SFDIFY
The best inventory management software depends on what you do with stock. Multichannel ecommerce sellers on a budget should start with Zoho Inventory, whose Standard plan is listed at $29 per organization per month billed annually [1], or Cin7 if order volume is higher, from $349 a month [2]. Light manufacturers should compare Katana, which has a free plan for up to 30 SKUs [3], with MRPeasy from $49 per user per month [4]. Teams that only need to count and find stock can look at Sortly, which has a free plan for 100 unique items [5].
This guide is for small and mid-size product businesses (ecommerce sellers, wholesalers and light manufacturers) choosing inventory software in 2026.
How we chose
We compared Zoho Inventory, Cin7, Katana, MRPeasy, Fishbowl, inFlow Inventory and Sortly using each vendor's own homepage and pricing page, checked on 2026-11-12. We looked at four things: which kind of business the product is built for, how pricing scales (per user, per organization or flat tiers), which sales channels and accounting tools it connects to, and what the cheapest usable plan leaves out. We did not run hands-on tests, and prices change, so confirm them before you buy.
SFDIFY earns a commission if you sign up for Katana or MRPeasy through our links. That does not change the order or what we say about them.
Comparison table
| Product | Best for | Starting price | Notable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory | Budget multichannel ecommerce | Free plan; Standard $29/org/month billed annually [1] | Free plan capped at 50 orders and 1 user [1] |
| Cin7 | Higher-volume multichannel and wholesale | $349/month (Standard) [2] | 700+ integrations [6]; order volume caps per plan [2] |
| Katana | Ecommerce brands that also make products | Free up to 30 SKUs; paid plan is custom-priced [3] | Unlimited users on both plans [3] |
| MRPeasy | Small manufacturers with 10–200 staff [7] | $49/user/month (Starter) [4] | Barcodes start on the Enterprise plan [4] |
| Fishbowl | QuickBooks- or Xero-based businesses | $229/month billed annually (Essentials) [8] | Manufacturing plan from $675/month [8] |
| inFlow Inventory | Wholesale and field-service teams | $99/month billed annually (Lite) [9] | Lot and serial tracking are paid add-ons [9] |
| Sortly | Simple tracking of supplies, tools and stock | Free; Advanced $49/month billed monthly [5] | QuickBooks Online only on Premium [5] |
Zoho Inventory — low-cost multichannel ecommerce
Zoho Inventory is a low-cost option for online sellers. Its homepage pitch is to "sell on multiple channels and track all your sales within Zoho Inventory" [10].
Verified features: The pricing page lists marketplace integrations with Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Etsy, shopping-cart integrations with Shopify and WooCommerce, and accounting integrations with Zoho Books, Xero and QuickBooks Online [1]. Serial number tracking and batch tracking are listed under the Premium plan [1].
Pricing: There is a free plan with 50 orders, 1 user and 1 location [1]. Standard is listed at 29 per organization per month billed annually, with 500 orders a month and 3 users [1].
Strengths: Per-organization pricing rather than per-user, a real free tier, and named connectors for the major US marketplaces.
Limitations: Every plan has a monthly order cap, so fast-growing stores will move up tiers quickly. Lot and serial tracking are not on the entry paid plan. Manufacturing depth is limited compared with Katana or MRPeasy.
Best fit: Small ecommerce and retail sellers on two or more channels who want inventory, orders and shipping in one place.
Cin7 — multichannel inventory for higher order volume
Cin7 is built for brands that sell across many channels and warehouses. Its homepage says it has "700+" integrations available to connect [6].
Verified features: The Standard plan includes unlimited inventory locations, and the Pro plan adds material requirements planning [2].
Pricing: Standard is $349/month for 5 users, 2 e-commerce and app integrations and 6,000 sale orders a year; Pro is $599/month for 10 users and 24,000 orders a year [2]. Cin7 offers a "Free 14 Day Trial" [2].
Strengths: Built for multichannel selling, wholesale and 3PL setups, with a large integration catalog and room to scale order volume.
Limitations: It is the most expensive starting point in this list, and the entry plan includes only two e-commerce and app integrations. The B2B portal, point of sale and ForesightAI forecasting are listed as add-ons [2].
Best fit: Established ecommerce and wholesale brands with several channels and a warehouse or 3PL.
