Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has more than fifteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
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Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her previous roles include news writer and associate West Coast editor at Bustle Digital Group, where she helped shape news and tech coverage. She's appeared on Cheddar News and also worked as a policy contributor for GenFKD. Hillary earned a bachelor's degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan.
Email: <a href="mailto:hcrawford@nerdwallet.com">hcrawford@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Editor/Content Strategist | Taxes, retirement, small business, Social Security, estate planning, home services, cars
Tina Orem is an editor and content strategist at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor and content strategist, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. Her work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets. Email: <a href="mailto:torem@nerdwallet.com">torem@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Karrin Sehmbi is an editor and content strategist on the small-business team. She has more than fifteen years of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and a tutor.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog. Email: <a href="mailto:rlane@nerdwallet.com”">rlane@nerdwallet.com</a>.
NerdWallet's content is
fact-checked for accuracy, timeliness, and relevance by humans.
It undergoes a thorough review process involving writers and editors to ensure
the information is as clear and complete as possible. Learn more by checking
our
Editorial Guidelines.
Content was accurate at the time of publication.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
95+ years of combined
experience covering small-business and personal finance.
50+ categories of best
business loan selections.
Objective and comprehensive business loans ratings rubric
– learn more about our star ratings.
NerdWallet's small-business loans content, including ratings,
recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and
editors who specialize in business lending. Their work has appeared in
The Associated Press, The Washington Post, MarketWatch, Nasdaq,
Entrepreneur, ABC News, MSN and other national and local media outlets.
Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
Advertiser disclosure
You’re our first priority.
Every time.
We believe everyone should be able to make financial decisions with
confidence. And while our site doesn’t feature every company or
financial product available on the market, we’re proud that the guidance
we offer, the information we provide and the tools we create are
objective, independent, straightforward — and free.
So how do we make money? Our partners compensate us. This may influence
which products we review and write about (and where those products
appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or
advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research. Our
partners cannot pay us to guarantee favorable reviews of their products
or services. Here is a list of our partners .
Free inventory software can offer small businesses a cost-effective way to manage their stock. But you also get what you pay for. These trackers are typically light on features, so when looking for the right software, make sure it at least supports your current operations — whether you need a mobile inventory app with a barcode scanner, access for multiple employees or low stock alerts.
The best free inventory software provides some combination of these basics, with additional capabilities like multiple sales channel management and point-of-sale (POS) and e-commerce integrations. Most also offer paid inventory management software. Check those plans as well, because as your business scales, you’ll want the ability to upgrade without having to switch providers or break your budget.
Here are some of the best free inventory software products and their standout features.
Why trust NerdWallet
250+ small-business products reviewed and rated by our team of experts.
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75+ categories of best business software selections.
NerdWallet's small-business software content, including ratings, recommendations and reviews, is overseen by a team of writers and editors who specialize in business software, including payroll, accounting and payment processing. Their work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq, Entrepreneur, ABC News, Yahoo Finance and other national and local media outlets. Each writer and editor follows NerdWallet's strict guidelines for editorial integrity to ensure accuracy and fairness in our coverage.
Sync inventory across multiple online sales channels. Other integrations include Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online for accounting.
Free plan includes invoice customization, shipping labels, backorders and item bundling.
Free barcode, purchase order and shipping label generators.
Mobile app available for iOS and Android.
Cons
Free plan caps users at one, purchase orders at 20 and sales orders at 50.
Zoho stands out from other free inventory software with a rich set of features, including options to bundle items, set reorder points, run inventory reports and dropship sales orders.
Sync inventory across multiple online sales channels. Other integrations include Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online for accounting.
Free plan includes invoice customization, shipping labels, backorders and item bundling.
Free barcode, purchase order and shipping label generators.
Mobile app available for iOS and Android.
Cons
Free plan caps users at one, purchase orders at 20 and sales orders at 50.
Zoho stands out from other free inventory software with a rich set of features, including options to bundle items, set reorder points, run inventory reports and dropship sales orders.
Square POS (inventory feature)
Best for Free retail inventory software
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers (per month): $89 per location, custom.
Free plan includes invoicing, purchase orders, barcoding, shipment tracking and CRM features.
Cons
Free plan is limited to one user and 100 combined accounts, unique SKUs and orders.
You’ll need to select the Bronze plan ($19 monthly) or up to integrate with QuickBooks Online, Xero, WooCommerce and Zapier.
Mobile app for iOS only.
SalesBinder offers a variety of plans to scale with your business, from small-scale to enterprise-level inventory management.
