[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":546},["ShallowReactive",2],{"blog-\u002Fblog\u002Feave-vs-spectora-vs-homegauge-for-solo-inspectors":3,"blog-surround-\u002Fblog\u002Feave-vs-spectora-vs-homegauge-for-solo-inspectors":544},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"body":7,"date":531,"description":532,"extension":533,"image":534,"imageAlt":534,"imageWidth":534,"meta":535,"navigation":536,"path":537,"seo":538,"stem":539,"tags":540,"updatedAt":534,"__hash__":543},"blog\u002Fblog\u002Feave-vs-spectora-vs-homegauge-for-solo-inspectors.md","Eave vs. Spectora vs. HomeGauge: which is right for a solo inspector?","Tyler Higgs",{"type":8,"value":9,"toc":517},"minimark",[10,14,22,28,33,47,56,59,63,215,234,238,241,260,267,282,286,289,305,321,324,328,343,348,358,361,365,368,376,379,382,386,389,392,417,421,424,462,466,495,499,502,505,512],[11,12,13],"p",{},"If you run a one-person home inspection business, the software decision is\nmostly a cost decision. Spectora and HomeGauge are both excellent products built\nover many years, and both are priced for a company with employees. Eave is\nnewer, narrower, and priced for one person.",[11,15,16,17,21],{},"This is a fair look at all three. Prices and features below are taken from each\ncompany's own pricing page and support docs as of ",[18,19,20],"strong",{},"August 2026"," — check them\nbefore you buy, because they move.",[23,24,25],"note",{},[11,26,27],{},"Full disclosure: we make Eave. We've tried to keep the competitor sections\naccurate enough that you'd get the same picture from their websites, and there's\na section further down on when you should pick Spectora or HomeGauge instead.",[29,30,32],"h2",{"id":31},"first-a-thing-most-comparisons-dont-mention","First, a thing most comparisons don't mention",[11,34,35,38,39,46],{},[18,36,37],{},"Spectora and HomeGauge are the same company."," Spectora\n",[40,41,45],"a",{"href":42,"rel":43},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.spectora.com\u002Fr\u002Fspectora-announces-acquisition-of-homegauge",[44],"nofollow","announced its acquisition of HomeGauge on April 1, 2025",".",[11,48,49,50,55],{},"Both platforms continue to run independently. Spectora's\n",[40,51,54],{"href":52,"rel":53},"https:\u002F\u002Fsupport.spectora.com\u002Fen\u002Farticles\u002F11003317-spectora-acquires-homegauge-what-it-means-for-you",[44],"support article on the acquisition","\nstates that pricing stays the same for both, there's no forced migration, and\nboth support teams keep operating. Nothing has been taken away from anyone.",[11,57,58],{},"But it's worth knowing when you're weighing them against each other: the two\nbiggest names in home inspection software now sit under one roof. If part of why\nyou're comparing them is to keep a competitive option in your back pocket,\nthat's the situation you're actually choosing between.",[29,60,62],{"id":61},"the-short-version","The short version",[64,65,66,84],"table",{},[67,68,69],"thead",{},[70,71,72,75,78,81],"tr",{},[73,74],"th",{},[73,76,77],{},"Eave",[73,79,80],{},"Spectora",[73,82,83],{},"HomeGauge",[85,86,87,104,120,136,152,168,183,199],"tbody",{},[70,88,89,95,98,101],{},[90,91,92],"td",{},[18,93,94],{},"Price",[90,96,97],{},"$10\u002Fmo",[90,99,100],{},"$109\u002Fmo, or $1,090\u002Fyr",[90,102,103],{},"$89\u002Fmo",[70,105,106,111,114,117],{},[90,107,108],{},[18,109,110],{},"Per year",[90,112,113],{},"$120",[90,115,116],{},"$1,090–$1,308",[90,118,119],{},"~$1,068",[70,121,122,127,130,133],{},[90,123,124],{},[18,125,126],{},"Second inspector",[90,128,129],{},"$10\u002Fmo each",[90,131,132],{},"+$99\u002Fmo or $999\u002Fyr each",[90,134,135],{},"not published",[70,137,138,143,146,149],{},[90,139,140],{},[18,141,142],{},"Try before paying",[90,144,145],{},"5 inspections free, no time limit, no card",[90,147,148],{},"2 inspections free, no time limit, no card",[90,150,151],{},"30-day trial",[70,153,154,159,162,165],{},[90,155,156],{},[18,157,158],{},"Report writing",[90,160,161],{},"Web + native iOS app",[90,163,164],{},"Web + iOS and Android apps",[90,166,167],{},"Windows desktop app + Companion mobile app",[70,169,170,175,178,180],{},[90,171,172],{},[18,173,174],{},"Works on a Mac",[90,176,177],{},"Yes (browser)",[90,179,177],{},[90,181,182],{},"Only via a Windows virtual machine",[70,184,185,190,193,196],{},[90,186,187],{},[18,188,189],{},"Client payments",[90,191,192],{},"Your own Stripe account, we take nothing",[90,194,195],{},"3.25% + $0.40 per transaction",[90,197,198],{},"3.95% technology fee, optionally passed to the client",[70,200,201,206,209,212],{},[90,202,203],{},[18,204,205],{},"Inspector website",[90,207,208],{},"Not offered",[90,210,211],{},"$69–$159\u002Fmo plus setup",[90,213,214],{},"From $49\u002Fmo",[11,216,217,218,223,224,229,230,46],{},"Sources: ",[40,219,222],{"href":220,"rel":221},"https:\u002F\u002Fspectora.com\u002Fpricing\u002F",[44],"spectora.com\u002Fpricing",",\n",[40,225,228],{"href":226,"rel":227},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.homegauge.com\u002Fone\u002Fpricing\u002F",[44],"homegauge.com\u002Fone\u002Fpricing",", and\n",[40,231,233],{"href":232},"\u002Fpricing","Eave's pricing page",[29,235,237],{"id":236},"what-you-actually-pay-in-year-one","What you actually pay in year one",[11,239,240],{},"For one inspector, no add-ons:",[242,243,244,250,255],"ul",{},[245,246,247,249],"li",{},[18,248,77],{}," — $120\u002Fyear. First 5 inspections free, no credit card to start.",[245,251,252,254],{},[18,253,83],{}," — about $1,068\u002Fyear at $89\u002Fmo, after a 30-day trial.",[245,256,257,259],{},[18,258,80],{}," — $1,090\u002Fyear paid annually, or $1,308 paid monthly. Two free\ninspections first, with no time limit and no card required.",[11,261,262,263,266],{},"That's roughly a ",[18,264,265],{},"$950–$1,190 per year"," difference. For an inspector doing 8\ninspections a month at $450, Spectora is about two and a half inspections a year\nof pure overhead; Eave is about a quarter of one.",[268,269,270],"tip",{},[11,271,272,273,276,277,281],{},"Add-ons are where the published number stops being the number. Spectora's\noptional ",[18,274,275],{},"Advanced"," AI tier is ",[40,278,280],{"href":220,"rel":279},[44],"$4 per published inspection"," —\nat 100 inspections a year that's another $400. Websites are separate on both\nplatforms. Payment processing is separate on all three.",[29,283,285],{"id":284},"where-the-money-actually-goes-client-payments","Where the money actually goes: client payments",[11,287,288],{},"All three let a client pay online. The difference is who takes a cut.",[11,290,291,294,295,297,298,300,301,304],{},[18,292,293],{},"Spectora Payments"," charges inspectors ",[18,296,195],{},".\n",[18,299,83],{}," applies a ",[18,302,303],{},"3.95% technology fee"," that you can choose to pass on\nto the client as a line item; their card processing rate isn't published on the\npricing page.",[11,306,307,310,311,315,316,320],{},[18,308,309],{},"Eave uses Stripe Connect",", which means the money goes into ",[312,313,314],"em",{},"your own"," Stripe\naccount and Eave adds nothing on top of Stripe's standard rate. We're not a\npayment processor and we don't want to be one. Clients can pay by card, Apple\nPay, Google Pay, or bank transfer, and refunds and payouts happen in your own\nStripe dashboard. See ",[40,317,319],{"href":318},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fpayments\u002Foverview","collecting payment"," for how it\nworks.",[11,322,323],{},"On a $450 inspection, a 3.25% + $0.40 platform rate costs you about $15.03 where\nStripe's own card rate costs about $13.35. Small per job. Not nothing across a\nyear.",[29,325,327],{"id":326},"reporting-three-genuinely-different-models","Reporting: three genuinely different models",[11,329,330,332,333,336,337,342],{},[18,331,83],{}," is a ",[18,334,335],{},"Windows desktop application"," paired with a mobile\nCompanion app for field data