AI-first home inspection software

Hive Inspect vs HomeGauge: Field-Finished AI Reports, or a Desktop Writer Owned by Spectora

HomeGauge describes its own workflow as collect in the field, then “finish and format reports on your desktop” — and its published feature list names no AI. Hive Inspect is AI-first: the comment is drafted in your style, related defects are merged, and the report leaves the house with you, in English, Spanish or French. One more fact to weigh: since April 2025, HomeGauge is owned by Spectora, and HomeGauge's own pricing page now sells Spectora beside it.

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The short answer

Should you choose Hive Inspect or HomeGauge?

Both platforms write reports, schedule jobs, take payments, and let buyers and agents build a repair list from the report. The difference is where the report gets finished and what finishes it. HomeGauge collects in the field and finishes on the desktop, with no AI on its published feature list. Hive Inspect is AI-first: AI Comment Assist drafts in your own writing style, AI Comment Merge combines related defects, Context Layer adds market context, and the report is delivered from the house in Spanish or French if the client prefers — with engineers on support seven days a week. There is one more fact to weigh: HomeGauge has been owned by Spectora since April 1, 2025, HomeGauge's own pricing page now sells Spectora beside it, and Spectora's FAQ invites HomeGauge users to switch. If that is where you may end up, read Hive Inspect vs Spectora too.

At a glance

The whole comparison in one table

Side by side

Feature comparison of Hive Inspect and HomeGauge for home inspectors
Category	Hive Inspect	HomeGauge
Where the report gets finished	In the house, on the phone or tablet you inspect with, offline if the basement has no signal — the report can go out before you leave the driveway. A web app is there if you prefer a desk.	In their words: “Collect data in the field with the Companion app,” then “finish and format reports on your desktop.” A deliberate two-step workflow — the report is finished at a desk, after the inspection.
AI comment writing	AI Comment Assist drafts the comment in your own template writing style — unique to your reports, not generic AI boilerplate.	As of August 2026, HomeGauge's homepage, software page and pricing page name no AI feature of any kind.
Merging related defects	AI Comment Merge combines related findings into one clean comment, with photos and location tags carried across — a more readable report your Realtors and clients understand faster.	As of August 2026, HomeGauge's published feature list does not include this.
Market context on defects	Context Layer shows your client how common each defect is nationally and in their state, so findings land in proportion.	As of August 2026, HomeGauge's published feature list does not include this.
Multilingual reports (Spanish, French)	Write your report in English, deliver it in the language your client prefers — Spanish, French, and more.	As of August 2026, HomeGauge's published feature list does not include this.
Report styles and layout	Layout, sections and branding are customized to how you prefer to present. Sample reports are published at hiveinspect.com/sample-reports.	Multiple report styles — “Narrative, Grid, and more” — with your own comment library and templates. Deep formatting control, built up since 2001.
Repair request builder	Included. Buyers and agents build a repair list straight from the delivered report.	CRL/Repair Request Builder: “lets buyers and agents create a repair list from the inspection report.” Same job, done well on both.
Client and agent dashboard	A client portal plus a Realtor dashboard where agents see every inspection you have done together — no forwarded email chains.	A buyer/inspector dashboard, per their software page.
Customer Support	Seven days a week, with unlimited video calls and screen sharing. Support is staffed by engineers who solve your problem directly instead of escalating it, so queries get resolved sooner.	Phone, email and chat, U.S.-based, Monday to Friday 9am–8pm ET; 5–8pm is chat, email and voicemail only. Closed weekends.
Migration / Onboarding Support	HomeGauge templates import directly. The Hive team moves the rest for you — comment libraries, agreements, contacts, services, business profile — at no cost, with unlimited onboarding calls until your first inspection.	Free training and webinars, per their pricing page.
Company and ownership	AI-first home inspection software, built by a team with decades of software engineering and AI research experience. 2,500+ inspectors and growing. One product, one roadmap.	Founded 2001 in Asheville, NC. Owned by Spectora since April 1, 2025; their homepage now reads “part of Spectora,” and their pricing page sells Spectora beside HomeGauge.
Price	$99/mo or $999/yr, every feature and all AI included; $69/mo per added inspector; a $99 ten-report pack for part-timers. Nothing charged per inspection.	$89/mo after a 30-day free trial, per their pricing page. Optional HomeGauge Protect guarantee at $11 or $22 per inspection, which you can switch off.

