Best Warehouse Inventory Software: 5 Tools to Streamline Warehouse Operations
5 software options compared · Pricing checked October 2026
If you’re still tracking warehouse inventory in spreadsheets, you already know how quickly things get messy. One person updates the count, another sells the same unit, and by Friday nobody trusts the numbers.
That’s usually the moment to look at dedicated inventory software. It gives you one live record of what’s on the shelf, what’s on order, and what needs reordering, across every location you stock.
Below, we compare five options: Sortly, inFlow Inventory, Zoho Inventory, Cin7, and Square for Retail. They aren’t interchangeable. One is built for quick visual tracking, one for retailers already running Square, and one for operations that have outgrown entry-level tools. If you want the wider category first, our guide to the best inventory management software covers more options.
The 5 Best Warehouse Inventory Software Options
QUICK ANSWER
The best warehouse inventory software depends on what you need to manage. Here’s the short version:
- Sortly — best for simple inventory tracking
- inFlow Inventory — best for inventory and order management
- Zoho Inventory — best for growing businesses
- Cin7 — best for advanced inventory operations
- Square for Retail — best for retailers already using Square
Warehouse Inventory Software at a Glance
| Software | Best For | Key Strength | Starting Price* | Free Trial/Plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sortly | Simple, visual inventory tracking | Mobile-first tracking with QR and barcode labels | Free plan; paid plans from $49/mo list price ($24/mo with the first-year yearly discount) | Free plan; 14-day trial on paid plans |
| inFlow Inventory | Product businesses that need orders, purchasing, and stock in one place | Inventory plus sales and purchase orders, with Shopify, Amazon, and QuickBooks connections | $99/mo billed annually ($129 month to month) | 14-day free trial, no credit card |
| Zoho Inventory | Small and growing businesses selling across channels | Multi-location stock control with a free tier to start | Free plan; paid plans from $29/mo billed annually | Free plan; 14-day trial of paid plans |
| Cin7 | Multichannel sellers and wholesalers with complex operations | Unlimited locations, 700+ integrations, manufacturing tools | $349/mo | Free trial and demo offered; no free plan |
| Square for Retail | Retailers already using Square | POS and inventory in one system | Free plan; Plus from $49/mo per location | Free plan; 30-day free trial of Plus |
*Prices in USD, taken from each vendor’s pricing page in October 2026. Software pricing changes often, so check the current page before you buy.
Compare plans and features:
1. Sortly
What Sortly Is
Sortly is a visual inventory app built around photos, folders, and QR or barcode labels. You organize items the way you’d organize a storeroom: folders for locations and bins, a photo on every item, and a quantity you can adjust from your phone. It’s easy to start with, and you don’t need a long setup project to get value from it.
Key Features
- In-app barcode and QR code scanning from a smartphone, plus third-party scanner support (see Sortly’s barcode inventory page)
- QR label creation on paid plans, with barcode label creation from the Ultra plan up
- Low-stock alerts, including email notifications
- Offline mobile access and automatic sync across devices
- Custom folders, tags, and custom fields for organizing items
- Inventory summary, low-stock, and activity history reports
- Purchase orders from the Ultra plan, and a QuickBooks Online integration on Premium
Why We Recommend Sortly
Sortly’s strength is how little it asks of you. If your team counts stock on phones and needs everything labeled and easy to find, it gets you from spreadsheet to scannable inventory quickly. There’s also a permanent free plan, so you can test your workflow before paying anything.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- Permanent free plan (100 items, 1 user)
- Quick to learn, with a mobile-first design
- QR and barcode scanning, plus label creation
- Low-stock alerts and offline mobile access
- 14-day free trial on paid plans
− Cons
- Plans cap unique items (500 on Advanced, 2,000 on Ultra) and users (2 on Advanced, 5 on Ultra)
- No sales order or invoicing tools appear on its pricing page
- Published integrations lean toward QuickBooks Online, Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Amazon Business rather than selling channels
- The first-year yearly discount ends at renewal, and a card is needed to start a trial
Sortly Pricing
- Free: $0, with 100 unique items and 1 user
- Advanced: $49/mo list price, or $24/mo with the first-year yearly discount ($288 billed annually); 500 items, 2 users
- Ultra: $149/mo list, or $74/mo with the first-year yearly discount; 2,000 items, 5 users
- Premium: $299/mo list, or $149/mo with the first-year yearly discount; 5,000 items, 8 users
- Enterprise: custom quote
Per Sortly’s pricing page, the 50% discount applies only to the first year of a new yearly subscription, and a 20% yearly discount applies after that. Promotions change, so check Sortly’s current pricing before you decide.
