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
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.
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
Avec Vesta, 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.
Avec Lumos, 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 | AI dictation into fields | |
| Automatic structured finding generation | Text suggestions | |
| Native offline mobile app | Coming in the next few months | Vesta Go (iOS only) |
| Photo annotations linked to finding | Native | Basic |
at Vesta, voice speeds up the filling. At Lumos, voice replaces the filling.
🤖AI in the report
Avec Vesta, 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.
Avec Lumos, 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 | Not announced | |
| Automated 2-level quality review | Manual | |
| AI assistant on standards | Built-in | |
| Targeted rewrite per section | Variable |
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
Avec Vesta, 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.
Avec Lumos, 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 | ||
| Enforced component-based structure | Native | Depends on configuration |
| Ready for REIBH October 2027 | Requires configuration |
you don't have to wonder if your report covers the standard. The tool tells you.
📦What your buyer receives
Avec Vesta, With Vesta, delivery is by PDF, via email.
Avec Lumos, With Lumos, your buyer receives a secure link that opens an interactive web report. Section-by-section navigation, full-screen photos and videos, priority filtering, invoice and signed contract all in one place. The professional PDF remains available for those who request it.
| Lumos | Vesta | |
|---|---|---|
| Secure interactive web report | ||
| Customizable PDF | Complete | Configurable |
| Brand visible (logo, Google reviews) in web report | N/A |
you go from a classic deliverable to a digital experience your buyers will notice.
🏢Where your data lives and your management
Avec Vesta, 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.
Avec Lumos, With Lumos, everything lives in the Cloud, hosted in Canada, with 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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Secure cloud hosting (Canada) | Local on your workstation | |
| Automatic backups | User responsibility | |
| Built-in AIBQ/APCHQ agreement | ||
| Invoicing + automatic GST/QST | ||
| Multi-seat team + AI credits per member | Limited |
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
Lumos
Starter : $10 per inspection, first 3 free, no credit card required.
Unlimited : $110 per month, unlimited inspections, advanced BNQ, 200 AI messages per month.
Team : $99 per additional seat per month.
Student program : free during studies + 3 months post-graduation.
Questions inspectors ask us
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.