Core operating stack · Inventory
Inventory software for small business: from a hundred items to multichannel stock
Short answer. To track a few hundred items or supplies, Sortly’s app or Zoho Inventory’s free plan is enough. A small team with a stockroom and barcodes should look at inFlow. If you make products, Katana adds bills of materials and production. Once you sell across several channels and warehouses, Cin7 Core is built for that scale.
Pick by the size of your business
Tracking items, tools or supplies
Sortly
Free plan for 100 items with a mobile app that scans existing codes.
Selling and shipping orders
Zoho Inventory
Free for 50 orders a month, with paid tiers adding users, locations and order volume.
Making your own products
Katana
Bills of materials and production tracking next to stock and orders.
Stockroom with barcodes and several people
inFlow Inventory
Barcodes and labels on every plan, sublocations and a scanning app.
Many channels, warehouses or 3PLs
Cin7 Core
Multichannel sync with warehouses, 3PLs and accounting.
The options, and what each one costs you in effort
Just you, simple tracking
Sortly
Free plan for 100 items; scanning existing codes on every plan.
You give up: Printing your own labels needs paid plans.
When you grow: Free (100 items) → Advanced (QR labels) → Ultra (barcode labels).
Small online sellers
Zoho Inventory
Free plan for low order volume with paid tiers by orders, users and locations.
You give up: Free plan is one user; pages disagree on its location count.
When you grow: Free (50 orders/month) → Standard → Premium → Plus by orders, users and locations.
Small makers
Katana
Bills of materials, production tracking and syncs with Shopify and QuickBooks Online; free plan with limited SKUs.
You give up: More than you need if you only resell.
When you grow: Free (limited SKUs and locations) → paid plans.
Stockroom teams
inFlow Inventory
Barcodes and labels on every plan, sublocations, and a separate tier for manufacturing.
You give up: Paid plans only; member counts are low on entry tiers.
When you grow: Lower tiers → more locations and members → inFlow Manufacturing.
Multichannel scale
Cin7 Core
Syncs many channels, warehouses and 3PLs, with two-way QuickBooks and Xero integration.
You give up: Priced and set up for growing businesses, not owners starting out.
When you grow: Standalone inventory between listing tools and full ERP.
Worksheet
| Product | Smallest practical team | Setup | Users | Locations | Try first | Pricing model | Data out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sortly | 1 person tracking items and supplies | Light setup: Mobile app scans existing codes on every plan; label printing needs paid plans. | 1 user on the free plan | Not stated | Free plan + trial | Plan tiers | Not stated on pages checked |
| Zoho Inventory | 1 person shipping orders | Some setup: Items, warehouses and channels to configure; free plan for very low volume. | 1 user free; tiers add users and locations | Higher plans | Free plan + trial | Plan tiers | Import/export |
| inFlow Inventory | A team with a stockroom | Some setup: Barcodes and labels on every plan; manufacturing is a separate tier. | 2–5 team members on lower tiers; Stockroom scanning users unlimited | Higher plans | Free trial | Plan tiers | Not stated on pages checked |
| Katana | A small maker or manufacturer | Some setup: Bills of materials and production tracking alongside stock and orders. | Unlimited users on the free plan listing | Higher plans | Free plan + trial | Plan tiers | QuickBooks Online and Shopify sync |
| Cin7 Core | A multichannel product business | Plan a project: Channels, warehouses, 3PLs and accounting sync to connect. | By plan | Yes | Free trial | Quote-based | Accounting sync with QuickBooks and Xero |
“Not stated” means the vendor pages we checked do not say, not that the feature is missing. Check current prices on each vendor’s pricing page.
Signs you are outgrowing your current setup
- Overselling online because channels update slowly.
- Counting stock takes a day and still does not match.
- You need purchase orders, reorder points or batch and expiry tracking.
How size changes the decision
At the smallest size the question is whether you need inventory software at all: if your accounting or POS already tracks quantities, start there. Separate inventory software earns its place when you have several sales channels, a stockroom team or production.
Before you choose
List your channels, locations and the accounting system you use, then confirm each connector exists. Run one real stock count in the trial.
Sources
| Source | Used for | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Sortly | Sortly: plans | |
| Sortly | Sortly: labels by plan | |
| Zoho | Zoho Inventory: plan limits | |
| Zoho | Zoho Inventory: free plan | |
| inFlow | inFlow Inventory: tiers, members, locations | |
| inFlow | inFlow Inventory: Stockroom app | |
| Katana | Katana: small-business positioning | |
| Katana | Katana: free plan limits | |
| Cin7 | Cin7 Core: product | |
| Cin7 | Cin7 Core: multichannel sync |
More size guides
- Accounting software for small business: what fits one person, a small team or fifty staff
- CRM for small business: the right CRM for one person, a small team or a growing sales team
- Email marketing for small business: by list size, sending pattern and store
- Invoicing software for small business: send invoices and get paid without a full accounting system
- POS systems for small business: from one card reader to several locations