collection. Their\n",[40,338,341],{"href":339,"rel":340},"https:\u002F\u002Fsupport.homegauge.com\u002Fen\u002Farticles\u002F14844639-homegauge-system-requirements-for-desktop-and-companion-software",[44],"system requirements","\nstate plainly that Desktop runs on Windows 10 or 11 only, and that Mac and Linux\nusers need to install a Windows virtual machine. If you work on a Mac, budget\nfor Parallels and a Windows license before you budget for the software. The\nupside of the desktop model is real: it's fast, it's local, and twenty-plus years\nof narrative and grid report styles live in it.",[11,344,345,347],{},[18,346,80],{}," is web-first with polished native iOS and Android apps, and it has\ngone furthest on AI — Comment Assist, plus Report Assist with voice and photo\ninput. If you want to talk your report into existence, Spectora is the one\nbuilding that.",[11,349,350,352,353,357],{},[18,351,77],{}," is web-based for everything, with a\n",[40,354,356],{"href":355},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fios-app\u002Foverview","native iOS app"," for the field that works offline and\nsyncs when you get signal back. You fill out a structured template on site,\nattach photos and video, annotate them on your phone, and publish a branded PDF\nplus a share link. Template building stays on the web — the phone is for\ninspecting, not authoring.",[11,359,360],{},"There's no Android app. If you inspect on an Android phone, Eave works in the\nmobile browser but requires a connection, and that's a real limitation, not a\nroadmap wink.",[29,362,364],{"id":363},"templates-and-getting-yours-out-of-the-other-guy","Templates, and getting yours out of the other guy",[11,366,367],{},"This is usually the thing that keeps people where they are. Your comment library\nis years of work.",[11,369,370,371,375],{},"Eave has an ",[40,372,374],{"href":373},"\u002Fhelp\u002Ftemplates\u002Fimporting-a-template","AI template importer"," that\ntakes CSV, XLS\u002FXLSX, PDF, TXT, or HTML exports and asks which software they came\nfrom — Spectora, HomeGauge, or other. It turns deficiency checklists into\nstructured Issues fields with severities, and picks section icons. It isn't\nperfect and you'll review the result in the editor, but it's the difference\nbetween an afternoon and a fortnight.",[11,377,378],{},"There's also a sample library to start from — Standard Home Inspection, Radon,\nMold, Sewer Scope, Pool & Spa, Foundation, Energy Audit and more — plus a full\neditor with conditional fields, warning triggers by severity, and home-care tips\nthat attach themselves based on your answers.",[11,380,381],{},"Two honest caveats: free accounts get two AI imports before a subscription is\nneeded, and editing a template doesn't retroactively change inspections you've\nalready created — each one keeps the version it was built from.",[29,383,385],{"id":384},"the-business-side","The business side",[11,387,388],{},"All three cover the same ground: online scheduling, pre-inspection agreements\nwith e-signature, online payments, and report delivery.",[11,390,391],{},"A few Eave specifics worth naming, since they're where a solo operator's time\nactually goes:",[242,393,394,405,411],{},[245,395,396,399,400,404],{},[18,397,398],{},"Booking links are request-and-confirm."," A client picks a slot, you confirm\nor decline. Nothing lands on your calendar without you. The date picker draws\nyour other inspections, buffers, and time off so you can see the day.\n(",[40,401,403],{"href":402},"\u002Fhelp\u002Fscheduling\u002Foverview","Scheduling overview",")",[245,406,407,410],{},[18,408,409],{},"Agreements can be imported from your existing PDF"," and use merge fields for\nclient name, address, date, fee, and company. Signing unlocks the report.",[245,412,413,416],{},[18,414,415],{},"Repair requests are free and built by the buyer's agent",", not by you. They\nopen the report link you already sent, pick findings, and assemble the ask\nlist themselves.",[29,418,420],{"id":419},"when-spectora-or-homegauge-is-the-better-call","When Spectora or HomeGauge is the better call",[11,422,423],{},"Genuinely — and this list isn't short:",[242,425,426,432,438,444,450,456],{},[245,427,428,431],{},[18,429,430],{},"You have or plan to have employees."," Eave bills per user with no org-level\nplan, so a three-person shop pays three subscriptions and manages them\nseparately. Spectora's team features are built for this.",[245,433,434,437],{},[18,435,436],{},"You inspect on Android."," Spectora and HomeGauge both ship Android apps.