Comparison
SlabToRoof vs HomeGauge
HomeGauge is a long established name in US inspection software with a broad product line behind it, while SlabToRoof does one job for a shop that lives or dies on getting tonight report out tonight.
Comparison
SlabToRoof vs Spectora: Which Fits a One or Two Inspector Shop
SlabToRoof is the narrow tool for an inspector who still writes every report, while Spectora is a broad inspection platform for an operator who wants the whole business inside one product.
The short answer
If you inspect one or two houses a day and write your own reports at the kitchen table, SlabToRoof is the closer fit. It handles report assembly, photo annotation and branded same evening delivery to the buyer and the agent, and it does not ask you to move scheduling, agreements and marketing in first. Spectora suits an inspector who wants one broad platform behind the entire business and is willing to spend the setup time that breadth costs. Decide on scope. If you want less software to configure on a Sunday night, take the narrow tool.
SlabToRoof and Spectora side by side
| What you are deciding | SlabToRoof | Spectora |
|---|---|---|
| Who it is built for | A licensed inspector working alone or with one second inspector on the same standard | Inspection businesses across a range of sizes, from one person up to multi inspector firms |
| Scope of the product | Report assembly, photo annotation and delivery, and nothing beyond that | A broad platform whose scope reaches across more of the inspection business |
| Work before your first report | Load your narrative library, set your logo, go inspect | Expect a configuration pass over each area of the platform you intend to use |
| Where the report is finished | Phone in the driveway, or a short desk pass the same evening | Wherever the platform workflow places the writing stage |
| What the agent receives | A branded report plus a one screen summary an agent can forward without opening a file | Delivery is one stage inside a larger workflow |
| Back office work | Not included, so keep the scheduler and agreement tool you already trust | Broader coverage of the business is part of the offer |
| Pricing shape | Flat monthly by headcount, 39 dollars solo, 89 dollars for two inspectors, 179 dollars for a firm | Published on their own site, so check current terms directly before you compare |
The right hand column places Spectora by scope and by the sort of operator it serves, with no attempt at a priced feature list. Products change, so check the current details with them before you decide. SlabToRoof is published by MLJ, SASU and this page is written by Jimenez Julien.
Choose SlabToRoof when
- You inspect one or two houses a day and write every report yourself that night.
- Your agents complain more about how the report arrives than about what is in it.
- You already have scheduling and inspection agreements handled and do not want to move them.
- You want a buyer to open the report on a phone in a parked car without a login fight.
Choose Spectora when
- You want one platform sitting behind scheduling, agreements, invoicing and reporting together.
- You plan to grow past two inspectors and would rather put the business tooling in place first.
- You value working in a product many US inspectors already know, so training a hire is easier.
What each product assumes about your inspection day
Spectora assumes you are running a business that has several moving parts to manage, and it offers a place to manage them. That assumption is correct for plenty of shops. If you have a scheduler answering the phone, a second and third inspector on different templates, and agreements going out ahead of every job, a single broad platform saves you the stitching.
SlabToRoof assumes something narrower. It assumes you took two hundred photos between the crawlspace and the ridge, that you have ninety minutes at a desk before the agent starts asking, and that the difference between a good night and a bad one is whether the report went out before the buyer went to bed. Everything in the product points at that window.
The report the agent actually forwards
A listing agent forwards what is easy to forward. If your report reaches them as something they have to download, unzip or log into, it stalls, and the questions come back to you by text at nine at night. SlabToRoof was shaped around removing that friction: a branded page the agent can pass along, with the summary readable on a phone screen and the full detail one tap away.
Spectora approaches delivery as one stage in a broader workflow, which is a reasonable design for a platform meant to cover more ground. The question for you is whether the report handoff is the part of your week that hurts. If it is not, breadth is worth more than a sharper handoff.
What switching costs in either direction
The real switching cost in inspection software is not the subscription, it is your narrative library. Ten years of comment text about double tapped breakers, undersized headers and reversed polarity is the asset. Before you move anywhere, ask how your comments come out and in what format, and test the export while you are still paying the current vendor.
Moving to SlabToRoof means importing that library and keeping your wording, then adding your logo and your delivery list. Moving away from it means exporting reports and comments and rebuilding the back office links you kept outside. Neither direction should take more than a slow week, and you should never let anyone tell you a report you wrote belongs to a vendor.
Questions people ask before they choose
Can SlabToRoof handle scheduling and inspection agreements too?
No, and that is deliberate. SlabToRoof covers report assembly, photo annotation and same evening delivery, and expects you to keep whatever calendar and agreement tool you already use. If you want those functions inside one product, a broader platform is the better fit for you.
Do I have to rewrite my comment library to move over?
No. Bring your existing narratives in and keep your own wording, including the state specific language your insurer expects. Most inspectors spend an evening tidying categories rather than rewriting sentences. Your voice in a report is worth protecting.
I run two inspectors on different templates. Does that work?
It works if both of you agree on one report standard, which is what the two inspector tier is built around. Two people producing two different looking reports for the same brand causes agent confusion and, eventually, claim exposure. If you truly need separate templates per inspector, look at a broader platform.
Other comparisons on slabtoroof.com
Comparison
SlabToRoof vs Tap Inspect
Tap Inspect is built for the inspector who wants the lightest possible app and finishes on site, while SlabToRoof is built around what happens between the last photo and the agent opening the report.
Settle this head to head on a real house
Two columns of criteria are an argument, and a delivered report is evidence. Bring the photos from your last inspection and we will sort them into sections, annotate the service panel shot, and send a branded copy to a test buyer and agent address while you watch. Half an hour is enough to know which of these two suits the way your week actually runs.