5 Best Inventory Control Software in 2025 (+ Free Systems)

Successful businesses should always know what's in stock, which is why they should select the best inventory control software. Data on reliable inventory management software is constantly updated, ensuring that your customers always have access to your products, online or in your store.

Different inventory control tools exist for businesses, whether you run a retail store, manufacturing plant, or restaurant. It's essential to pick the ideal tools for your business. To save you time, we've compiled the best inventory management software for your business to take advantage of in 2023.

What is the Best Inventory Control Software?

Here's a list of the top inventory control tools based on industry-specific features, cost, and integrations:

1. Sortly
2. inFlow
3. Fishbowl Inventory
4. Zoho Inventory
5. QuickBooks Online

1. Sortly

Best Overall

Sortly is a cloud-based solution and the best inventory control software on our list. You can set up real-time inventory updates and product tracking, and the Sortly API allows you to expand the capabilities.

Sortly goes further with handheld scanner compatibility, custom barcodes, and reporting tools. On the downside, the inventory solution does not integrate well with e-commerce stores, which makes it unsuitable for online shops.

Key Features

• Inventory and Asset Tracking: The most crucial feature of Sortly is real-time tracking, which allows users to add, remove and update products by scanning them. The location-based tracking feature comes in handy if your business has multiple locations. You can also use the tool for asset management.
• Advanced Permissions for Teams: Sortly comes with a team management feature that allows the administrator to set user permissions. Some employees can only view what's in stock, while others can add and remove products. You can use the permissions with location tracking by giving certain employees access to specific locations.
• Compatible with Handheld Scanners: Businesses can use Sortly with a wide range of handheld scanners on Ultra and Enterprise plans, making it possible to update the inventory level in real time. The Sortly app can be used to scan items too. Another helpful feature is the custom barcode scanning and QR labels. Once they are printed, you can add them to physical products and assets.
• Reporting and Analytics Tools: Sortly analyzes your inventory and provides insights with reports. Easily generate reports on your sales data, trends, and inventory level. This makes it convenient to set pricing and stock levels. You can track product movements and understand which products need to sell better.

Pros

• Sortly is a highly customizable software with API and team management.
• Comes with a mobile application for Android and iOS devices.
• Easy to use with an offline mode for working anywhere.
• Provides a free trial and free plan for small businesses.
• Can generate custom QR labels and barcodes for labeling products.

Cons

• The free plan is highly limited.
• You only get dedicated customer support on the Enterprise plan.

Pricing

Sortly offers affordable pricing, starting with a Free plan for new businesses and individuals. All paid plans come with a 14-day free trial. Here are the available paid plans:

• Advanced – $49/mo
• Ultra – $149/mo
• Enterprise – Get a Quote

2. inFlow

Best for B2B Companies

Next on our list is inFlow, a good inventory management system for business-to-business companies with many features for inventory and supply chain management. Online sellers and distributors who manage warehouse inventory, order delivery, and fulfillment should also consider using inFlow.

The inFlow software comes with features for monitoring, reordering, and sales. Anyone can use it with an intuitive interface, reporting capabilities, integrations, and easy barcoding.

Key Features

• B2B Portal and Showroom: inFlow makes it easy to manage B2B sales by allowing users to create professional product catalogs, customize them and share them with their clients. The buyers can browse the products, select their choice and pay immediately. There is also an option for exclusive product catalogs if you have wholesale clients.
• Selling and Invoicing Tools: Users can access a wide range of sales processing features, including valuable integrations like Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, and Squarespace. You can create invoices, and customers can pay for products through a web browser. Other tools available in inFlow include product tracking and shipping labels.
• Import and Export Data: If you have data on external e-commerce platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce, you can import the data into inFlow. The import data include vendor, product, stock information, and images. It is possible to export data and reports to external applications, mainly in CSV format.
• Raw Materials Tracking: There is a section for manufacturing and assembly companies. Inventory management processes are automated, which allows you to organize raw materials in specific bundles. It shows what you have on hand and the ratio of raw materials to sales value.

Pros

• B2B showroom for businesses to connect with clients.
• Extensive selection of features for manufacturers.
• Provides native applications for iOS, Android, and Windows devices.
• Excellent customer support that you can rely on.
• Intuitive barcoding for Bluetooth, USB, and app scanners.

Cons

• More expensive than other options on our list.
• Limited customization for reporting.

Pricing

All inFlow plans come with a 14-day free trial and custom plans. There are different add-ons that you can pay for, including Showroom Pro or adding extra team members. The paid plans include:

• Entrepreneur – $110/mo
• Small Business – $279/mo
• Mid Size – $549/mo

3. Fishbowl Inventory

Best for Small Businesses

Fishbowl Inventory is a reliable tool that smaller businesses can use to manage their inventory. Since it integrates with different business solutions, this is ideal for online stores and businesses that need help managing their inventory.

Aside from eCommerce platforms, Fishbowl Inventory integrates with shippers, CRMs, accounting tools, and EDIs. There are also tools for bills of materials, work order management, raw materials management, and job shop floor control.

Key Features

• Inventory and Order Management: Fishbowl Inventory streamlines the inventory process and is also scalable, making it ideal for growing small businesses. You can track items using different criteria, generate barcodes and set up auto-reorder points. There are sales order and warehouse management features, so you can automatically generate purchase and manufacturer orders.
• Fishbowl GO: Take advantage of Fishbowl GO, a mobile app that is suitable for iOS and Android devices. This app can turn your smartphone or tablet into a barcode scanning platform or POS system. Other features include performing cycle counts, creating sales orders, assigning serial and lot numbers, checking inventory quantities, and receiving items.
• Business Intelligence and Reports: Fishbowl Inventory provides in-depth business intelligence reports. It measures production and order tracking. You can customize the dashboard to get essential data instantly, schedule reports, and view vendor performance and sales data.
• Increased Error Prevention: Since Fishbowl Inventory automates the data input process, it prevents all kinds of human errors that might confuse you. With fewer mistakes, you can avoid wasting resources.