HomeGauge figures are quoted from HomeGauge's own homepage, software and pricing pages and from Spectora's published acquisition FAQ, checked in August 2026. Their plans change and ours do too. If anything here has gone out of date, email [email protected] and we will correct it.

Where the report gets finished

In the house, or at a desk

Can you finish the report in the house?

This is the difference an inspector feels on day one. HomeGauge describes its own workflow in two steps, and the second step happens at a desk. Hive Inspect was built so there is no second step.

HomeGauge — in their own words

“Collect data in the field with the Companion app.”
Drive back to the office.
“Finish and format reports on your desktop.”
Deliver, usually that evening or the next morning.

A complete desktop toolkit, refined since 2001. The report is finished after the inspection, not during it.

Hive Inspect

Say or type the finding; AI Comment Assist drafts it in your style.
AI Comment Merge folds related callouts into one comment.
Review on the phone or tablet, offline if you need to.
Deliver from the driveway — in English, Spanish or French.

A web app is there if you prefer to review at a desk. The point is that you do not have to.

Neither workflow is wrong. But if your evenings currently belong to report writing, the question to ask HomeGauge is when that changes — and their published feature list, as of August 2026, names no AI to change it.

Capability gap

Hive

What does Hive Inspect have that HomeGauge doesn't?

Hive Inspect has four capabilities HomeGauge's published feature list does not include — AI Comment Assist, AI Comment Merge, Context Layer and multilingual reports — and all four are what let the report be finished in the house rather than at a desk.

AI Comment Assist

AI Comment Assist is a Hive Inspect feature that drafts the comment from what you say or type, in your own template writing style — so the output reads like your report, not like software. As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s homepage, software page and pricing page name no AI feature.

How Comment Assist works

AI Comment Merge

AI Comment Merge is a Hive Inspect feature that combines related findings into one clean write-up, carrying photos and location tags across. Three roof callouts become one comment instead of three alarming line items. As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s published feature list does not include this.

How Comment Merge works

Context Layer

Context Layer is a Hive Inspect feature that shows your client how common each defect is nationally and in their state, and how big the repair usually runs. Findings land in proportion, and fewer panicked calls follow the report. As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s published feature list does not include this.

How Context Layer works

Multilingual reports (Spanish, French)

Multilingual reports are a Hive Inspect feature: write the inspection in English and deliver it in the language your client reads — Spanish, French, and more. No translator, no third party, no delay. As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s published feature list does not include this.

Common ground

Tie, and that is the point

Where the two are the same

Both are mature enough to run an inspection business. Anyone telling you a competitor lacks the basics is selling you something.

Scheduling, agreements, payments and client delivery, on both.

Your own templates and comment library, on both.

A repair request builder for buyers and agents — Hive’s builder, HomeGauge’s CRL — on both.

A dashboard for the people you report to — buyers and agents — on both.

Automations for agreements and scheduled emails, on both.

State and industry forms (TX, FL, NPM), on both.

Ownership and future

Read where their own pages point you

Who owns HomeGauge, and where are they pointing you?

Every fact here is public and none of it is something HomeGauge hides. We are laying them side by side because inspection software is a multi-year decision, and this is the part a feature list will not tell you.

2001

Founded in Asheville, NC

Twenty-five years in the industry. Their homepage: “Your Trusted Home Inspection Software Partner Since 2001.”

2021

Acquired by American Family Insurance

Four years owned by American Family Mutual Insurance.

April 1, 2025

Acquired by Spectora

Spectora bought HomeGauge from American Family. The HomeGauge homepage now reads “part of Spectora.”

