Comparison

magicplan vs Home Stories

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

magicplan

This app allows professionals to quickly create accurate floor plans using augmented reality and LiDAR scanning. Capture measurements, photos, notes, and generate reports for faster project completion and payment. It integrates with industry-specific software.

Highlights
  • Real-time floor plans with AR/LiDAR
  • Capture photos and notes
  • Add objects and equipment
  • Generate reports and estimates
  • Integrates with Xactimate and CoreLogic
  • Customizable for job needs
Features
Read full description

GET IT RIGHT IN REAL TIME magicplan is the advanced floor plan app that enables remodelers, restoration, and claims professionals to capture what counts instantly. Top features: · Real-time Floor Plans · Photos · Notes · Objects & Equipment · Forms & Checklists · 360° Panoramas · Reports · Price Lists & Estimates No more waiting, no more wondering, no more wasted time and effort. Get more done and get paid faster. · Make floor plans quickly using just the camera of your mobile device (no extra hardware required) · Get all the details you need right away, like measurements and pictures · Customize it for your jobs · It’s accurate and helps you work faster · You don't have to wait or guess about anything We integrate with Xactimate® (direct integration, no ESX) and CoreLogic.

About

Home Stories

Plan and track home renovation projects, managing budgets, to-dos, photos, and quotes in one place. Collaborate with partners or contractors and visualize progress with a photo timeline. Works offline and syncs across devices.

Highlights
  • Project planning and budgeting
  • Cost tracking and expense logging
  • Photo timeline and before/after comparisons
  • Task management with reminders
  • Collaboration with partners and contractors
  • Offline functionality and iCloud sync
  • Document and quote storage
Features
Read full description

Plan your renovation, track what it really costs, and keep every photo, quote and to-do in one place. Home Stories turns a kitchen remodel or a bathroom reno into a project you can actually see. Plan it on your own or together with your partner or contractor. SHARE THE PROJECT (PRO) - Invite a partner, a family member or your contractor - Everyone sees the same tasks, items and photos, kept in step through iCloud - Export a polished PDF report with a cover photo - the whole project or just the parts you need NEW: BUILT FOR IPAD - Your projects sit in a sidebar and the project opens beside them - A task, item, note or document opens in an inspector alongside your work, not on top of it - Drag photos, PDFs and links straight in from Safari, Files or Photos - Keyboard shortcuts and pointer support NEW: YOUR PROJECTS ON EVERY DEVICE (PRO) - Turn on iCloud sync and your edits reach your other devices as you make them - Start a project on iPhone, carry on planning it on iPad - Sync stays off until you switch it on HOW IT WORKS 1. Create a project - give it a name, a start date and a budget 2. Add tasks, items, notes and documents as you go 3. The running total and the photo timeline build themselves TRACK THE MONEY - Every item you save adds its price to the project total - Budget vs. actual cost chart, so you see the overrun coming (Pro) - Log payments and keep materials, labour and contractor costs apart - Works in your own currency SAVE WHAT YOU FIND - Spot a sink in the store: snap it, add the price, the shop and a note - Share a product straight from Safari, Amazon or IKEA into a project - Keep quotes, contracts and receipts as documents - Notes for everything else - the carpenter's number, the paint code BEFORE, DURING AND AFTER - A photo timeline for the whole project - Side-by-side before and after comparison - Slideshow to show people what changed TASKS THAT DO NOT GET FORGOTTEN - Due dates and reminders (Pro) - Built-in time tracking with a Lock Screen timer and Dynamic Island (iPhone 14 Pro and later) - Home Screen widgets for budget progress and what is next FREE, WITH A ONE-TIME PRO UPGRADE Unlimited projects, items, photos, notes, documents, time tracking, widgets, local backups and full data export are free, and stay free. Pro is a single purchase - no subscription, nothing to cancel - and adds the budget chart, task reminders, PDF export, iCloud sync and project sharing. Family Sharing included. PRIVACY - No account and no sign-up - Your projects stay on your device unless you turn on sync or share a project - Sync runs through your own private iCloud - Anonymous usage analytics can be switched off in Settings - Works offline, and sync catches up when you are back online ACCESSIBILITY AND LANGUAGES - Full VoiceOver support and Dynamic Type - Available in 50 languages PERFECT FOR Kitchen renovations, bathroom remodels, attic and basement conversions, bedrooms and nurseries, home offices and home gyms, decorating and flooring, garages, garden and landscaping projects, house flipping, and the long list of small repairs every home collects. Start your first project today.

Screenshots

magicplan4 screens
Home Stories4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is ratings volume: magicplan at 41K against Home Stories's 3. magicplan also leads on chart position (#184 vs unranked). Home Stories's advantage is rating (5.0 vs 4.7). On price, review sentiment, update cadence and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. magicplan sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $12.99 per month and Home Stories sells 1 one-off in-app purchase. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Home Stories holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: magicplan has 41K ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews split almost evenly too, at 67% and 67% positive.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

magicplan ships an update weekly, Home Stories every 5 days. The most recent releases landed on November 7, 2026 and November 6, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
magicplan versus Home Stories: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParametermagicplanHome Stories
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.7 (41K ratings)5.0 (3 ratings) — better
Positive reviews66.5% of reviews66.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings41K — better3
Update frequencyWeeklyEvery 5 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationFree with in-app purchasesFree with in-app purchases
Best chart rank#184 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad
Requires iOS16.4 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size332 MB38 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperTechnologies magicplan Inc.Robert Jensen

Customer experience

magicplan

All ratings41,339 ratings
Positive91.8%
Neutral3.5%
Negative4.7%
Written reviews1,895 reviews
Positive66.5%
Neutral5.9%
Negative27.6%

Home Stories

All ratings3 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews3 reviews
Positive66.7%
Neutral0.0%
Negative33.3%

Bugs and requests

magicplan

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Rooms not detected properly due to obstructions
  • Crashes during posture calibration
  • Dimensions changing unexpectedly when editing
  • Inability to export or access previously created projects

Requested features

6 requests
  • Add support for curved walls and non-rectangular rooms
  • Improve 3D rendering capabilities
  • Provide desktop/web app version
  • Allow more flexibility in unit of measurement
  • Enhance exterior design options
Show 1 more
  • Improve stair and ceiling modeling

Home Stories

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

6 purchases

magicplan

Subscriptions6
  • Sketch Plan (1 Month)$12.991 Month
  • Report Plan (1 Month)$39.991 Month
  • Estimate Plan (1 Month)$89.991 Month
Show 3 more
  • Sketch Plan (1 Year)$129.991 Year
  • Report Plan (1 Year)$399.991 Year
  • Estimate Plan (1 Year)$899.991 Year
1 purchases

Home Stories

One-time1
  • Home Stories Pro$9.99

Questions

Is magicplan free?
magicplan is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Home Stories free?
Home Stories is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, magicplan or Home Stories?
Home Stories is rated higher. magicplan averages 4.7 out of 5 from 41K ratings, while Home Stories averages 5.0 from 3 ratings.
Do magicplan or Home Stories have ads?
Neither magicplan nor Home Stories shows ads.
Which is updated more often, magicplan or Home Stories?
magicplan ships an update weekly, and Home Stories every 5 days. Most recently, magicplan was updated on November 7, 2026 and Home Stories on November 6, 2026.

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