CatalogIt is a well-made, mobile-first cataloguing app used by private collectors, small museums and heritage organisations. Aurelian is an operational workspace for people who both catalogue and trade — galleries, advisors, jewellers, watch dealers and collectors who buy, sell, lend and consign. Both catalogue well; they answer different questions after the cataloguing is done.
Positioning
Choose CatalogIt if the job is genuinely cataloguing and public-facing collection sharing, especially for a museum or heritage collection. Choose Aurelian if the catalogue is the start rather than the end — if you also need client relationships, consignment splits, invoices, valuations for insurance and scoped multi-user access on top of the records.
Feature comparison
| Area | CatalogIt | Aurelian |
|---|---|---|
| Primary user | Private collectors, small museums and heritage organisations. | Galleries, dealers, advisors and collectors who transact as well as catalogue. |
| Cataloguing depth | Strong. Purpose-built, mobile-first, good field structure. | Strong, with provenance, editions and valuation history modelled as event chains. |
| CRM & clienteling | Not the product's focus. | Full client records with purchase history, interactions and follow-ups. |
| Consignments & sales | Not covered. | Consignment agreements, commission splits, invoices and sale records in the same ledger. |
| Public sharing | Public collection profiles and Hub sharing are a core strength. | Private, link-shared viewing rooms aimed at collectors and buyers rather than public browsing. |
| Categories covered | Broad collection types, museum-leaning. | Art, jewellery, watches and design objects on one trading-oriented data model. |
When CatalogIt wins
Museums, historical societies and heritage collections that need public collection profiles and a mobile-first cataloguing workflow. Private collectors whose need is genuinely cataloguing and nothing beyond it. Organisations with volunteers cataloguing in the field.
When Aurelian wins
Anyone who sells, consigns, lends commercially or advises clients. Galleries and dealers needing invoices, splits and client history attached to the same records. Collectors who want insurance-ready valuation schedules and scoped access for advisors, insurers or family. Mixed collections that span art, jewellery and watches.
Questions
Yes. CatalogIt exports to CSV, which imports into Aurelian's inventory and contact models. Images and documents are re-uploaded during setup; assisted migration is available on annual paid plans.
Not in the same public-browsing form. Aurelian's sharing is private and link-based — viewing rooms and scoped access aimed at collectors, insurers and advisors rather than public discovery.
If the goal is a beautiful catalogue, CatalogIt is excellent. If the goal is an insurance-ready, provenance-defensible archive with advisor access and eventual succession planning, Aurelian is the fuller fit.
CatalogIt's entry tiers are inexpensive for single-user cataloguing. Aurelian is one flat subscription that includes CRM, consignments and invoicing — better value once you need more than cataloguing, worse value if you never will.
See for yourself