Inventory Management

Contents

1. 01WelcomeWhat these tools do, how many we grade and what to know before choosing
2. 02Our top threeThe three we'd look at first, and who each one suits
3. 03What they costWhat paid plans start at, the best buy at each budget and the free plans
4. 04The gradesThe highest graded, and how the whole category does on each subject
5. 05Keep or make?Which are worth paying for, and which you could make yourself
6. 06Every toolAll of them, best graded first, with what each costs
7. 07Quick answersThe questions people ask when choosing, each answered in a line or two
8. 08About ToolGPAWho made this guide, what else is on the site, and how to cite it

ToolGPA put this guide together from each tool’s own pages, their app-store listings and our grades. Every fact in it is on the Inventory Management page too, where it is kept up to date. Checked Oct 18, 2026.

Know what is in stock across shops and warehouses, and reorder before you run out.

Before you choose, here are 7 things to know about inventory management tools, worked out from every one we grade.

1. 1

   We grade 12 inventory management tools

   3 of them are free or have a free plan, and 6 more let you try before paying. Everything in this guide comes from their own pages and our grades.

2. 2

   Paid plans start at $95 a month in the middle

   From $20 (Stocksmith) to $499 (Descartes Finale), going by what each one's paid plans start at.

3. 3

   Best value: Zoho Inventory and Stocksmith

   Nothing on our chart scores higher than these without costing more.

4. 4

   5 of 12 have iPhone and Android apps

   12 run in a web browser and 3 have a Windows app. Check the one you need before you fall for anything.

5. 5

   The middle GPA is 2.4

   2 score 3.0 or higher. The highest is Zoho Inventory, at 3.4.

6. 6

   Best free option: Zoho Inventory

   Zoho Inventory has the highest GPA of the free ones, 3.4. Online inventory and order management from Zoho, with a free plan.

7. 7

   12 worth keeping, 0 you could make

   By our keep-or-make rules, 12 do something you couldn't reasonably build yourself, 0 are simple enough to make with an AI app builder, and 0 are a close call.

Part 02 · Top three

Our top three

The three we'd look at first, and who each one suits

The three inventory management tools we'd look at first. First place suits the most people; second and third are the best picks for the people it leaves out. Each has an Insider's Guide of its own.

1. 1st

   

   3.4GPA

   Zoho Inventory

   Free plan · from $29/mo

   For: Most small businesses selling in a shop and online

   Zoho Inventory keeps stock in sync with Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Shopify and WooCommerce across several locations, with sales and purchase orders, backorders, dropshipping and shipping labels, and links to Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online and Xero. Standard is $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly) for 500 orders a month, 3 users, 2 locations and one Shopify store, and the free plan covers 50 orders a month for 1 user. It runs on the web, Windows, iPhone and Android, and its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.75 from about 1,000 ratings. Know the limits: barcodes, stock counts and serial and batch tracking start on Premium at $79 a month billed yearly, and there is no production planning for makers.

   The Zoho Inventory Insider’s Guide

2. 2nd

   

   3.0GPA

   Sortly

   Free plan · from $49/mo

   For: Teams tracking tools, equipment and supplies

   Sortly keeps count of tools, equipment, parts and supplies on a phone: each item gets photos, folders and custom fields, you scan barcodes or QR codes, check items out to people or jobs, and get low-stock and maintenance alerts, offline too. The free plan covers 100 unique items for 1 user, and Advanced is $49 a month for 500 items and 2 users, or $288 for a first year billed yearly. Its iPhone and iPad app averages 4.7 from about 9,500 ratings. It is second because it is not built for selling: there are no online store or marketplace connections, purchase orders start on Ultra at $149 a month, and yearly plans renew at 20% off the monthly price after the first year.

   The Sortly Insider’s Guide

3. 3rd

   

   2.4GPA

   Katana

   Free plan

   For: Makers who turn materials into finished products

   Katana is built for businesses that make what they sell: multi-level bills of materials, routings and work orders, live stock of products and materials across locations, batch, serial and expiry tracking, and orders from Shopify, Amazon and WooCommerce in one list. The free plan has every feature, unlimited users and the API for up to 30 SKUs, and a new account gets 15 days with no SKU limit. It is third because it suits a narrower group and stops early: the 30 SKUs count every product and material variant, the paid Advantage plan is quoted after a scoping call on a yearly contract, and it runs in a browser only, with a browser warehouse app instead of phone apps.

   The Katana Insider’s Guide

Going by our grades, Zoho Inventory and Stocksmith give the most for the money among inventory management tools: no tool on this chart scores higher without costing more.

Paid plans start at a middle price of $95 a month across the 10 that charge, from $20 (Stocksmith) to $499 (Descartes Finale).

2 of the 10 score above the category's average while starting at or below its middle price. 4 cost more than the middle price and score below the average.

Every tool gets five grades, A to F, each with its reason, and a GPA that averages them. Here are the 12 highest graded inventory management tools, then how the whole category does on each subject.

Tool	Value	Free	Features	Ease	Platforms	GPA
Zoho Inventory	A	C	B	A	A	3.4
Sortly	B	B	C	A	B	3.0
inFlow	C	C	B	C	A	2.6
Cin7	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
Katana	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
SOS Inventory	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
Stocksmith	B	C	C	C	B	2.4
Unleashed	C	C	B	C	B	2.4
Ordoro	D	C	B	C	B	2.2
Fishbowl	C	F	B	C	B	2.0
Linnworks	C	F	B	C	B	2.0
Descartes Finale	D	F	B	C	B	1.8

Some software does something you couldn’t reasonably build yourself. Some is simple enough that an AI app builder could make the core of it in an afternoon. Here’s where inventory management tools land, by the same rules for every tool.

• 12

  Keep it

  It does something you could not reasonably make for yourself, or it costs nothing.

• 0

  Your call

  You could make the core of it, and you would give something up.

• 0

  You could make this

  What it does is the kind of thing an AI app builder makes well, and it charges every month.

Every inventory management tool we grade, with its GPA and what it costs. Each one has a page of its own on toolgpa.com, with its Insider’s Guide.

1. 1Zoho InventoryFree plan · from $29/mo3.4
2. 2SortlyFree plan · from $49/mo3.0
3. 3inFlowFree trial · from $99/mo2.6
4. 4Cin7Free trial · from $349/mo2.4
5. 5KatanaFree plan2.4
6. 6SOS InventoryFree trial · from $69.95/mo2.4
7. 7StocksmithFree trial · from $20/mo2.4
8. 8UnleashedFree trial · from $91/mo2.4
9. 9OrdoroFree trial · from $349/mo2.2
10. 10FishbowlFrom $229/mo2.0
11. 11LinnworksPaid2.0
12. 12Descartes FinaleFrom $499/mo1.8

ToolGPA grades software the way a school report grades a pupil: five subjects, a letter for each with the reason written beside it, and a GPA that averages them. Prices, plans and platforms are read from each maker’s own pages and dated, so you always know how fresh a figure is.

ToolGPA is free to read. It may earn a commission from affiliate links and it works with sponsors, but anything paid for is labelled and no one can pay for a grade. Every tool on the site has a guide like this one, free to download and pass on. It all lives at toolgpa.com.

• 2,281

  tools graded

• 73

  categories

• 426

  price changes on record

• 579

  apps priced in 12 countries