Stockpile by Canvus
Best for Free inventory tracker with unlimited items and users
Starting at
$0
Free.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
Unlimited users, items and locations.
Includes inventory tracking basics, like the ability to enter sales returns and record inventory transfers.
Cons
Not as feature-rich as some other free options. Reports are limited to inventory transactions and count lists, and there is no integration option, barcode scanning tool or ability to sync online and in-store inventory.
No phone support.
No mobile app.
Stockpile’s website may look dated, but among free inventory trackers, it’s hard to beat a product that doesn’t put a cap on the number of items you can track or how many users you can invite to collaborate.
Stockpile by Canvus
Best for Free inventory tracker with unlimited items and users
Starting at
$0
Free.
Promotion
N/A
Pros
Unlimited users, items and locations.
Includes inventory tracking basics, like the ability to enter sales returns and record inventory transfers.
Cons
Not as feature-rich as some other free options. Reports are limited to inventory transactions and count lists, and there is no integration option, barcode scanning tool or ability to sync online and in-store inventory.
No phone support.
No mobile app.
Stockpile’s website may look dated, but among free inventory trackers, it’s hard to beat a product that doesn’t put a cap on the number of items you can track or how many users you can invite to collaborate.
Backbar
Best for Free bar and restaurant inventory management
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers per location (per month): $99, $149.
Promotion
One-month free trial
of the Essential or Professional plan.
Pros
Unlimited number of users, even with the free plan.
Ability to calculate pour costs and drink profits.
Cost out up to 10 recipes.
Access to detailed inventory and purchase reports.
Cons
Limited to a single restaurant or bar location and only six months of reporting history for the free plan.
Paid plan is required to access more advanced reporting options as well as priority customer support.
If you have a single location for your restaurant or bar, you can use Backbar and most of its inventory management features for free. And if your business opens more locations down the line, Backbar offers paid plans that can grow with your business.
Backbar
Best for Free bar and restaurant inventory management
Starting at
$0
Additional pricing tiers per location (per month): $99, $149.
Promotion
One-month free trial
of the Essential or Professional plan.
Pros
Unlimited number of users, even with the free plan.
Ability to calculate pour costs and drink profits.
Cost out up to 10 recipes.
Access to detailed inventory and purchase reports.
Cons
Limited to a single restaurant or bar location and only six months of reporting history for the free plan.
Paid plan is required to access more advanced reporting options as well as priority customer support.
If you have a single location for your restaurant or bar, you can use Backbar and most of its inventory management features for free. And if your business opens more locations down the line, Backbar offers paid plans that can grow with your business.
Odoo
4.1
Best for Free warehouse inventory management
Starting at
$0
For use of a single app. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $31.10, $46.80.
Promotion
Monthly discount
for the first 12 months.
Pros
Unlimited users.
Vast library of directly integrated apps means the software can grow with your business.
Open-source model encourages regular testing and improvement of the software.
Cons
Paid plan is required to access the full list of features for most apps and any additional apps.
Phone support is only available for database emergencies.
If you just want to use Odoo’s inventory app alone, you and an unlimited number of users can do so for free.
Odoo
Best for Free warehouse inventory management
4.1
Starting at
$0
For use of a single app. Additional pricing tiers per user (per month): $31.10, $46.80.
Promotion
Monthly discount
for the first 12 months.
Pros
Unlimited users.
Vast library of directly integrated apps means the software can grow with your business.
Open-source model encourages regular testing and improvement of the software.
Cons
Paid plan is required to access the full list of features for most apps and any additional apps.
Phone support is only available for database emergencies.
If you just want to use Odoo’s inventory app alone, you and an unlimited number of users can do so for free.
A closer look at the best free inventory management software
Zoho Inventory
Best for overall free inventory software
Price
$0 per month for the Free plan.
$39 per month for the Standard plan.
$99 per month for the Professional plan.
$159 per month for the Premium plan.
$299 per month for the Enterprise plan.
User experience
Easily convert purchase orders to received items to automatically increase stock numbers. You can then click a button to convert the purchase order received to a bill to ensure the increased stock is also reflected in your accounting.
Creating an order for a drop shipment is as easy as a few button clicks. You can even select whether to dropship an entire sales order or only particular items within the order.
If you choose to upgrade to a paid plan and therefore have more than one user with access to the inventory software, you can easily set roles and permission levels for each user.
Why we picked it: Zoho Inventory’s free plan supports up to 50 sales orders and shipping labels per month, 20 purchase orders per month, one warehouse and one user. These limits scale as you subscribe to higher-tier plans, but the cost of its entry-level paid plan is greater than other providers. The software also integrates with a variety of online marketplaces including Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.