What Spectora’s acquisition FAQ says

“HomeGauge will continue as its own platform.”
“HomeGauge users can switch to Spectora if they choose, but a new subscription is required.”
“Spectora will continue to develop and release features as planned.”
“Customer support will remain strong, with teams from both companies continuing their dedicated service.”

Read the acquisition FAQ

What it does not say

Anything about HomeGauge’s own roadmap.
Whether new features will ship to HomeGauge, to Spectora, or to both.

Checked August 2026. If they publish a HomeGauge roadmap, we will link it here.

Where their own pages point a HomeGauge user

HomeGauge’s pricing page sells two products side by side: HomeGauge Software at $89 a month and Spectora Software at $109 a month.
Spectora’s FAQ tells HomeGauge users they “can switch to Spectora if they choose” — on a new subscription.
The same FAQ commits, in writing, to Spectora’s roadmap. It makes no commitment about HomeGauge’s.

If the platform you may end up on is Spectora, compare Hive Inspect to Spectora directly rather than to HomeGauge.

Hive Inspect vs Spectora →

HomeGauge is not being shut down — their own FAQ says so, and we are not going to suggest otherwise. What their pricing page and their FAQ do say is that one company now sells two products, invites HomeGauge users to move to the other one, has committed in writing to that product’s roadmap, and is silent on HomeGauge’s. What that means for a five-year decision is yours to weigh.

Business model

Both keep your client yours

Who gets your client’s contact details?

Credit where it is due: HomeGauge states plainly that no third parties will contact your customers with promotional offers, and its one optional add-on — HomeGauge Protect, an inspection guarantee you pay for per inspection — can be switched off. That is the right stance, and it is the same as ours. Hive Inspect sells no per-inspection product, runs no third-party ads or upsells inside your reports, does not sell client data, and makes money one way: the subscription.

Worth asking any platform you are evaluating, and you should ask it of us too: besides my subscription, how do you make money, and who gets my client’s contact details?

“Hive also won’t sell your client’s data to 3rd party vendors unlike other platforms.” — richarddbrown · App Store review, 5★

Read our data privacy pledge

Direction

A desktop toolkit, or AI-first

What has each team been building?

HomeGauge does not publish a changelog we can quote, so we will not guess at their cadence. What we can compare is what each product's own pages say it is made of.

HomeGauge — feature list, from their software page

Narrative and Grid report styles
Comment library and template customization
Online scheduler, agreements and automation
CRL/Repair Request Builder

A complete desktop toolkit, refined since 2001. As of August 2026, the list names no AI feature.

Hive — recent releases

AI Comment Merge
Context Layer
Multi-language report delivery

Different problems — because the product was designed around AI rather than extended toward it.

Every Sunday, you hear what changed

Features ship most days. A summary goes out every Sunday, in our Facebook group and by email. Inspectors tell us they look forward to it.

Join the Facebook group

The speed that matters is how fast your request becomes a feature. Our inspectors describe it best:

“It’s incredible to request quality of life features and see them implemented in a matter of hours.”
Michael Stushie · Home Inspector

“I’m so pleasantly surprised at how quickly these changes are being implemented, nice work!”
PJ Smith · Home Inspector

“They WANT our input and quickly integrate suggestions.”
DanBurkhead · App Store review, 5★

Support

Seven days, or Monday to Friday

Who picks up when something breaks

HomeGauge’s support is a genuine strength: a U.S.-based team on the phone, by email and by chat, Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm Eastern, with the last three hours on chat, email and voicemail. If your report breaks on a Saturday, you wait for Monday. Here, your message reaches an engineer seven days a week — and the person who answers is usually the person who can fix it.

Support on Hive Inspect

Seven days a week — including Saturday and Sunday, outside HomeGauge’s published hours.
Live chat, screen sharing and video calls, unlimited — not a fixed onboarding allotment.
Answered by the engineers who build the product, so most issues get fixed on the spot rather than logged.