2. inFlow Inventory
What inFlow Inventory Is
inFlow Inventory is cloud inventory and order management software for businesses that buy, sell, and ship physical products. Where Sortly tracks what you have, inFlow also handles the paperwork around it: sales orders, purchase orders, invoices, receiving, and shipping.
Key Features
- Barcode scanning, barcode generation, and label printing (see inFlow’s barcoding features)
- Stock transfers, physical stock counts, and low-stock alerts with recommended reorder points
- Purchase orders, including one-click PO generation and scan-to-receive
- Pick, pack, and ship workflows, plus sales quotes, invoices, and back orders
- Integrations with Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, Squarespace, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and ShipStation (browse the full integration list)
- Optional hardware from the inFlow Shop, including a smartphone scanner and a portable label printer
Why We Recommend inFlow Inventory
inFlow covers the loop most small distributors actually run: buy stock, receive it, sell it, ship it, and reorder it. Reordering is a good example. The software suggests reorder points and can turn a low-stock item into a purchase order in one click, which is exactly the step that stays manual in a spreadsheet.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- 14-day free trial with no credit card required
- Purchasing, sales, invoicing, and inventory in a single product
- Barcode scanning, labels, stock counts, and transfers
- Connects to Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online, and Xero
- Unlimited products, sales, and purchases on every plan
− Cons
- No free plan
- A one-time onboarding package (starting at $499) is required on most plans
- Lite is limited to 2 team members and 1 location with no sublocations
- Extra team members cost $29/mo each, and lot or serial number tracking is an add-on on lower plans
inFlow Inventory Pricing
- Lite: $99/mo billed annually ($129 month to month); 2 team members, 1 location
- Core: $299/mo billed annually ($379 month to month); 5 team members, 5 locations
- Pro: $499/mo billed annually ($629 month to month); 10 team members, unlimited locations
- Max: $699/mo billed annually ($879 month to month); 20 team members, unlimited locations
Annual billing saves 20%. Check inFlow’s pricing page for current rates, add-ons, and onboarding options.
3. Zoho Inventory
What Zoho Inventory Is
Zoho Inventory is a cloud inventory and order management platform built for small and midsize businesses. It belongs to the wider Zoho family, so it connects to Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and other Zoho apps if you already use them.
Key Features
- Multi-warehouse management with transfer orders, picklists, and bin locations (see Zoho’s multi-warehouse stock page)
- Purchase orders, backorders, and dropshipping
- Barcode generation, stock counting, and serial and batch tracking on Premium and above (details on Zoho’s barcode page)
- Composite items for kits and bundles
- Sales channel connections including Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart
- Accounting connections to Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, and Xero, and shipping connections to UPS, USPS, FedEx, and Easyship
Why We Recommend Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory scales in small, predictable steps. You can start on the free plan, add a second location on Standard, and move up to Premium when you need barcode generation, stock counts, and batch or serial tracking. That gradual climb is the point. If you sell on WooCommerce, our list of WooCommerce plugins for ecommerce shows what pairs well with it.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- Free plan with no time limit (50 orders a month, 1 user, 1 location)
- Paid plans from $29/mo billed annually
- Multiple locations on paid plans, from 2 on Standard up to 10 on Enterprise
- Broad list of sales channel, accounting, and shipping integrations
- 14-day free trial of paid plans
− Cons
- Every plan has order and user caps (Standard allows 500 orders a month and 3 users)
- Barcode generation, stock counting, and batch or serial tracking start at Premium
- Extra users, orders, and locations are paid add-ons, and advanced warehousing is a separate paid add-on
- Standard support runs 24/5 rather than around the clock
Zoho Inventory Pricing
- Free: 50 orders a month, 1 user, 1 location
- Standard: $29/mo billed annually; 500 orders a month, 3 users, 2 locations
- Premium: $79/mo billed annually; 3,000 orders a month, 5 users, 4 locations
- Plus: $129/mo billed annually; 7,500 orders a month, 10 users, 6 locations
- Enterprise: $249/mo billed annually; 15,000 orders a month, 10 users, 10 locations
Prices exclude local taxes. See Zoho’s pricing page for the latest plans and add-on rates.
4. Cin7
What Cin7 Is
Cin7 is a full inventory and order management platform for product businesses that have outgrown entry-level tools. Cin7 Core, formerly DEAR Systems, is the self-serve product most small and midsize teams start with. Cin7 Omni is the customizable enterprise version, sold by quote.