Katana — inventory plus light manufacturing for product brands
Katana combines inventory, order management and production in one cloud system. Its homepage describes keeping "orders and stock aligned across Shopify, wholesale, retail, and 3PLs without double entry" [11].
Verified features: Katana says it can "Track lots, serial numbers, and expiry dates from supplier to customer" [11]. Its integrations menu lists Shopify, Amazon, QuickBooks Online and HubSpot [11].
Pricing: The Free plan is "$0, no card required" for up to 30 SKUs, with unlimited users, integrations and inventory locations [3]. The Advantage plan has custom pricing, and "Everything in the agreed scope of work sits under one annual contract" [3].
Strengths: Unlimited users on both plans, so you are not paying per seat as the team grows. It suits brands that both make and sell products online.
Limitations: There is no published price for the paid plan, so you cannot compare cost without a sales call, and it is sold on an annual contract. The free plan's 30-SKU cap rules it out for most real catalogs beyond testing.
Best fit: Shopify or Amazon brands that make their own products and want sales, stock and work orders tied together.
MRPeasy — manufacturing inventory management for small factories
MRPeasy is an MRP system aimed at small manufacturers, described on its homepage as "Ideal for companies with 10 - 200 employees" [7].
Verified features: Every plan lists production planning, BOM management, lot traceability, a warehouse management system, CRM and standard accounting, plus integrations with Shopify, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online, Xero and ShipStation [4].
Pricing: Starter is $49/user/month and the top Unlimited plan is $149/user/month (minimum 2 users) [4]. A free trial of "15 + 15 days" needs no credit card [4].
Strengths: Transparent, published pricing and deep production planning for the price.
Limitations: Pricing is per user, so costs grow with headcount. The barcode system and multiple stocks are listed only from the Enterprise plan [4], which matters for warehouses that scan everything.
Best fit: Small manufacturers and job shops that need real MRP (BOMs, scheduling, procurement) and can live with per-user pricing.
Fishbowl — inventory and manufacturing for QuickBooks users
Fishbowl positions itself around accounting connections, listing integrations with QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero [12].
Verified features: Essentials includes QuickBooks Online and Xero sync, reorder points and mobile barcode scanning; Growth adds pick, receive, ship and fulfillment plus "Multichannel ecommerce selling" [8]. The Advanced Manufacturing plan covers BOMs, MRP, production scheduling and work orders [8].
Pricing: Essentials is $229 per month billed annually with 2 users, and Growth is $429 with 5 users [8]. Advanced Manufacturing starts at $675 per month and is "priced by users & deployment" [8].
Strengths: Published starting prices and a clear path from inventory to manufacturing for QuickBooks users.
Limitations: The cheapest plan is well above the entry tiers of Zoho, Sortly or inFlow, plans are billed annually, and the manufacturing tier is quoted rather than fixed.
Best fit: Distributors and manufacturers that keep their books in QuickBooks or Xero and need barcode-driven warehouse control.
inFlow Inventory — simple inventory and order management for wholesalers
inFlow Inventory targets small and mid-size teams, "From solo entrepreneurs to teams of 50" [13].
Verified features: All plans include "Unlimited products, sales, purchases, and integrations" [9]. inFlow Manufacturing adds assembly and bills of materials and starts at 169 USD per month billed annually [9].
Pricing: The Lite plan is listed at 99 USD per month billed annually, or 129 billed monthly [9]. The onboarding package is a one-time 499 USD cost, optional on some plans and required on others [9]. A free 14-day trial needs no credit card [13].
Strengths: Unlimited products and integrations on every plan, and a separate Manufacturing edition to grow into.
Limitations: Lot numbers and serial numbers are add-ons at 39 USD per month each on lower plans [9].
Best fit: Wholesalers, distributors and field-service businesses that want straightforward inventory and order management without a full ERP.
Sortly — simple inventory management software for supplies and tools
Sortly is a mobile-first app for tracking items, supplies and tools.
Verified features: Sortly offers in-app barcode and QR code scanning, item photos and low-stock alerts [14].
Pricing: The Free plan covers 100 unique items and 1 user license; Advanced is $49 per month billed monthly for 500 unique items and 2 users [5]. Yearly plans are discounted, and the page notes the 50% discount "applies only to first year of new customer subscriptions" [5].