Square Inventory
Best for retail inventory software
Price
$0 per month for the Free plan.
$89 per month per location for the Plus plan.
Custom pricing available for the Premium plan.
User experience
With Square’s simple and intuitive interface, updating stock counts becomes an efficient process. Use your device’s camera or a compatible barcode scanner to select an item, then simply key in the total quantity.
Square’s customizable inventory reports let you filter by category, date range and location. You can even search and run a report on one specific item.
Why we picked it: Square for Retail’s POS software includes a wealth of inventory management features. Square’s free plan comes with an e-commerce store, and its inventory management features automatically sync stock in store and online. You need to use the Square POS and Square’s in-house payment processing, but the POS is top-rated and known for being intuitive, simple to use and affordable. If your business already uses Square POS, there’s no need to look for other inventory management options.
Sortly
Best for free inventory app
Price
$0 per month for the Free plan.
$49 per month for the Advanced plan.
$149 per month for the Ultra plan.
$299 per month for the Premium plan.
Custom pricing available for the Enterprise plan.
User experience
Quickly and easily set stock re-order alerts within the Sortly mobile app.
A Quick Action tool within the app allows you to associate a task you frequently repeat, such as adjusting stock quantities, with an item barcode. Use the camera on your phone to scan the barcode and automatically perform the action you’ve associated with it.
Why we picked it: Sortly’s inventory management app is easy to navigate and provides a clear overview of how many items you have in stock and their value. Inventory lists incorporate photos to make scrolling less tedious, too. You’ll have to upgrade to the most expensive plan, however, if you want to generate your own barcodes.
Best for tracking inventory across multiple locations
Price
$0 per month for the Forever Free plan.
$9 per month for the Starter plan.
$19 per month for the Bronze plan.
$49 per month for the Silver plan.
$99 per month for the Gold and Bronze Unlimited plans.
$199 per month for the Silver Unlimited plan.
$299 per month for the Gold Unlimited plan.
User experience
You can easily import a list of items or customers with a .csv file. SalesBinder’s software will automatically recognize and categorize much of the data from the file to save you time and effort.
Clicking on an item in your inventory list will open an item details page that shows you useful quantity and revenue information at a glance. The activity feed provides a record of all actions associated with a particular item.
Why we picked it: The free version of SalesBinder lets you manage inventory at an unlimited number of locations, but that’s not the only reason it’s a good solution for businesses with multiple storefronts or warehouses. The product also doubles as an invoicing software and CRM tool, centralizing other tasks adjacent to inventory management. Aside from running inventory reports, you can generate reports on aged receivables, taxes and revenue, too.
Best for free inventory tracker with unlimited items and users
Price
$0.
User experience
In Stockpile, you can add new inventory items by manually filling in a number of fields or import a full list of inventory by uploading a .csv file.
Why we picked it: With Stockpile’s free inventory management software, you'll be able to import and add inventory, track stock counts, accept returns and more. The software also supports images and labels for inventory items, as well as transferring inventory from one location to another. Stockpile isn’t ideal for businesses that need advanced reporting or have an online store since it doesn’t include any built-in integrations, but it can be a solid fit if you just want to keep track of a large number of items across physical locations.
Backbar
Best for free bar and restaurant inventory management
Price
$0 per month for the Basic plan.
$99 per month per location for the Essential plan.
$149 per month per location for the Professional plan.
User experience
Backbar makes it simple to add and manage vendor information. You can track delivery days and times and save vendor contact information for easy reference.
Doing an inventory count in Backbar is also easy and intuitive. The software’s clean layout makes it simple to scroll your inventory list by location and update case and unit counts. Multiple employees can be logged in running inventory counts simultaneously, and the counts update in real-time.
Why we picked it: In addition to enabling you to manage your inventory from a variety of iOS and Android devices and access up to six months of audit histories, Backbar’s inventory management software integrates with some of the top restaurant POS systems: Toast, Square and Clover. The free version of the software also handles purchase orders, stores digital copies of your invoices and allows you to set reminders for placing orders. Reporting is limited to the basics, just inventory and purchase reports, with the free plan.
$31.10 per user per month (or $24.90 per month billed annually) for access to all apps.
$46.80 per user per month (or $37.40 per month billed annually) for access to all apps across multiple companies plus Odoo’s external API.
User experience
One click through from Odoo’s inventory dashboard will take you into a detailed view of your warehouse delivery orders, where you can dig into the details of orders that are experiencing issues and delays.
Another useful feature in Odoo’s inventory app is warehouse configuration, which allows you to set the required steps to take for each vendor for both incoming and outgoing shipments.