Key Features
- Unlimited inventory locations on every Core plan
- A warehouse management mobile app with barcode scanning, plus advanced warehouse management (kitting picks, time tracking, FIFO/FEFO pick enforcement) on the Advanced plan and as a Pro add-on (see Cin7’s warehouse management page)
- Purchase order management, supplier and contact management, and wholesale inventory management
- Assembly manufacturing, kits and bundles, bills of materials, and batch and expiry tracking
- More than 700 integrations, including Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online, Xero, and ShipStation
- Paid add-ons such as AI demand forecasting, a B2B portal, point of sale, API access, and advanced automations
Why We Recommend Cin7
Cin7 is best suited to businesses that need more advanced inventory control, integrations, and operational visibility than a basic tracking tool provides. Picture a brand selling through Shopify, Amazon, and wholesale accounts with stock spread across several warehouses or 3PLs. That’s where Cin7 earns its price. If wholesale buyers are part of your mix, our guide to CRM software for ecommerce is worth a look too.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- Unlimited locations on all Core plans
- 700+ integrations
- Built-in manufacturing tools, including bills of materials and batch tracking
- Warehouse mobile app with barcode scanning
- Group, one-to-one, and partner-led onboarding, plus 24/7 global support
− Cons
- The most expensive option in this list, starting at $349/mo with no free plan
- Order volume and user caps apply (Standard allows 6,000 sale orders a year and 5 users)
- Forecasting, B2B portal, POS, and API access are paid add-ons
- The Standard plan doesn’t include advanced warehouse management, and it’s likely more than a single small warehouse needs
Cin7 Pricing
- Standard: $349/mo; 5 users, 2 ecommerce or app integrations, 6,000 sale orders a year
- Pro: $599/mo; 10 users, 4 integrations, 24,000 sale orders a year
- Advanced: $1,199/mo; 15 users, 6 integrations, 120,000 sale orders a year, advanced warehouse management
- Omni: custom pricing
Prices exclude taxes, and extra users, integrations, and order volume can be added. Cin7 offers a free trial and demos; see Cin7’s pricing page for current terms.
5. Square for Retail
What Square for Retail Is
Square for Retail is a point-of-sale system with inventory tools built in. It isn’t warehouse software in the strict sense, but for a retailer with a stockroom it can replace both the register system and a separate stock spreadsheet. It also connects to Square’s online store, which pairs with our list of website builders for ecommerce.
Key Features
- Add items by scanning a GTIN barcode or importing your catalog in bulk, with SKUs generated automatically
- Low-stock alerts, barcode label printing, and a counting tool for full or cycle counts
- Vendor profiles, purchase order management, and bulk stock intake by scanning on the Plus plan
- Cost of goods sold, aging inventory, and sell-through reports on Plus
- Transfer orders between locations on the Premium plan
- Shopify syncing through the third-party Thrive Inventory app (see Square’s retail overview)
Why We Recommend Square for Retail
If a store already takes payments through Square, adding Square for Retail keeps sales and stock in one system. There’s no separate reconciliation between the register and the inventory sheet, which is where many retail counting errors start. Card processing is part of the picture too, so see our guide to payment gateways for ecommerce if you sell online as well.
Pros and Cons
✓ Pros
- Free plan with no subscription fee
- 30-day free trial of Square for Retail Plus
- Sales, payments, and inventory in one system
- Purchase orders, vendor management, and stock intake on Plus
- Transfer orders between locations on Premium
− Cons
- Built for retail rather than warehouse work; its pricing page doesn’t list bin locations or pick-and-pack workflows
- Plus ($49) and Premium ($149) are billed per location
- The plan you choose also changes card processing rates
- Shopify syncing depends on a third-party app
Square for Retail Pricing
- Free: $0 per month
- Plus: $49/mo per location
- Premium: $149/mo per location
Square says businesses processing more than $250,000 a year can ask about custom pricing. Processing fees vary by plan, so review Square’s pricing page before you commit.
Warehouse Inventory Software Features to Look For
Every tool above can track stock. The differences show up in the details below, so use this as a checklist when you compare plans.
Inventory Tracking
Real-time visibility is the whole point. When counts update as stock is received, moved, and sold, you stop finding out about shortages after an order is already waiting. Look for an adjustment history too, so you can see who changed what and when.
Barcode Scanning
Scanning replaces typing. Every manual entry is a chance for a wrong SKU or a transposed digit, and scanning removes most of them from receiving, picking, and counting. Check whether the tool works with your phone, supports dedicated scanners, and can print labels for items that don’t have barcodes.
