SOS Inventory vs Zoho Inventory
We give SOS Inventory a 2.4 GPA and Zoho Inventory a 3.4, out of 4.0. Zoho Inventory grades higher on value for money, ease of use and platforms. They get the same grade on the free plan and features.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
SOS Inventory
Inventory, orders and manufacturing add-on for QuickBooks Online
Zoho Inventory
Online inventory and order management from Zoho, with a free plan
How we grade them
| 2.4GPASOS InventoryFair | 3.4GPAZoho InventoryVery good | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CCompanion is $699.50 a year billed yearly ($69.95 monthly) for 2 users and one location, and an online store connection like Shopify is $25 a month on top. That lands in the middle of this category, and it's built for people already paying for QuickBooks Online. | AStandard covers a shop plus an online store at $29 a month billed yearly ($39 monthly): 500 orders a month, 3 users, 2 locations and 1 Shopify store. That's well under what this category usually charges, though barcodes and stock counts need Premium at $79. |
| Free plan and trial | CNo free plan, just a 14-day free trial to see how it fits with your QuickBooks Online books before you pay. | CFree for 50 orders a month, 1 user and 1 location, with composite items, dropshipping and one Shopify store. Fine for a side hustle, but a shop and an online store will pass 50 orders a month quickly, and there are no barcodes. |
| Features | BSales orders, partial shipments and invoices, pick tickets, serial and lot tracking, unlimited locations, assemblies, work orders and job costing, with FIFO, LIFO or average costing. The whole job, though serials, barcodes, pick tickets and extra locations need Plus. | BMarketplace and store sync, several warehouses with bins, sales and purchase orders, backorders, dropshipping, shipping labels, and barcodes with serial and batch tracking. That's the whole job, though barcodes, stock counts and batches start on Premium. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. It runs alongside QuickBooks Online, so you'll connect that and set up items, locations and forms before it pays off. | A4.75 from 1,029 App Store ratings, just into the top band. It also works with Zoho Books and Zoho CRM if you already use them. |
| Platforms and integrations | BWeb and iPhone or iPad, with no Android app listed. It connects to QuickBooks Online, ShipStation, UPS and Zapier, and to Shopify, BigCommerce and PayPal as $25-a-month connections. | AWeb, Windows, iPhone and Android, with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, Shopify, WooCommerce, Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Xero and carriers like UPS, USPS and FedEx. That's the full spread. |
| Best for | QuickBooks Online users who need sales orders | small online sellers on a budget |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: SOS Inventory and Zoho Inventory. How we grade
Price against what you get
SOS Inventory starts at $69.95 a month and scores 2.7 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Zoho Inventory starts at $29 a month and scores 3.7.
Zoho Inventory scores higher and starts $40.95 a month lower. Of the other inventory management tools on the chart, 2 score higher than SOS Inventory for less, and none scores higher than Zoho Inventory for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- SOS Inventory starts at $69.95 per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly. Zoho Inventory starts at $29 per organization / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly).
- Zoho Inventory has a free plan. SOS Inventory does not, though it has a free trial.
- Only Zoho Inventory lists Windows and Android apps.
- SOS Inventory also covers invoicing and reports.
- Zoho Inventory also covers online store and shipping labels.
At a glance
| SOS Inventory | Zoho Inventory | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free trial | Free plan |
| Starts at | $69.95 per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly | $29 per organization / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | None | 50 orders a month, 1 user and 1 location, with composite items, dropshipping and backorders. |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 14-day free trial of the paid plans |
| Web | ||
| Windows | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Made by | SOS Inventory Software LLC | Zoho |
| Price read from | sosinventory.com | zoho.com |
| Checked | Oct 18, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Who each one suits
SOS Inventory
- QuickBooks Online users who need sales orders and real inventory
- Small manufacturers that need work orders and job costing
- Distributors tracking serial or lot numbers across warehouses
Zoho Inventory
- Small online sellers on Amazon, eBay, Etsy or Shopify
- Businesses already using Zoho Books or Zoho CRM
- Very small shops that want a free plan to start
Worth knowing
SOS Inventory
- It is built around QuickBooks Online and lists compatibility with the Essentials, Plus and Advanced plans.
- Extra users cost $25 a month each ($250 a year on annual plans), and external connections such as Shopify cost $25 a month each.
