Stay with Vesta if
you work mainly from a fixed workstation, prefer a classic form-based workflow with dictation support, and you're comfortable with generative AI text suggestions in a legal document.
Vesta or Lumos: two AI philosophies in building inspection
Vesta is a mature Quebec inspection software based on a desktop model with an iOS companion for the field. Vesta recently added AI voice dictation and generative text suggestions. Lumos is built around specialized AI, on a cloud-based web platform, with the BNQ 3009-500 standard as its native structure. These aren't two versions of the same idea — they're two different approaches to the profession.
In 60 seconds
Consider Lumos if
you want an AI trained on Quebec standards, a modern workflow where you describe a finding rather than fill in fields, a real-time BNQ compliance gauge, and an interactive report for your buyers.
How capture works
With Vesta, you use an iOS companion (Vesta Go) for offline field collection. AI voice dictation helps you fill fields faster, but you remain in a form-filling logic.
With Lumos, you dictate your observations out loud during the inspection, and the AI analyzes your voice and photos to generate a structured four-part finding. You don't fill out a form — you describe the findings as you make them during the inspection.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| Hands-free voice capture, voice-first | Yes | AI dictation into fields |
| Automatic structured finding generation | Yes | Text suggestions |
| Native offline mobile app | Lumos Capture, offline-first | Vesta Go (iOS only) |
| Photo annotations linked to finding | Native | Basic |
What changes
at Vesta, voice speeds up the filling. At Lumos, voice replaces the filling.
AI in the report
With Vesta, AI is a layer added to the existing software. Text suggestions come from a generative model, without context specific to the Quebec standard.
With Lumos, the AI was designed from the start with the profession in mind. It's trained on the BNQ 3009-500 standard, the Quebec Civil Code, building codes, and professional documentation. Every finding it generates goes through two levels of automatic review before you approve.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| AI trained on BNQ + QC Civil Code | Yes | Not announced |
| Automated 2-level quality review | Yes | Manual |
| AI assistant on standards | Built-in | Not announced |
| Targeted rewrite per section | Yes | Variable |
| Using the software without any AI features | Yes, fully functional | Yes, AI is an optional add-on |
What changes
AI added on top and AI designed from the start don't produce the same report, nor the same professional safety.
BNQ 3009-500 and REIBH 2027
With Vesta, you're aligned with the standard based on the configuration you've set up. Coverage depends on how you've structured your reports.
With Lumos, the standard isn't aligned — it's native. The editor is organized component by component according to the BNQ, with mandatory fields built in and a real-time gauge that flags gaps before you close the inspection.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-time BNQ compliance gauge | Yes | Not announced |
| Enforced component-based structure | Native | Depends on configuration |
| Ready for the standard REIBH will make mandatory | Yes | Requires configuration |
What changes
you don't have to wonder if your report covers the standard. The tool tells you.
What your buyer receives
With Vesta, delivery is by PDF, via email.
With Lumos, your buyer receives a secure link that opens their client portal, with no account to create: the interactive web report — section-by-section navigation, full-screen photos and videos, priority filtering — along with the signed agreement, the invoice and the documents you made available. They sign what needs signing and upload what you asked for in the same place. The professional PDF remains available for those who request it.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| Client portal with no account: documents, signature, uploads | One secure link per client | Not announced |
| Secure interactive web report | Yes | Not announced |
| Customizable PDF | Complete | Configurable |
| Brand visible (logo, Google reviews) in web report | Yes | Not announced |
What changes
you go from a classic deliverable to a digital experience your buyers will notice.
Where your data lives and your management
With Vesta, your data is on your workstation. If the computer breaks down, is stolen, or damaged, it goes with it — unless you've made your own backups. Business management (proposals, agreements, invoicing) is partly done outside the tool.
