Updater is a mobile app that seeks to streamline the entire moving process. It helps you find movers, transfer utilities, and more. But does it work? Read on to find out.
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What Is Updater?
Updater is an app that helps track and organize every step of moving. This includes finding the right movers, transferring utilities, and finding ways to get rid of stuff you don’t want before the big day.
Updater is designed for home buyers and renters, as well as real estate professionals. Updater was founded in 2010 and is based in New York City.
Over the years, the company has added several new features to the app and steadily increased its user base in the United States.
The app has multiple functions and capabilities that are designed to make moving less stressful and more manageable. More than 45 million people use Updater each year.
That number includes not only people who are moving, but also “relocation professionals” like property managers, real estate agents, and brokers.
Any real estate professional who wants to help clients have a smoother, worry-free move can use Updater to do it.
A short list of what Updater helps with includes:
- Reserve a mover online
- Request moving estimates
- Rent a truck
- Hire moving labor
- Forward mail
- Transfer utilities
- Set up new utilities and services
- Update address for accounts and records
- Ship your car
- Trash or donate unwanted items
Updater’s Best Features
Updater serves two groups of people: Those who are moving and real estate professionals who partner with the company to provide moving services to clients.
Join us as we look at the features the app offers and how it connects people who are moving with the services they’ll need in the process.
Moving Logistics
Updater assists with every step of the moving process, starting with the logistics of making a move – moving boxes, in-depth task lists, packing lists, cost estimators, and more.
When you input your information, the app develops personalized lists for you based on the details of your upcoming move.
This cuts down on time spent planning a move and help you stay on track while you prepare for the move.
- Purchase moving boxes
- Create and check off moving task lists
- Find the right box sizes
- Compare and choose movers you can trust
- Create and check off personalized packing lists
- Use a moving calculator to estimate and track costs
- Ship your car to your new address
When you purchase packing materials directly from the app, you’ll see precisely how much it costs and have the packing kits arrive at your door when you need them.
You can also add other packing materials like bubble wrap, packing tape, and permanent markers. Little details like this make the moving process much more straightforward.
Set Up New Services and Utilities
Once you’re prepared to move, you’ll want to make sure your new home is set up the way you want it. There’s nothing worse than getting through the stress of moving only to find that it will take a week to get your internet connection set up!
Updater helps you shop around for, compare costs of, and set up services and utilities in your new home, so you don’t have to wait.
These services include:
- Internet
- TV
- Electricity
- Gas
- Water
- Insurance
Entering your new address allows the app to pull up the best deals they can find for each service you need, like internet and TV.
You’re able to review the different companies and packages directly from the app so you can make the best decision for you and your family.
When Updater schedules your services and utilities to start at your new home, they also schedule service and utility cutoff at your former residence.
Update Your Information and Accounts
Updating all your accounts with your new address is time-consuming and easy to forget about in the whirlwind of moving.
Knowing that the app has everything covered takes a significant weight off your shoulders and helps you stay focused and relaxed during the process.
Updater can handle most information updates for you to ensure you don’t forget to change your address for an important bill, identification, or mail.
Updater makes sure all your accounts have your new address, in addition to:
- Updating your address with specific companies, mailing lists, and organizations you select
- Forwarding mail to your new address
- Updating your driver’s license
- Updating your address for voter registration
All you’ll need to do is enter the companies your address information needs to be changed or updated with, choose your USPS form type (individual, family, or business) and the app does the rest.
Settle Into Your New Place
Once you get into your new place, you might want to make some changes that make it feel more like home. Updater can assist you by helping you shop around for and compare different services in your area.
Starting off with a deep-clean, a new home security system, and small home improvements help you get settled quickly in your new home.
The app can give you options (without ever needing to check Google) for local services like:
- Handyman services and home improvement
- Cleaning services (one-time or recurring)
- Home automation setup
- Home security system installation
- Pest control services
All the Small Things
One of the biggest worries associated with moving is that you’ll forget about one small yet crucial detail, like registering your child for a new school in time or finding out if Fido is allowed in the new place.
Updater tracks all the small things, so you don’t have to be concerned. The app will find and show you the information you might need during or after the move, like:
- Guides to the area
- School zoning and registration information
- Pet requirements and rules
- Local transportation
- Community handbooks
- Neighborhood events and information
Free Moving Tips and Tools Online
Updater requires an invitation from a property manager, moving company, real estate agent, real estate broker, loan officer, or apartment management.