“When there is an issue it is resolved very quickly because you actually talk to a human rather than an AI bubble… When needed, the Hive team will actually get on a video call with you to help resolve issues.”
Big Dawg Home Inspections · App Store review, 5★

Report quality

Test it yourself

Do not take our word on the AI

HomeGauge’s published feature list names no AI comment writing, so there is no like-for-like test to run. Run this one instead — it takes five minutes:

Pick a defect you have written a hundred times and pull your own comment for it from your HomeGauge library.
Describe the same defect to Hive Inspect, out loud or typed, and let AI Comment Assist draft it in your style.
Read the two side by side: your library comment against the AI draft.

If it does not read like you, do not buy it. That goes for us too.

The report itself is yours to shape, too — layout, sections and branding are customized to how you prefer to present. See sample reports.

Choose Hive Inspect if

You would rather finish the report in the house than at a desk afterwards.
You want the AI generation — comments drafted in your style, related defects merged, market context on findings — and HomeGauge’s published feature list names none of it.
You want to deliver reports in Spanish or French.
You want to know whose roadmap your software is on before you commit for another five years — and you would rather not be invited to switch products by your own vendor.
You would rather reach an engineer on a Saturday than wait for Monday.
You want features shipping every week, with a Sunday summary of what changed.

Choose HomeGauge instead if you want to finish and format reports on a desktop with twenty-five years of formatting control behind it, want a U.S. phone line you can call Monday to Friday, and are comfortable with where Spectora has said its roadmap goes. It is also $10 a month cheaper. Those are real advantages, and plenty of good inspectors weigh them first.

If you switch, everything transfers free

HomeGauge templates import directly into Hive Inspect, and our team moves the rest — comment libraries, agreements, contacts, services, business profile — no migration fee, no onboarding package to buy. See what switching involves, then keep both subscriptions running until your Hive templates have been through a real inspection.

Templates
Comment libraries
Contacts
Agreements
Services, add-ons & modifiers
Automations
Discount codes
Location tags
Profile photo
Business hours
Team & signatures
Business & company info

Common questions

Hive Inspect and HomeGauge: common questions

What is Hive Inspect?

Hive Inspect is AI-first home inspection software. It turns spoken findings, notes and photos into client-ready reports, and includes scheduling, agreements, payments, automations, CRM and a Realtor portal in one subscription. It runs on iOS, Android and web, works offline, and costs $99/month or $999/year with unlimited reports — every feature included, AI included.

What does Hive Inspect have that HomeGauge doesn’t?

Four capabilities that do not appear on HomeGauge’s published feature list as of August 2026: AI Comment Assist, which drafts comments in your own template writing style; AI Comment Merge, which combines related defects into one clean comment with photos and location tags carried across; Context Layer, which shows the client how common each defect is nationally and in their state; and multilingual reports, so a report written in English can be delivered in Spanish or French. Underneath those is a workflow difference: Hive finishes the report in the house, on the device you inspect with, while HomeGauge describes its own workflow as collecting in the field and then finishing on the desktop.

Can you finish a HomeGauge report in the field?

HomeGauge’s own description of its workflow is two steps: “Collect data in the field with the Companion app,” then “finish and format reports on your desktop.” The Companion app gathers data on site; the report is finished at a desk afterwards. Hive Inspect is built the other way round: AI Comment Assist drafts the comment from what you say, AI Comment Merge combines related findings, and the report is reviewed and delivered from the phone or tablet in the house — offline if needed — with a web app available if you prefer a desk.

Does HomeGauge have AI features?

As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s homepage, software page and pricing page name no AI feature of any kind. Its report writer is built around your own comment library and templates, edited on the desktop. Hive Inspect is AI-first: AI Comment Assist, AI Comment Merge and Context Layer are included in the $99 plan. If HomeGauge publishes an AI feature, email [email protected] and we will update this page.

Who owns HomeGauge?

Spectora. HomeGauge was founded in 2001 in Asheville, North Carolina, was owned by American Family Mutual Insurance from 2021, and was acquired by Spectora on April 1, 2025. HomeGauge’s homepage now describes it as “part of Spectora,” and HomeGauge’s pricing page sells HomeGauge Software at $89 a month and Spectora Software at $109 a month side by side.

Is Spectora moving HomeGauge users to Spectora?

