BEST OF

Best Free Inventory Software of March 2023

Free inventory software and apps can keep track of stock, but watch out for limits on features like user access and integrations.

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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 software provides some combination of these basics, with additional capabilities sprinkled in around things like multiple sales channel management and point-of-sale 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, what type of businesses might choose them and their standout features.

Best Free Inventory Software

Our pick for

Overall free inventory software

Zoho

Zoho Inventory

Zoho

Starting at

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $79, $129, $199, $299, $399.

Promotion

14-day free trial

Why we like it

Zoho stands out from other free inventory software by being feature rich, with options to bundle items, set reorder points, run inventory reports, dropship sales orders and integrate with a variety of online storefronts including Amazon, eBay, Etsy and Shopify. The free plan supports up to 50 sales orders and shipping labels per month, 20 purchase orders per month, one online store integration, one warehouse and two users. These limits scale as you subscribe to higher-tier plans, but the cost of its entry-level paid plan ($79 monthly) is greater than other providers.

Pros

  • Sync inventory across multiple online sales channels. Other integrations include Zoho Books and QuickBooks Online for accounting.

  • Free plan includes a customer portal, dropshipping options, 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 two, and shipping labels, purchase orders and sales orders at 50.

  • You’ll have to pay for setup help.

Our pick for

Free retail inventory software

Square
Learn more

on Square for Retail's secure website

Square for Retail

Square

Starting at

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $60, custom.

Promotion

30-day free trial
Learn more

on Square for Retail's secure website


Why we like it

Square for Retail has built-in free inventory software and is a great launching pad for brick-and-mortar businesses looking to expand online. Square for Retail’s free plan comes with an e-commerce store, and its inventory management features automatically sync stock in store and online. The catch? 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.

Pros

  • Built-in POS system and payment processing; in-house POS hardware available.

  • Unlimited items and low stock alerts.

  • Weekday live chat and phone support.

  • Syncs stock, sales and orders, item variations and item descriptions between your POS system and online store.

  • Mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Cons

  • Item categories, coupons and sale prices don’t sync between Square Online and Square POS.

  • Free plan does not include barcode printing, a mobile inventory counting tool, cost of goods sold tracking, stock forecasts, purchase order management and more reports.

Our pick for

Free inventory app

Sortly

Sortly

Sortly

Starting at

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $49, $149, custom.

Promotion

14-day free trial

Why we like it

Sortly’s mobile app is easy to navigate and provides a clear overview of how many items you have in stock and what their value is. Visual people will appreciate the fact that inventory lists incorporate photos to make scrolling less tedious, too. The app is a good fit for business owners who take stock count using mobile devices. Just note that you’ll have to upgrade to the most expensive plan if you want to generate your own barcodes.

Pros

  • Free plan includes an in-app barcode scanner for checking items in and out.

  • Mobile app organizes inventory counts by item photo to make them easier to read.

  • Available for iOS and Android.

Cons

  • Free plan doesn’t include a QR code generator and low stock alerts.

  • Free plan caps item types at 100 and allows only one user.

  • No built-in e-commerce or accounting integrations.

Our pick for

Tracking inventory across multiple locations

SalesBinder

SalesBinder

SalesBinder

Starting at

$0

Additional pricing tiers (per month): $9, $19, $49, $99.

Promotion

30-day free trial

Why we like 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.

Pros

  • Unlimited locations.

  • 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. Each plan puts a cap on these and the number of users.

  • You’ll need to select the Bronze plan ($19 monthly) or up to integrate with QuickBooks Online, Xero, WooCommerce and Zapier.

  • No Android app (there is, however, an iOS app).

Our pick for

Free inventory tracker with unlimited items and users

Stockpile by Canvus

Stockpile by Canvus

Stockpile by Canvus

Starting at

$0

Free.

Promotion

N/A

Why we like it

Stockpile’s website might look dated, but among free inventory options, 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. You'll be able to import and add inventory, track stock counts, take 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 great fit if you just want to keep track of a large number of items across physical locations.

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.

How to choose free inventory management software

Consider the following factors and weigh them in the context of your business to discover which free inventory software is the right fit for your company’s needs.

Multi-channel management

If you run a retail brick-and-mortar 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, but Stockpile by Canvus, for example, is not. 

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.

Number of users

How many people will need access to your inventory management app? Free 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.

Budget

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.

Features

Free inventory trackers typically come with fewer features than paid options, usually including a combination of the following: basic reporting, low stock alerts, some digital labeling and scanning capabilities and mobile functionality.

Some free 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 you and find a product that offers at least a majority of them. Don't expect everything for free.

Even plans with many free features also come with 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. 

Last updated on March 6, 2023

To recap our selections...

NerdWallet's Best Free Inventory Software of March 2023

  • Zoho Inventory: Best for Overall free inventory software
  • Square for Retail: Best for Free retail inventory software
  • Sortly: Best for Free inventory app
  • SalesBinder: Best for Tracking inventory across multiple locations
  • Stockpile by Canvus: Best for Free inventory tracker with unlimited items and users