Strengths: A free plan and a phone-based workflow that suits crews on job sites.
Limitations: It is not built for ecommerce order syncing or manufacturing. Item counts are capped by plan, and the QuickBooks Online integration is listed only on Premium, $299 per month billed monthly [5].
Best fit: Contractors, clinics and small teams that need to know what they have and where it is.
How to choose the best inventory management software
Start with your business type:
- Ecommerce inventory management software: If most orders come from Shopify, Amazon or other storefronts, compare Zoho Inventory for cost and Cin7 for volume. Check order caps against last year's orders.
- Manufacturing inventory management software: If you build what you sell, you need BOMs and production planning. MRPeasy is the most transparent on price; Katana fits brands that are equally ecommerce and manufacturing; Fishbowl fits QuickBooks shops.
- Simple stock tracking: If you only need to count, find and reorder items, Sortly or inFlow will be faster to set up than an MRP system.
Then look at the pricing model. Per-user pricing (MRPeasy) favors small teams; per-organization or flat tiers (Zoho, Cin7, Fishbowl, inFlow) favor larger teams with modest order volume. Finally, list the integrations you cannot live without, usually your store platform, accounting tool and shipping software, and confirm each one is included in the plan you would buy, not sold as an add-on.
If none of these fits a custom workflow, a lightweight custom build connected to your store and accounting system is another route; see our custom CRM development and AI integration services pages. For a deeper look at production-focused tools, read our guide to manufacturing software companies.
FAQ
Is there free inventory management software for small businesses?
Yes. Zoho Inventory has a free plan with 50 orders, 1 user and 1 location [1]. Katana's Free plan covers up to 30 SKUs with unlimited users [3], and Sortly's Free plan covers 100 unique items and 1 user license [5].
What is the best multichannel inventory management software?
For multichannel sellers, Zoho Inventory lists integrations with Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy and Shopify [1], while Cin7 says it has 700+ integrations [6]. Zoho is cheaper to start; Cin7's plans are built for larger order volumes, from 6,000 sale orders a year on Standard [2].
Which cloud based inventory management software works for manufacturers?
MRPeasy and Katana are both cloud-based [4] [11]. MRPeasy includes production planning and BOM management on every plan from $49 per user per month [4]. Katana links each work order to its sales order with real-time updates on material availability and costs [11].
Does inventory software integrate with QuickBooks?
Most of the tools here do. Fishbowl lists QuickBooks Online and QuickBooks Desktop [12], MRPeasy and Zoho Inventory list QuickBooks Online [4] [1], and Sortly includes QuickBooks Online on its Premium plan [5].
Our recommendation
For most small ecommerce sellers, start with Zoho Inventory and move to Cin7 as volume grows. For businesses that manufacture, trial both Katana and MRPeasy side by side: Katana if you want unlimited users and tight ecommerce links and can accept custom annual pricing, MRPeasy if you want published per-user pricing and deeper MRP. Choose Fishbowl if QuickBooks is the center of your operation, inFlow for straightforward wholesale, and Sortly if you just need to know what is on the shelf.
Sources
- Inventory Plans and Pricing | Zoho Inventory — checked 2026-11-12
- Cin7 Pricing | Inventory Software Price for Core & Omni Plans — checked 2026-11-12
- Katana Pricing: Advantage Plan for Multi-Channel Inventory — checked 2026-11-12
- MRPeasy Pricing | Manufacturing Software Plans | Free Trial — checked 2026-11-12
- Pricing Plans - Sortly | Free 14 Day Trials Available — checked 2026-11-12
- Inventory Management Software & Small Business ERP | Cin7 — checked 2026-11-12
- MRP software, MRP system, Manufacturing software - MRPeasy — checked 2026-11-12
- Inventory Management Software Cost & Pricing | Fishbowl — checked 2026-11-12
- Pricing - inFlow Inventory — checked 2026-11-12
- Inventory management software | Online inventory management for businesses - Zoho Inventory — checked 2026-11-12
- Cloud Inventory Management Software — Katana — checked 2026-11-12
- Best Inventory Management Software for QuickBooks & Xero - Fishbowl — checked 2026-11-12
- Inventory Management Software - Made Easy - inFlow — checked 2026-11-12
- Sortly: Inventory Management Software, Simplified — checked 2026-11-12