Spectora has not said that, and we will not say it for them. What its acquisition FAQ does say is that “HomeGauge users can switch to Spectora if they choose, but a new subscription is required,” and that “Spectora will continue to develop and release features as planned.” The FAQ makes no statement about HomeGauge’s own roadmap, and HomeGauge’s pricing page now sells Spectora beside HomeGauge. If the platform you may end up on is Spectora, read our Hive Inspect vs Spectora comparison as well.

Is HomeGauge being discontinued?

No, not according to its owner. Spectora’s acquisition FAQ says “HomeGauge will continue as its own platform” and that “HomeGauge users can switch to Spectora if they choose, but a new subscription is required.” The same FAQ says “Spectora will continue to develop and release features as planned” and does not mention HomeGauge’s own roadmap. We are not reading more into that than it says; we are pointing out that it is worth reading before a multi-year commitment.

How much does HomeGauge cost compared to Hive Inspect?

HomeGauge is $89 a month after a 30-day free trial, per their pricing page, with an optional HomeGauge Protect guarantee at $11 or $22 per inspection if you switch it on. Hive Inspect is $99 a month or $999 a year, every feature and all AI included, with additional inspectors at $69 a month, a $99 ten-report pack for part-time inspectors, and nothing charged per inspection.

Does Hive Inspect have a repair request builder like HomeGauge’s CRL?

Yes. Hive Inspect includes a repair request builder: buyers and agents build a repair list straight from the delivered report, the same job HomeGauge’s CRL/Repair Request Builder does. This is a parity feature, not a difference — both platforms handle it.

Can I import my HomeGauge templates into Hive Inspect?

Yes. HomeGauge templates import directly, and the Hive team moves the rest — comment libraries, contacts, agreements, services and modifiers, automations, discount codes, location tags, business hours, team signatures and company info — at no cost, with unlimited onboarding calls until your first inspection. Do not cancel HomeGauge first: keep both running until your Hive templates have been through a real inspection.

Who answers support at Hive Inspect and at HomeGauge?

HomeGauge publishes U.S.-based phone, email and chat support Monday to Friday, 9am to 8pm Eastern, with 5pm to 8pm on chat, email and voicemail only, and no weekend hours. On Hive Inspect, your message reaches the engineers who build the product, seven days a week, with unlimited video calls and screen sharing — so most issues get fixed on the spot rather than logged.

Does Hive Inspect support Spanish and French inspection reports?

Yes. Write the report in English and deliver it in the language your client prefers — Spanish, French, and more — with no translator, no third party and no delay. As of August 2026, HomeGauge’s published feature list does not include multilingual delivery.

Can I write reports on a desktop in Hive Inspect, like HomeGauge?

Yes. Hive Inspect runs on iOS, Android and the web, so you can finish a report at a desk on a large screen if that is how you work. The difference is that you do not have to: the same report can be completed in the house on the phone or tablet you inspect with, offline if needed, and delivered before you leave.

Where is HomeGauge the better choice?

If you want to finish and format reports on a desktop, HomeGauge’s editor has twenty-five years of formatting control behind it, with Narrative and Grid styles. If you want a U.S. phone line to call, HomeGauge staffs one Monday to Friday. And it is $10 a month cheaper on sticker. If those matter more to you than finishing the report in the house, AI comment writing, comment merging, market context, Spanish and French delivery, seven-day engineer support and a single-product roadmap, HomeGauge is the better buy.

Last reviewed: August 2026. We revisit this page when our own capabilities change and when HomeGauge or Spectora update theirs. Verify competitor details directly with them too, since their plans move on their schedule, not ours.

Keep reading

If you are still working out which platform fits, these go deeper on the parts this page only summarises.

All comparisonsHive Inspect against Spectora, Binsr, ScribeWare, ISN, Palm-Tech, and others.Switching to HiveWhat migration involves, and what we move for you at no cost.Hive Inspect vs SpectoraThe product HomeGauge’s owner sells beside it — compared directly.AI Comment AssistHow comments get drafted in your own writing style.

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