per month?

Scanlily's Pro plan costs $9 USD per month. [^3] Its Ultra plan costs $35 USD per month. [^3] Its Premium plan costs $75 USD per month. [^3] This page has only these three prices, so check what each plan covers on Scanlily's own page before you sign up.

### Does Sortly let you upload photos of items?

Sortly lets users upload high-resolution photos to track items visually. [^2] It also provides an in-app barcode and QR code scanner. [^2] This page does not describe what a household box list looks like in Sortly, so check Sortly's own page before you choose.

Free: 3 test boxes per device without an account; with a free account, 10 boxes, 25 AI reads and up to 4 photos a box. [^1] - [Visit Packing Buddy](/go/start-packingbuddy)

## Sources

[^1]: Packing Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher) (/go/start-packingbuddy)
[^2]: Sortly, sortly.com, read 2026-10-07 (https://www.sortly.com/)
[^3]: Scanlily, scanlily.com, read 2026-10-07 (https://scanlily.com/)
[^4]: Avery Design & Print, avery.com, read 2026-10-07 (https://www.avery.com/)
[^5]: Encircle, encircleapp.com, read 2026-10-09 (https://encircleapp.com)
[^6]: Encircle Contents, encircleapp.com, read 2026-10-11 (https://www.encircleapp.com)
[^7]: NestEgg, getnestegg.com, read 2026-10-09 (https://www.getnestegg.com)