If you sell physical products, inventory management is where money either grows or disappears. Overstock ties up cash. Understock loses sales. The right software keeps you in the sweet spot.

We compared the top inventory tools for small businesses on price, ease of use, and integration.

Quick Comparison

1. Sortly — Best Visual Inventory

Sortly is built for people who think in pictures, not spreadsheets. Every item gets a photo, folder structure, and custom tags. It’s the most intuitive inventory app for small businesses that don’t need complex supply chain features.

Pros:

• Photo-based inventory (snap a photo, add details, done)
• Custom folders and tags (organize by room, shelf, category)
• Barcode and QR code scanning with phone camera
• Low-stock alerts and reorder points
• Multi-location support
• Works offline
• Simple enough for non-technical teams
• Integrates with QuickBooks for accounting

Cons:

• No manufacturing or BOM (bill of materials) features
• Limited order management
• No purchase order automation
• Free plan limited to 100 items
• No POS integration (beyond QuickBooks)
• Doesn’t handle serial numbers well

Pricing: Free (100 items); Advanced $49/mo (2,000 items); Ultra $179/mo (unlimited items)

Best for: Small businesses, retail shops, and nonprofits that need simple visual inventory tracking without complexity.

2. inFlow Inventory — Best for Small Wholesale/Distribution

inFlow is purpose-built for businesses that buy and sell physical products — especially wholesale and distribution. It handles purchase orders, sales orders, and stock movements in a way that general business tools can’t.

Pros:

• Free plan for up to 100 items
• Handles purchase orders, sales orders, and invoices
• Multi-location and multi-warehouse support
• Barcode scanning and label printing
• Assembly products (kitting/bundling)
• QuickBooks Online integration
• Good reporting (stock levels, reorder points, sales trends)
• Mobile app for warehouse scanning

Cons:

• Interface feels a bit dated
• Free plan is limited (100 items, no multi-location)
• E-commerce integrations are limited
• No native Shopify integration (requires third-party connector)
• Inventory counting can be slow with large catalogs
• Customer support is email-only on lower tiers

Pricing: Free (100 items); Regular $89/mo (5,000 items); Premium $399/mo (unlimited items)

Best for: Small wholesale and distribution businesses that need order management alongside inventory tracking.

3. Cin7 — Best for Growing E-Commerce

Cin7 is the heavy hitter on this list. If you’re selling on multiple channels (Shopify, Amazon, eBay, wholesale) and need everything synced in one place, Cin7 handles it. It’s overkill for a single-channel shop, but essential for multi-channel growth.

Pros:

• True multi-channel inventory sync (Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, WooCommerce, Faire)
• Built-in EDI for wholesale/B2B
• POS integration
• Warehouse management with pick/pack/ship
• Manufacturing and BOM support
• 3PL integration (ShipBob, ShipStation, etc.)
• 700+ integrations via API
• Advanced forecasting and reorder suggestions

Cons:

• Expensive — starts at $399/month
• Complex setup (expect 2-4 weeks with onboarding)
• Overkill for businesses under $1M in revenue
• Requires training for staff
• Customer support can be slow during peak seasons
• Long-term contract may be required

Pricing: Core $399/mo; Advanced $699/mo; Enterprise (custom pricing)

Best for: E-commerce businesses doing $500K+ in revenue selling across multiple channels.

4. Zoho Inventory — Best Free Option

Zoho Inventory gives you serious inventory management for free — up to 50 orders per month. If you’re just starting out or running a small operation, this is the best value on the market.

Pros:

• Free plan (50 orders/month, 1 warehouse, 2 users)
• Handles sales orders, purchase orders, and invoices
• Multi-channel selling (Shopify, Amazon, eBay, Etsy)
• Barcode scanning and item tracking
• Dropshipping support
• Bundle/kit products
• Integrates with Zoho CRM, Zoho Books, and Zoho’s full suite
• GST/VAT tax compliance
• Good mobile app

Cons:

• Free plan is limited (50 orders, 1 warehouse)
• Limited warehouse management features
• No manufacturing or BOM on lower plans
• Customer support is slow on free plan
• Zoho ecosystem lock-in for best value
• No 3PL integrations on lower plans
• Reporting is basic compared to Cin7

Pricing: Free (50 orders/mo); Standard $79/mo (1,000 orders); Professional $199/mo (5,000 orders); Premium $399/mo (15,000 orders)

Best for: Small businesses and startups that need real inventory management without paying for it yet.

5. Square Retail — Best for Retail Stores

If you’re running a physical retail store and already use Square for POS, Square Retail (formerly Square for Retail) adds inventory management on top of the POS you already know. It’s the simplest upgrade path.

Pros:

• Free with Square POS (no additional monthly fee on free plan)
• Built-in POS — no separate system needed
• Inventory automatically updates with every sale
• Employee management and permissions
• Customer directory with purchase history
• Square Online integration for omnichannel
• Barcode scanner support
• Vendor management
• Real-time stock alerts

Cons:

• Only works with Square POS (no other POS integration)
• Multi-location requires Square Plus ($60/location/month)
• No manufacturing or BOM features
• Limited warehouse management
• No purchase order automation
• E-commerce limited to Square Online
• Reporting is basic compared to dedicated inventory tools

Pricing: Square for Retail Free ($0/month + processing fees); Square for Retail Plus ($60/location/month + lower processing fees)

Best for: Brick-and-mortar retail stores already using or considering Square POS.

How to Choose

1. What do you sell?

• Physical products (retail) → Sortly or Square Retail
• Wholesale/distribution → inFlow
• Multi-channel e-commerce → Cin7 or Zoho Inventory
• Services + some products → Sortly or Zoho

2. What’s your revenue?

• Under $100K → Zoho Inventory (free) or Sortly
• $100K–$500K → inFlow or Zoho (paid)
• $500K–$1M → Cin7 or Zoho (Premium)
• $1M+ → Cin7

3. What POS/accounting do you use?

• Square POS → Square Retail
• QuickBooks → Sortly or inFlow
• Zoho Books → Zoho Inventory
• None yet → Sortly (simplest)

4. How many SKUs?

• Under 100 → Sortly (free) or inFlow (free)
• 100–2,000 → Sortly or inFlow (paid)
• 2,000–10,000 → inFlow or Zoho
• 10,000+ → Cin7

Our Top Pick

For most small businesses just starting with inventory management, Zoho Inventory is the best choice — it’s free for small volumes and scales affordably. For visual thinkers and teams that prefer photos over spreadsheets, Sortly is the most intuitive option. And for growing e-commerce businesses selling across multiple channels, Cin7 is worth the investment.

SoftDecide helps small organizations find the right software. Our comparisons are independently researched. We may earn a commission if you purchase through links on this page — at no extra cost to you.