Multi-Location Inventory
If you stock more than one warehouse, store, or fulfillment point, you need stock levels per location and a way to transfer between them. Ask how locations are priced. Cin7 includes unlimited locations on its Core plans, while inFlow, Zoho Inventory, and Square cap or charge for them by plan.
Purchase Order Management
Purchase orders turn reorder points into action. The useful versions let you create a PO from a low-stock item, receive against it, and see what’s still on order before you buy more.
Low-Stock Alerts
Alerts only prevent stockouts if they fire early enough. Look for per-item thresholds and email or in-app notifications, not just a report you have to remember to open.
Reporting and Analytics
At a minimum, you want current stock value, low-stock lists, and a movement history. As you grow, add cost-of-goods and slow-moving stock reports, since idle stock is cash sitting on a shelf. If you also track storefront performance, pair your inventory reports with ecommerce analytics software.
Integrations
Inventory that doesn’t sync with your selling channels turns into a second spreadsheet. Check connections for your ecommerce platform, accounting package, shipping tools, and POS before anything else. Our roundup of Shopify apps for ecommerce shows what plugs in alongside inventory tools, and our guide to shipping software for ecommerce covers the carrier side. Accounting matters as well, including tax software for ecommerce.
Mobile Access
A mobile app matters when the people counting stock aren’t sitting at desks. Offline mode helps in warehouse corners with weak signal, and Sortly offers it. Without it, counts wait until someone is back in range.
How to Choose the Right Warehouse Inventory Software
Start with what you actually manage, then match it to a tool. These questions narrow the field quickly:
- Number of SKUs: Sortly caps unique items by plan, Zoho Inventory caps monthly orders, and Cin7 caps annual sale orders. Check the cap that applies to you.
- Warehouse locations: One storeroom is a different problem from five locations that trade stock.
- Users: Count everyone who needs a login. Per-seat add-ons and user caps affect the real price.
- Ecommerce integrations: Confirm your storefront and marketplaces are supported on the plan you’d actually buy.
- Retail or POS needs: If registers are part of the picture, Square for Retail removes a system.
- Barcode requirements: Decide whether phone scanning is enough or you need dedicated hardware and label printing.
- Purchase orders and reordering: If you reorder often, look for PO creation and reorder points.
- Reporting and automation: Decide what you need to see weekly, and what you’d like to automate. Our guide to workflow automation software helps if you want to connect more tools.
- Budget: Count onboarding fees, add-on users or locations, and first-year discounts that expire.
- Scalability and setup effort: Pick something you can grow into, and be honest about how much implementation your team can handle.
A rough rule of thumb: for one location and a few hundred items, start with Sortly or Zoho Inventory’s free plan. If you sell online and buy from suppliers, look at inFlow or Zoho. For several warehouses and sales channels, Cin7 is built for that. For a storefront, Square for Retail keeps things in one place.
Which Warehouse Inventory Software Is Best for You?
Here’s how the five line up by situation, based on what we covered above.
Best for Small Businesses
Zoho Inventory
A free plan with no time limit and paid plans from $29/mo billed annually. If you only need basic tracking, Sortly is the simpler alternative.
Best for Ecommerce Businesses
inFlow Inventory
Combines sales orders, purchasing, and stock with Shopify, Amazon, and WooCommerce connections. Zoho Inventory is the lower-cost option.
Best for Multi-Location Inventory
Cin7
Unlimited inventory locations on every Core plan. Zoho Inventory covers 2 to 10 locations at lower prices.
Best for Retail Businesses
Square for Retail
Keeps the register and inventory in one system, with purchase orders and stock counts on Plus.
Best for Advanced Inventory Management
Cin7
Adds advanced warehouse management, manufacturing tools, 700+ integrations, and add-ons for forecasting and a B2B portal.
Best for Easy Inventory Tracking
Sortly
Visual, mobile-first, and quick to learn, with a permanent free plan to try it.
Still choosing a storefront? Our Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison can help you settle that before you pick an inventory tool.
Warehouse Inventory Software vs. Warehouse Management System (WMS)
Inventory management software tracks what you have and where it is. A warehouse management system (WMS) directs how work moves through the building.