With Lumos, everything lives in the Cloud, with data hosted in Canada, encryption at rest and automatic backups. You switch workstations, log in, and find everything. The platform integrates proposals with AIBQ/APCHQ service agreements, invoicing with automatic GST/QST calculation, Google review automation, and team management. You can also export your data from Lumos to back it up wherever you'd like.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| Document Center: status and history of every document | By inspection, by status, activity feed | Not announced |
| Document requests to the client, with automatic reminders | Yes | Not announced |
| Data hosted in Canada, secure cloud | Yes | Local on your workstation |
| Automatic backups | Yes | User responsibility |
| Built-in AIBQ/APCHQ agreement | Yes | Not announced |
| Invoicing + automatic GST/QST | Yes | Not announced |
| Multi-seat team + AI Assistant tracking per member | Yes | Limited |
What changes
Lumos replaces the report tool, the project management, and the assurance that your data won't leave with your laptop.
Added AI vs native AI: the concrete difference
Vesta added AI to its product. Lumos was designed around AI. Beyond the marketing claims, here's what it changes in practice.
Added AI works like a layer of smart autocomplete on software designed for a classic workflow. It can suggest wording, save you a few minutes of typing, generate paragraphs from an instruction. But it doesn't have access to the report structure, the standard context, or the logic of your findings. It's an assistant that passes by, not one that goes through.
Native AI is embedded in the product's structure. It knows your finding must have four parts (identification, role, consequences, recommendation). It knows the BNQ standard because it was trained on it. It proposes findings consistent with your photos because it analyzes them. And most importantly, it passes its proposals through a two-level review before presenting them to you for validation.
The difference isn't in the interface — it's in what the AI delivers as a draft. And in a legal document, the quality of the draft is what determines how much time you'll spend correcting.
Pricing and getting started
See full pricing detailsLumos
- Starter$10 per inspection, first 3 free, no credit card required.
- Pro$110 per month, unlimited inspections, advanced BNQ, unlimited AI Assistant, unlimited assisted writing.
- Team$99 per additional seat per month.
- Student programfree during studies + 2 months post-graduation.
Vesta: - License fee: $625 + Tax - Monthly maintenance: $34.95 + Tax - Vesta Go license: $125 + Tax - Vesta Go maintenance: $22.50 + Tax - AI access add-on: $10 per month
Questions inspectors ask us
Is the AI in Lumos and Vesta really different?
Yes, fundamentally. Vesta uses a generative model to suggest text. Lumos uses an AI trained specifically on the BNQ 3009-500 standard, the Civil Code, and Quebec professional documentation, with two-level review before human validation. The output is fundamentally different.
How does the Lumos findings bank compare to Vesta's?
Raw volume is a poor way to compare banks built differently. Lumos offers 1,165 bilingual findings split into two normative banks: 710 for pre-purchase, 455 for pre-delivery. Each is qualified under BNQ 3009-500 and linked to its source, bilingual FR/EN from a single source, and integrated into the voice-AI workflow. You can also create your own custom blocks, and the bank evolves continuously.
If I migrate from Vesta, what happens to my past reports?
Your past reports stay in Vesta, accessible. You can archive your PDFs in Lumos if you want to centralize. For active ongoing cases, migration is done project by project.
Does Lumos work offline like Vesta Go?
Yes. Lumos Capture, the native iOS and Android app, captures offline: photos, audio, and text are stored locally and sync automatically when the network returns. Project creation and final report delivery happen online, in the web app.
Is Lumos more expensive than Vesta?
Vesta's prices aren't public. Compare what's included in each plan: Lumos integrates invoicing, AIBQ/APCHQ agreements, the interactive web report, and team management — which would require multiple additional tools with Vesta.
In summary
Vesta modernized a desktop editor by adding AI. Lumos rebuilt the tool around specialized AI and the BNQ 3009-500 standard, on a cloud platform. Try it on a real inspection, for free.
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This comparison is based on publicly available information at the time of publication. Features evolve. If something seems inaccurate, write to us and we'll update it.
Sources
- Bureau de normalisation du Québec (BNQ), BNQ 3009-500 standard
- Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ)
- LégisQuébec, Civil Code of Québec
- Organisme d'autoréglementation du courtage immobilier du Québec (OACIQ)
- Association des inspecteurs en bâtiments du Québec (AIBQ)
- Official Vesta Solution website
- Lumos documentation, field capture and offline mode
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