About 11; min
Spreadsheets work until they don’t. One oversold product, one missed reorder, one warehouse miscounting — suddenly you need inventory software. Zoho Inventory is free for 50 orders/month. Cin7 costs $349/month. The gap is massive because “inventory management” means vastly different things at different scales. We ranked 6 tools by what growing businesses actually need.
All pricing verified March 2026 from official websites.
Best Inventory Management Tools, Ranked
| # | Tool | Starting price | Free plan | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoho Inventory | $29/mo | Yes (50 orders/mo) | Best free + affordable paid |
| 2 | Square for Retail | $0-60/mo | Yes | Retail + POS |
| 3 | ShipBob | Usage-based | No | E-commerce fulfillment |
| 4 | inFlow | $89/mo | No (14-day trial) | Wholesale + B2B |
| 5 | Cin7 | $349/mo | No | Multi-channel, complex ops |
| 6 | Sortly | $0-49/mo | Yes (100 items) | Simple asset tracking |
1. Zoho Inventory — Best Overall Value
Pricing: Free (50 orders/mo), Standard $29/mo (500 orders), Professional $79/mo (2,500 orders), Premium $129/mo (5,000 orders).
Zoho Inventory tracks stock across warehouses, syncs with Shopify/Amazon/eBay, generates purchase orders, and manages serial/batch tracking. The free plan handles 50 orders/month — enough for a small shop testing the waters.
Why #1: Free plan is real (not a 14-day trial). Paid plans are the most affordable for growing businesses. Integrates with the entire Zoho ecosystem (Books, CRM, Desk) for a full business stack.
The catch: Interface feels dated compared to newer tools. Multi-warehouse is Standard+ only. Advanced features like dropshipping and composite items need Professional ($79).
2. Square for Retail — Best for Physical Stores
Pricing: Free (basic POS + inventory), Plus $60/mo/location.
Square’s POS already tracks inventory for physical stores. Products, variants, stock counts, low-stock alerts, and purchase orders — all inside the free Square ecosystem. For brick-and-mortar businesses, inventory management is built into the tool you already use for payments.
Best for: Retail stores, restaurants, and service businesses that sell physical products alongside their main business.
3. ShipBob — Best for E-Commerce Fulfillment
Pricing: Usage-based (storage + pick/pack + shipping). No monthly platform fee.
ShipBob isn’t traditional inventory software — it’s a fulfillment network. Send your inventory to ShipBob’s warehouses, they store it, pack orders, and ship to customers. Real-time inventory tracking across multiple fulfillment centers. Integrates with Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and BigCommerce.
Best for: E-commerce brands doing 200+ orders/month that want to outsource warehousing and shipping entirely.
4. inFlow — Best for Wholesale
Pricing: Entrepreneur $89/mo (1 user), Small Business $179/mo (5 users), Mid-Size $349/mo (10 users).
inFlow handles B2B workflows: purchase orders, sales orders, invoicing, barcode scanning, and showroom features. Built for businesses that buy in bulk and sell to other businesses.
5. Cin7 — Best for Complex Operations
Pricing: Standard $349/mo, Pro $599/mo, Advanced $999/mo.
Cin7 connects inventory across 700+ integrations: warehouses, POS systems, e-commerce platforms, 3PLs, and accounting software. For businesses selling across Amazon, Shopify, retail stores, and wholesale simultaneously, Cin7 keeps everything in sync.
The catch: $349/month starting price is enterprise territory. Overkill for businesses under $1M/year in revenue.
6. Sortly — Simplest Option
Pricing: Free (100 items), Advanced $49/mo (2,000 items), Ultra $149/mo (unlimited).
Sortly is the inventory app for people who don’t want inventory software. Scan items with your phone camera, organize with folders and tags, set alerts. No purchase orders, no warehouse management — just “where is my stuff and how much do I have?”
Cost Comparison
| Tool | 500 orders/mo cost | Multi-channel sync |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory Standard | $29/mo | Yes |
| Square for Retail | $0-60/mo | Limited |
| inFlow Entrepreneur | $89/mo | Yes |
| Cin7 Standard | $349/mo | Yes (700+ integrations) |
Who Should Pick What
Small e-commerce (under 500 orders/mo): Zoho Inventory ($29/mo). Best balance of features and price. Free plan to start.
Retail store with POS: Square for Retail (free-$60/mo). Inventory tracking built into your payment system.
Want to outsource fulfillment: ShipBob. Send them your products, they handle storage and shipping. Focus on selling, not packing boxes.
Wholesale/B2B: inFlow ($89/mo). Purchase orders, invoicing, and B2B workflows built for businesses that sell to other businesses.
Multi-channel, complex operations: Cin7 ($349/mo). When you sell on Amazon + Shopify + retail + wholesale simultaneously, Cin7 keeps everything in sync.
Just need to track items: Sortly (free-$49/mo). Photo-based inventory for offices, equipment, or small stock. No commerce features needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
When should I switch from spreadsheets to software?
When you sell across 2+ channels, manage 100+ SKUs, or have your first oversold/out-of-stock incident. At that point, spreadsheets cost you more in errors than software costs in subscription fees.
Does Shopify handle inventory?
Basic tracking (stock counts, low-stock alerts): yes. Multi-warehouse, purchase orders, and advanced reporting: no. For serious inventory management, add Zoho Inventory or Cin7 on top of Shopify.
All pricing verified March 2026 from official websites.