- Companion is limited to one location and has no serial or lot tracking or barcoding.
- The native app is for iPhone and iPad; no Android app is listed.
Zoho Inventory
- Each plan caps orders a month, users and locations; more users or 500 extra orders cost $7.50 a month each billed annually ($9 monthly).
- Extra locations cost $10 a month billed annually ($12 monthly), and advanced warehousing is $124.17 a month billed annually.
- Barcodes, stock counts and serial and batch tracking start on Premium; Standard has none of them.
- The Free and Standard plans connect only one Shopify store; Premium and higher allow up to five.
Key features
SOS Inventory
- Sales orders for QuickBooks
- Create sales orders, full or partial shipments and partial invoices that sync to QuickBooks Online, which has no sales orders of its own.
- Pick, pack and ship
- ShipStation and UPS integrations on every plan, and pick tickets from sales orders or invoices from the Plus plan up.
- Serials, lots and barcodes
- Serial and lot number tracking and barcodes in several formats from the Plus plan, with transfers between unlimited locations.
- Assemblies and manufacturing
- Assemblies on every plan, contract manufacturing from Plus, and work orders, job costing and process manufacturing on Pro.
- Costing and valuation
- FIFO, LIFO or weighted average valuation, multiple currencies and customizable forms and dashboards on every plan.
- Store and app connections
- Connects to Shopify, BigCommerce, PayPal and FTP sites as paid external connections, plus Zapier and an iPhone and iPad app.
Zoho Inventory
- Marketplace and store sync
- Syncs orders and stock with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, Shopify and WooCommerce, with Shopify stores capped per plan.
- Multiple warehouses
- Stock across locations with transfer orders and bins, plus an advanced warehousing add-on for larger operations.
- Sales and purchase orders
- Sales orders, invoices, purchase orders, backorders and dropshipments, with customer and vendor portals.
- Shipping
- Pick, pack and ship from one place, generate shipping labels and connect carriers such as UPS, USPS, FedEx and Easyship.
- Barcodes, serials and batches
- Barcode generation, stock counts and serial and batch tracking from the Premium plan up.
- Zoho apps and accounting
- Works with Zoho Books, Zoho CRM and Zoho Analytics, and also connects to QuickBooks Online and Xero.
Plans
SOS Inventory
Companion$69.95
per month for up to 2 users, billed monthly
$699.50 a year billed annually. Sales orders, assemblies, QuickBooks Online sync and one location, with room for one paid external connection.
Plus$139.95
per month for up to 3 users, billed monthly
$1,399.50 a year billed annually. Adds unlimited locations, serial and lot numbers, barcoding, pick tickets and contract manufacturing.
Pro$194.95
per month for up to 5 users, billed monthly
$1,949.50 a year billed annually. Adds work orders, job cost accounting, process and variable-yield manufacturing and a customer portal.
Zoho Inventory
Free$0
50 orders a month, 1 user and 1 location, with composite items, dropshipments and backorders.
Standard$29
per organization / month, billed annually ($39 billed monthly)
500 orders a month, 3 users and 2 locations, with a customer portal and 1 Shopify store.
Premium$79
per organization / month, billed annually ($99 billed monthly)
3,000 orders a month, 5 users and 4 locations, adding barcodes, stock counts, serial and batch tracking, and up to 5 Shopify stores.
Plus$129
per organization / month, billed annually ($159 billed monthly)
7,500 orders a month, 10 users and 6 locations, adding an online store builder, WhatsApp selling and abandoned cart recovery.
Enterprise$249
per organization / month, billed annually ($299 billed monthly)
15,000 orders a month, 10 users and 10 locations, adding Zoho Analytics and multi-currency transactions per contact.
Ways to pay less
SOS Inventory
- Annual discount
Two months free with annual billing
Paying yearly costs $699.50 for Companion, $1,399.50 for Plus and $1,949.50 for Pro, ten times the monthly price.
Zoho Inventory
- Annual discount
Save up to 26% with yearly billing
Yearly billing cuts Standard from $39 to $29 a month, Premium from $99 to $79, Plus from $159 to $129 and Enterprise from $299 to $249.
- Nonprofit
15% off for nonprofits
Zoho offers nonprofits a 15% discount on Zoho Inventory, arranged by writing to its presales team.