Why we picked it: Odoo’s inventory app is specifically designed for warehouse inventory management and includes double-entry inventory, which enables you to easily track your stock through the full supply chain. The app allows for real-time reporting and offers a host of capabilities, including barcode scanning, inventory adjusting, dropshipping, expiration date tracking and more. The free version of the app has limited functionality and doesn’t include, for example, barcode scanning.
If you have a need for the full suite of inventory management features and/or any of Odoo’s dozens of other business apps (for finance, sales, marketing, HR and more), then you can choose a paid plan to open your access to the full library of apps that integrate seamlessly.
Best free inventory management software features comparison
Supported sales channels
Integrations
Barcode scanning
Mobile app
Zoho Inventory
Online sales, plus one physical warehouse.
Accounting and e-commerce.
Yes.
Yes.
Square for Retail
Online and in-store sales across multiple locations.
Accounting, e-commerce and POS.
Yes, but must subscribe to paid plan to print barcodes.
Yes.
Sortly
Supports multiple physical locations, but there are no built-in e-commerce integrations.
No.
Yes, but must subscribe to Ultra plan or higher to generate custom barcodes.
Yes.
SalesBinder
Supports unlimited physical locations, but must subscribe to Bronze plan or higher for e-commerce integration.
Must subscribe to Bronze plan or higher to access integrations for QuickBooks Online, Xero or WooCommerce.
Yes.
Yes, but only for iOS.
Stockpile by Canvus
Supports unlimited physical locations, but there are no built-in e-commerce integrations.
No.
No.
No.
Backbar
In-store sales; paid plan required for multiple locations.
POS.
Yes.
Yes.
Odoo
Supports multiple physical locations, though paid plan may be required; paid plan is required to access e-commerce integrations.
Odoo's Sales app and Purchase app.
Yes, but must subscribe to paid plan.
Yes.
What is free inventory software?
At a minimum, free inventory software allows you to track how much stock you have on hand at no cost. Some products also track the raw materials or parts needed to produce the finished goods. This is important because inventory is considered an asset that businesses, especially retail ones, trade it for payment. Simple inventory tracking software should let you know which items are running low and help you predict how much stock to buy, so that you can keep up with demand.
Typically, you download free inventory software online, enter your business’s details and import a list of items to get started. From there, you may be able to send purchase orders to vendors and keep track of sales orders from within the software. Integrating the free inventory app with your existing accounting software can help reduce manual data entry.
Learn more about managing inventory
Read about the different types of inventory, along with the common strategies small businesses use to efficiently track them.
Consider the following factors and weigh them in the context of your business to determine which free inventory software is the right fit for your company’s needs.
Features
Free inventory trackers typically come with fewer features than paid options but typically include a combination of the following: basic reporting, low stock alerts, some digital labeling and scanning capabilities and mobile functionality.
Some free inventory products go above and beyond the basics by offering purchase order management, dropshipping options and item bundling. Make a list of the features that are most important to your business and find simple inventory software that offers at least a majority of them. However, don't expect to get everything you need for free.
Even plans with many free features come with some limitations. Zoho Inventory’s free plan, for example, puts caps on purchase orders and sales orders. If you know your business will surpass those limits, it’s probably worth subscribing to a paid plan or searching for an alternative.
Cost
Free inventory management software can fit into any business’s budget. But if a slightly more expensive inventory tracker saves you time that would otherwise be spent manually tracking your inventory — or prevents costly mistakes in ordering or tracking items — it may be worth the price in the long run.
Multichannel management
If you run a retail brick-and-mortar store along with an accompanying online shop, you’ll want a free inventory tracker that syncs inventory from both sources. To achieve that, it should integrate with your POS software and e-commerce software. Square is a good free inventory solution for this, while Stockpile by Canvus, for example, is not.
Number of users
How many people will need access to your inventory management app? Simple inventory tracking software will often have a small cap, sometimes allowing only a single user.
Be sure to include yourself and anyone filling or counting inventory, and maybe even your accountant. Any inventory management system — free or not — can be useless if the right people don’t have access. Additional users typically come at a cost and might require you to upgrade plans. While Stockpile by Canvus is rudimentary compared with some other free options, the fact that it allows an unlimited number of users is unique.
Other integrations
If your accounting software comes with its own inventory reports, it might be worth selecting a free inventory app that integrates with it. That way, you don’t have to worry about subscribing to a paid inventory management plan to access advanced reporting. There are other reasons your accounting software should be synced up with your inventory software, too: Inventory is an asset and appears on your balance sheet.