\nEave doesn't.",[245,439,440,443],{},[18,441,442],{},"You want a website done for you."," Both offer hosted inspector sites with\nSEO built in. Eave doesn't offer one at all.",[245,445,446,449],{},[18,447,448],{},"You want to dictate reports."," Spectora's voice-driven Report Assist is\nfurther along than anything Eave has.",[245,451,452,455],{},[18,453,454],{},"You want a big peer community and phone support six days a week."," HomeGauge\nhas been at this since 2001 and Spectora since 2015. There are forums, user\ngroups, and people at your local chapter who can answer your question. Eave is\na young product with a small team and email support.",[245,457,458,461],{},[18,459,460],{},"You need a deep, battle-tested template library out of the box."," Two\ndecades of refinement is a real asset.",[29,463,465],{"id":464},"when-eave-is-the-better-call","When Eave is the better call",[242,467,468,473,479,484,489],{},[245,469,470],{},[18,471,472],{},"You're solo, and $1,000+\u002Fyear of software is a meaningful line item.",[245,474,475,478],{},[18,476,477],{},"You're just starting out"," and want to build a real report before deciding\nwhether the business works. Five inspections free, no credit card.",[245,480,481],{},[18,482,483],{},"You want the payment fee to be Stripe's, not a platform's.",[245,485,486],{},[18,487,488],{},"You work on a Mac and an iPhone.",[245,490,491,494],{},[18,492,493],{},"You want something you can learn in an afternoon."," Eave does less than\nSpectora. For a lot of one-person shops that's the feature.",[29,496,498],{"id":497},"the-honest-summary","The honest summary",[11,500,501],{},"If you're running a multi-inspector company, or you've spent years building a\ncomment library inside HomeGauge and it works, the money is probably well spent\nand switching costs more than it saves. Spectora is the most complete product in\nthis category, and it's priced accordingly.",[11,503,504],{},"If you're one person — especially in your first couple of years, where $1,000 a\nyear of fixed cost is a real decision — the gap between $10 and $109 a month buys\na lot of marketing, or a lot of nothing at all.",[11,506,507,508,511],{},"You can ",[40,509,510],{"href":232},"create an account"," and do five full inspections without\nentering a card. That's usually enough to know.",[23,513,514],{},[11,515,516],{},"Prices and features here were verified in August 2026 against each company's own\npricing and support pages. Software pricing changes; confirm on their sites\nbefore you decide.",{"title":518,"searchDepth":519,"depth":519,"links":520},"",2,[521,522,523,524,525,526,527,528,529,530],{"id":31,"depth":519,"text":32},{"id":61,"depth":519,"text":62},{"id":236,"depth":519,"text":237},{"id":284,"depth":519,"text":285},{"id":326,"depth":519,"text":327},{"id":363,"depth":519,"text":364},{"id":384,"depth":519,"text":385},{"id":419,"depth":519,"text":420},{"id":464,"depth":519,"text":465},{"id":497,"depth":519,"text":498},"2026-08-24","An honest, up-to-date comparison of the three for a one-person home inspection business — real prices, what each does well, and when the more expensive option is genuinely the right call.","md",null,{},true,"\u002Fblog\u002Feave-vs-spectora-vs-homegauge-for-solo-inspectors",{"title":5,"description":532},"blog\u002Feave-vs-spectora-vs-homegauge-for-solo-inspectors",[541,542],"Comparisons","Pricing","xUprdL4uSDxBYjszhgqgxaKXmY9-sp3DXz0hTCJ7dnA",{"prev":534,"next":534,"more":545},[],1787848593895]