Pros

• Fishbowl Inventory is easy to use and learn.
• Provides a convenient mobile application for barcoding.
• Integrates with QuickBooks to add different kinds of applications.
• Complete warehouse management features, including reordering and stock alerts.
• In-depth business intelligence reports for tracking inventory.

Cons

• Creating custom reports attracts extra costs.

Pricing

Fishbowl Inventory does not have any fixed pricing in an attempt to provide individual pricing packages for everyone. To get a quote, you need to contact a Fishbowl representative, and they will recommend products based on your business needs. You can also request a custom demo to get a feel of the software.

4. Zoho Inventory

Best Free Software

Another top inventory management solution on our list is Zoho Inventory, a platform ideal for new businesses and individuals on a budget. The free plan allows for one warehouse inventory, two users, 50 orders, shipping labels, and AfterShip tracking per month.

Zoho Inventory might seem standalone, but it can be integrated with many other Zoho apps. These include CRM, accounting, and sales management. Zoho Inventory also supports your IT team's APIs, allowing you to customize the platform.

Key Features

• Inventory and Warehouse Management: Zoho Inventory provides businesses with real-time access to sales across multiple locations. You can set custom attributions for your products and even bundle a group as a single item. Furthermore, you can manage multiple warehouses and their entire inventory.
• Multi-Channel Sales: You can manage and measure sales across online channels, including Shopify, Amazon, and Etsy. Zoho Inventory allows you to integrate with multiple sales channels to process inventory quantities. It is possible to buy and sell products across multiple currencies, as the software will automatically convert orders into your base currencies.
• Vendor Relation Support: Zoho Inventory makes running vendor transactions and bills easy. Product price monitoring is one of the features which ensures that your sales price corresponds with the purchase price. Another feature is tracking vendor bill changes and analyzing all your vendor activities.
• Order Management and Fulfillment: Zoho has powerful order management tools and marketplace integrations to centralize your orders. You can reorder points and get alerts on when to restock popular products. The software also optimizes workflows and supports packaging and shipping capabilities for your team.

Pros

• Highly affordable inventory software with a free plan.
• Supports location tracking across different warehouses.
• Includes functionality for sales and purchase orders.
• Strong eCommerce capabilities with barcoding support.
• Extensive packaging or shipping functionality.

Cons

• It only supports FIFO costing.
• Many of the integrations are for countries outside the US.

Pricing

Zoho Inventory offers a reasonable pricing structure, starting with the free forever plan. There is the option to purchase add-ons like additional users, warehouses, advanced auto scans, orders, and shipping labels. You can choose one of their five paid plans:

• Standard – $59/mo
• Professional – $99/mo
• Premium – $159/mo
• Elite – $239/mo
• Ultimate – $329/mo

5. QuickBooks Online

Best for Accounting Teams

Finally, on our list of the best inventory control software is QuickBooks Online, a web-based accounting software that can be used for various financial matters. The software can track your inventory and company assets using the Plus and Advanced plans.

QuickBooks Online allows users to add non-inventory products and services into the accounting system, so you can add these products to your sales forms. Along with inventory tracking, QuickBooks Online provides expense tracking, bookkeeping, invoice management, payroll, and tax management.

Key Features

• Comprehensive Inventory Tracking: You can add products, services, non-inventory items, and even bundles that group products or services together. The platform allows you to track sales by creating an invoice or adding a sales receipt, so the inventory is automatically updated.
• Reorder Through QuickBooks: When it's time to restock a particular product, QuickBooks Online will give an alert. It is possible to order inventory in QuickBooks and track what you receive from vendors. This is done through purchase order management. You send the order to the vendor and pay through Bill Pay in QuickBooks.
• Inventory Status Reports: Stay updated with your inventory data through status reports. The reports show your best sellers, the cost of goods, and what's on hand. It is possible to customize your report.
• Invoices, Estimates, and Sales Receipts: You can create personalized invoices, estimates, and sales receipts that match your business. The accounting system allows you to customize the form, and the design automatically applies to any new receipt, invoice, or estimate you create.

Pros

• Full-featured accounting and inventory software.
• Easy to reorder new items through QuickBooks.
• Extensively customize reports, receipts, invoices, and estimates.
• Regular reporting and notifications.
• Affordable pricing plans.

Cons

• Inventory tracking is only available on Plus and Advanced plans.
• Comes with a learning curve.

Pricing

QuickBooks Online has affordable pricing, and you can choose a free trial for 30 days or a 50% discount on the first three months. The plans include:

• Single Start – $30/mo
• Essentials – $55/mo
• Plus – $85/mo
• Advanced – $200/mo

FAQ

Use the Best Inventory Management Software to Track Your Inventory

Choosing the best inventory management software means considering different factors like the type of business, budget, the features you need, and how much you can customize the software. To help you out, we compiled a list of the best five inventory management software you can take advantage of, with some free options.

The best inventory software on our list is affordable for small to midsize businesses, is easy to use through its intuitive interface, and comes with integrations for specific industries. Also, they provide reliable customer service and unique tools.

Here are the top five:

Before getting started with an inventory management system, these resources can come in handy:

• Best Tool Inventory and Equipment Tracking Software Systems
• Best Barcode Inventory Software

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