Gavelist is AI auction cataloging software that reads every photo in a lot, writes the title, description and condition, and exports ready-made files for HiBid (via Auction Flex 360), LiveAuctioneers, Proxibid, BidWrangler, AuctionNinja and Auction Flex 360, at $0.15 per lot pay-as-you-go or $79 a month for 1,000 lots, with 0% of auction sales. Weighed against AuctionWriter, Gavelist costs less at every monthly volume up to about 9,900 lots and reads every photo you give it, while AuctionWriter is built around native phone apps and large fixed monthly tiers.
Updated October 8, 2026 by Ben Cope, founder of Gavelist. Gavelist is one of the two products compared here, so read it that way. AuctionWriter facts come from AuctionWriter's own pages, checked October 8, 2026, and are linked under Sources.
At a glance
| Gavelist | AuctionWriter (as of October 8, 2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Gavelist: $0.15/lot pay-as-you-go, or $79 (1,000 lots), $160 (2,500), $250 (5,000) a month; $0.09/lot over a plan | Monthly plans, $99 (1,000 lots) to $2,289 (43,000) |
| Free start | Gavelist: 100 lots over 30 days, no card, including 10 comps lots and 10 product-photo lots | 50 free lots |
| Share of sales | Gavelist: 0% | None listed |
| Photos per lot | Gavelist: every photo, no per-lot limit | Up to 30 |
| Unedited exports | Gavelist: 96.3% of 57,377 lots exported with no client edit (through September 22, 2026) | Not published |
| Exports | Gavelist: HiBid (via Auction Flex 360), LiveAuctioneers, Proxibid, BidWrangler, AuctionNinja, Auctioneer Software, eBay, generic CSV | 18+ platforms listed |
| Capture | Gavelist: any camera; upload the whole sale in one batch from a browser | Native phone and tablet apps |
| Comps | Gavelist: optional, 15c/lot, charged only when delivered; each comp shows its source, current listings labeled asking | Not listed |
Price at your monthly volume
Gavelist is cheaper than AuctionWriter at every volume up to about 9,900 lots a month, because Gavelist has no tier to fill: a 200-lot month costs $30 and a 5,000-lot month fits Gavelist's $250 plan.
| Lots in a month | Gavelist | AuctionWriter (lowest plan that covers it) |
|---|---|---|
| 200 | Gavelist $30 (pay-as-you-go) | $99 (Standard) |
| 1,000 | Gavelist $79 | $99 |
| 2,200 | Gavelist $160 | $189 |
| 5,000 | Gavelist $250 | $489 (7,000-lot plan) |
| 11,000 | Gavelist $790 | $689 |
| 31,000 | Gavelist $2,590 | $1,689 |
Gavelist's price and AuctionWriter's cross between about 9,900 and 12,100 lots, where it depends on which AuctionWriter tier you land in. Above about 12,100 lots every month, AuctionWriter's large tiers cost less than Gavelist's Enterprise plan plus overage. (AuctionWriter's full tier list is linked under Sources.)
Photos: Gavelist reads every one
Gavelist reads every photo in a lot together, with no per-lot limit, so a hallmark in the fourth photo goes into the same title as the front view, and lots with eight or more photos get their own AI pass, where AuctionWriter states that each lot supports up to 30 images. For silver, ceramics, art and signed furniture the mark is usually on the underside, which is why reading every photo matters.
Output you can check
According to Gavelist production data through September 22, 2026, 96.3% of the 57,377 lots clients exported through Gavelist went out with no edit to the AI-written title or description (87.7% excluding Gavelist's largest client). Gavelist also learns your house style from your edits and applies only the rules you approve. Gavelist publishes this rate and how it is counted; AuctionWriter does not publish a comparable one.
Exports
Gavelist writes ready-made files for HiBid (via Auction Flex 360), LiveAuctioneers, Proxibid, BidWrangler, AuctionNinja and Auction Flex 360, an import workbook for Auctioneer Software, an eBay bulk-listing file, and a generic CSV for AuctionZip, AuctionMethod, Wavebid and other spreadsheet-import platforms. More than half of the Gavelist accounts that exported a catalog from June to early October 2026 (21 of 39) exported a HiBid file; see the guide to importing a catalog CSV into HiBid through Auction Flex.
Who Gavelist is best for
- Gavelist fits auctions whose volume swings month to month: you pay per lot, with no tier to fill.
- Gavelist fits lots with marks, labels or damage on the back: every photo is read.
- Gavelist fits HiBid and LiveAuctioneers sellers who want an import-ready file.
- Gavelist fits houses that want their own style, with rules they approve.
Gavelist has no native phone app and no offline mode: you shoot on any camera or phone and upload the sale in one batch.
AuctionWriter may fit if you catalog on site from phones without Wi-Fi, or you run a steady 12,000+ lots every month.
Test Gavelist and AuctionWriter on your own sale
Gavelist's first 100 lots are free over 30 days with no card, and AuctionWriter's first 50 lots are free, so the most reliable comparison is one of your own sales:
- Pick one real sale of 50+ lots, photographed the way you normally shoot.
- Run the same lots through Gavelist and through AuctionWriter's free start.
- Score how many descriptions you would ship unedited, whether maker's marks and condition made it into the copy, and how each export loads into your platform.
- Price both at your real monthly volume using the table above.
According to Gavelist production data, 88% of lots across Gavelist clients shipped with no client edit to the AI title or description (96% including Gavelist's largest client), through September 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Gavelist cheaper than AuctionWriter? Yes, at every monthly volume up to about 9,900 lots: Gavelist is $79 against AuctionWriter's $99 at 1,000 lots, and $250 against $489 at 5,000, on both companies' published prices (October 8, 2026). Between about 9,900 and 12,100 lots it depends on AuctionWriter's tier, and above about 12,100 lots a month AuctionWriter's large tiers cost less than Gavelist's.
Is AuctionWriter worth it for a small auction house? For a first small sale, AuctionWriter's 50 free lots and Gavelist's 100-lot, 30-day trial with no card are both low-risk starts. After that, a small house running under about 660 lots a month pays less on Gavelist's $0.15-per-lot pay-as-you-go than on AuctionWriter's $99 Standard plan.
Does Gavelist have a mobile app? No. Gavelist has no native app and no offline mode: you shoot on any phone or camera and upload the whole sale in one batch. If you catalog on site without Wi-Fi, AuctionWriter's native apps with offline mode may suit you more than Gavelist.
Does Gavelist limit photos per lot? No. Gavelist reads every photo in a lot, with no per-lot limit; AuctionWriter states up to 30 images per lot.
Can I use Gavelist and AuctionWriter at the same time? Yes. Run one real sale through each and count the descriptions you would ship unedited.
Sources
- AuctionWriter, "Pricing," accessed October 8, 2026. auctionwriter.com/pricing
- AuctionWriter, home page (photos per lot, native apps and offline mode, export list), accessed October 8, 2026. auctionwriter.com
- Gavelist production data: export edit rate through September 22, 2026; export logs June to September 2026 (first-party).
- Gavelist, "Pricing." gavelist.com/pricing