Once you’ve been invited, simply claim your account, and start crossing items off your moving checklist! If you don’t have access to an Updater invite, no problem! You can still connect your TV & Internet and set up home security! These options are free to use and open to anyone, anytime.
If you haven’t received an invitation, you won’t be able to use all the features the app offers. However, you can use the free moving tools Updater provides on their website.
Those tools include in-depth packing lists you can print off, moving checklists, and the ability to automatically switch over or set up a new internet and TV provider for your new address.
Plans and Pricing
Updater pricing works differently for people who are moving and real estate professionals who want to offer this service to their clients. Below are the pricing details for both groups.
If You’re Moving — Free
Updater is 100% free to use if you’ve been invited by a participating Updater partner. All the features listed above are included without limitations when you claim your free account with a valid invite.
The only charge you’ll get from Updater is a $1.00 verification fee for using your credit card to verify your identity. This fee is not required, though. You can use a landline phone number or cell phone to verify your account.
If You’re a Real Estate Professional — $149/year
- Flat annual fee
- Unlimited clients and Updater invitations
- Customized, branded Updater invite platform to invite new clients or tenants
- Integrates with your preferred software
- Assigned point of contact for technical support
- Real-time analytics and data
- Live demos for training your team
- Marketing materials and assistance
Enterprise — Under $50.00/month
- Basic, limited plan for smaller businesses
- Pricing based on:
- Estimated client volume
- Branding needs
- Team member access
- Customized, branded Updater invite platform to invite new clients or tenants
- Integrates with your preferred software
- Assigned point of contact for technical support
- Real-time analytics and data
- Live demos for training your team
- Marketing materials and assistance
Pros and Cons
This app takes much of the stress out of moving by making sure everything is handled and tracked for your peace of mind, from the little things to the big things.
For real estate professionals and property managers, this is an excellent value-adding benefit to offer to new tenants and clients. It can also help elevate you above competitors.
But there have to be some downsides, right? Exactly! And we’ll make sure to cover them in the section below.
- The ability to comparison shop for services in your new neighborhood all from one app makes this much more convenient than using Google for dozens of searches.
- You’ll be able to view information you might not have considered before or during your move, like local restaurant guides and information about local transportation.
- The app is free to use for people who are moving. The only charge you might have is a $1.00 verification fee, which can be avoided by verifying through another method.
- The cost is very reasonable for real estate agents (flat fee of $149/year) and other professionals (under $50/month).
- The invitation-only model makes it a lot more difficult for someone who is moving to access the app. You have to get an invitation from your moving company, new property manager, real estate professional, loan officer, or apartment community manager to use Updater.
- You can’t delete an upcoming move from your Updater account if your plans change. However, you can create a new move.
- If you cancel your Updater account (which requires contacting customer service – no convenient online or in-app option), you will not be able to use Updater for any future moves, even if you are invited by a different real estate professional or property manager.
Top Updater Alternatives
As with any good review, we also need to highlight some alternatives to ensure you’re not seeing the only option. Don’t worry, we’ve done just that.
Moveline
Moveline uses a quick, 15-minute video chat to make an accurate estimate of the square footage of your home and the moving crew size, truck size, number of boxes, packing supplies, and moving crates you’ll need to move.
They work directly with your moving company, so you only have to deal with your “Move Captain” through the duration of your move.
- What it doesn’t do: Moveline won’t work for everyone because it only offers options for mover services in 12 major cities in the United States.
Unpakt
Unpakt is the #2 competitor for Updater. This app allows you to take a quick inventory of your stuff to be moved, select the movers you want to work with, handle insurance, and deliver your boxes to your new address.
- What it doesn’t do: Reviews say the pricing is confusing and that the customer service is lacking. This app does not handle account and address information updates (forward mail, driver’s license, billing address, etc.) as Updater does.
Our Take
This moving app is probably the best one available. There are additional features that similar apps just don’t have, like the ability to update your address with just about every service, company, or form of identification you have.
It’s nice that you can make sure your internet and TV subscriptions are ready to go at your new address by the time you arrive. The added bonus of being able to choose a highly-rated moving company directly from the app is great.
The major downside to Updater is that you can’t use the app without being invited by a real estate professional who pays to use it.
Even if you can’t source an invite, we liked that you can still use the internet/TV subscription address update feature, along with some free packing and moving checklists they make available online.
Should You Use Updater?
Overall, Updater is a time-saving app that can turn your move into a worry-free experience. If you’re a real estate professional, it’s an excellent value-adding benefit you can offer to clients and tenants.
They’ll thank you for helping them improve their overall experience with you. We’d rate Updater 5 out of 5 stars.