Inventory Management Software
- Tracks quantities, SKUs, and locations
- Handles purchase orders, sales orders, and reordering
- Fits small and midsize operations with simple layouts
- In this list: Sortly, inFlow Inventory, Zoho Inventory, Square for Retail
Warehouse Management System (WMS)
- Directs receiving, put-away, picking, packing, and shipping
- Works at the bin level, with directed picking
- Suits high volumes, several warehouses, or strict stock rotation rules
- Cin7’s advanced warehouse management adds kitting picks, time tracking, and FIFO/FEFO enforcement
If your main question is “how many do we have?”, inventory software is enough. If you’re asking “who picks what, from which bin, and in what order?”, you’re in WMS territory. Several tools here sit between the two: Zoho Inventory offers bin locations and picklists, and Cin7 offers an advanced warehouse management app on its higher plans.
Warehouse Inventory Software FAQs
What is warehouse inventory software?
Warehouse inventory software tracks the products stored in your warehouse, including quantities, SKUs, and locations. It records stock as it’s received, moved, and shipped, and usually adds purchase orders, barcode scanning, and low-stock alerts. The goal is one accurate, live record of your inventory instead of spreadsheets that drift out of date.
What is the best warehouse inventory software for small businesses?
For most small businesses, Zoho Inventory is a safe starting point because it has a free plan and paid plans from $29 per month billed annually. Sortly suits teams that only need simple tracking, and inFlow Inventory fits small businesses that also manage purchase and sales orders. Check current pricing before you commit.
Can warehouse inventory software track multiple locations?
Yes. Cin7 includes unlimited inventory locations on its Core plans, inFlow Inventory supports 1 location on Lite, 5 on Core, and unlimited on Pro, and Zoho Inventory supports up to 10 locations depending on plan. Square for Retail bills Plus and Premium per location. Location limits differ widely, so check them first.
Can inventory software replace spreadsheets?
Yes, for most businesses. Inventory software updates stock as items are received and sold, which removes the manual re-entry that causes spreadsheet errors. Several tools here, including Sortly and inFlow, can import existing spreadsheets. A spreadsheet can still work for very small, slow-moving inventories, but it gets risky as SKUs and users multiply.
Does warehouse inventory software support barcode scanning?
Yes. All five tools here support barcode scanning in some form. Sortly scans in its mobile app, inFlow offers its own scanner hardware, Zoho Inventory includes barcode generation from Premium, Cin7 includes scanning in its warehouse mobile app, and Square for Retail lets you scan a GTIN barcode to add items.
How much does warehouse inventory software cost?
Costs range from free to over $1,000 per month. Sortly, Zoho Inventory, and Square for Retail have free plans. Paid plans start at $29 per month for Zoho Inventory, $49 for Sortly’s list price, $99 for inFlow billed annually, and $349 for Cin7. Add-ons, onboarding, and per-location fees can raise the total.
What is the difference between inventory management software and a WMS?
Inventory management software tracks quantities, SKUs, orders, and locations. A warehouse management system (WMS) goes further and directs daily warehouse work, such as receiving, put-away, picking, packing, and shipping. Smaller operations usually start with inventory software and move to a WMS when volume, locations, or process complexity grow.
Can warehouse inventory software integrate with Shopify?
Yes. inFlow Inventory, Zoho Inventory, and Cin7 all list Shopify integrations, and Square for Retail can sync with Shopify through the third-party Thrive Inventory app. Sortly’s published integration list doesn’t include Shopify, so confirm current options if you sell there. Integration limits vary by plan, especially with Cin7.
What features should warehouse inventory software have?
Look for real-time stock tracking, barcode scanning, multi-location support, purchase order management, low-stock alerts, reporting, integrations with your sales and accounting tools, and mobile access. Which ones matter most depends on your SKU count, number of locations, and whether you sell online.
The Bottom Line
There’s no single winner here, because these five solve different problems. Sortly keeps tracking simple. inFlow adds purchasing and orders. Zoho Inventory scales from a free plan to ten locations. Cin7 handles complex multichannel operations. Square for Retail ties stock to the register.
Our final picks by business type:
- Small warehouse or storeroom: Sortly or Zoho Inventory
- Ecommerce seller with suppliers: inFlow Inventory
- Multiple warehouses and channels: Cin7
- Retail store already on Square: Square for Retail
If you’re unsure, test before you buy. Sortly, Zoho Inventory, and Square for Retail have free plans, inFlow offers a 14-day trial without a credit card, and Cin7 offers a free trial and demos. Load a few hundred real SKUs and run a week of receiving and counts before you decide.
Ready to compare plans?
Open the official pricing pages side by side and check what’s included on the plan you’d actually buy.
Check Sortly’s current plansCompare inFlow plansTry Zoho InventoryExplore Cin7See Square for Retail
