The Best Inventory Management Software
Here’s my shortlist of the best inventory management software solutions I’ll cover in this article, with detailed summaries below:
- MRPeasy
Best inventory management software for manufacturers
- Zoho Inventory
Best inventory management software for small businesses on tight budgets
- Sage X3
Best inventory management software for reliable asset tracking
- Fishbowl
Best inventory management software for manufacturing and warehouse management
- Cin7 Omni
Best inventory management software for advanced multichannel order management
- Sortly
Best inventory management software for SMBs and sole proprietors
- InFlow
Best inventory management system for creating customizable B2B sales portals
- Trunk
Best inventory management software for syncing inventory across multiple platforms
- Netstock
Best inventory management software for demand forecasting and supplier management
- Wasp
Best inventory management software for businesses that are ready to scale
Keeping track of stock is a critical function for any ecommerce business. That's why inventory management software is so important. Forget relying on spreadsheets. You need detail on how much stock you have, where it is, and how quickly it's selling. Efficient inventory management can also increase your profit and reduce customer support inquiries. That's why it's important to take this topic seriously.
In this article, I’ll review my top picks for inventory management software today. I’ll show you which applications to consider and highlight the strengths they have to offer. You’ll be able to cut to the chase and select the perfect tool for your ecommerce business.
If you have general questions about how inventory management software works, pop down to my FAQ section below. Or, if you'd like to know how I built this list, see How I Selected the Best Inventory Management Software below. Otherwise, let's dive right into the details.
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Overviews of the 10 Best Inventory Management Software for Ecommerce
Here’s a brief description of each inventory management app to showcase each tool’s best use case, some noteworthy features, and screenshots to give a snapshot of the interface.
MRPeasy
Best inventory management software for manufacturers
MRPeasy is an inventory management software that helps manufacturers optimize their order, supply, and production processes.
Why I picked MRPeasy: Users can manage and track stock levels and locations, order lifecycles, and inventory performance metrics in the platform. The software helps users optimize their manufacturing processes with production planning features like automated reordering and an integrated order fulfillment system. To manage stock levels, users can place purchase orders from multiple vendors at once. Picking lists for warehouse workers and shipping labels are generated automatically through the system.
Users can quickly generate reports on any aspect of their inventory management process, such as total revenue, cost per item, and the average time from order to delivery date. The software can also produce reports on things like order histories, shipment statuses, and on-hand stock levels. This helps businesses identify areas where they can improve their process efficiency or reduce costs associated with managing inventory.
MRPeasy standout features & integrations
Features include automated reordering, stock level notifications, barcode scanning, auto-generated picking lists, warehouse lifecycle tracking for batches and lots, and reporting.
Integrations include BigCommerce, Magento, Pipedrive, QuickBooks, ShipStation, Shopify, Ware2Go, WooCommerce, and Xero. Additional integrations can be accessed with a paid Zapier account.
Zoho Inventory
Best inventory management software for small businesses on tight budgets
Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory management system that sits within the Zoho business software suite. It's an excellent choice for small businesses with tight budgets since they offer a free plan for up to 50 orders per month, with other affordable plans available for businesses with higher sales volumes.
Why I picked Zoho Inventory: With Zoho Inventory, you get the assurance of working with a quality software company that's well-known for good customer service, plus the option to trial the software with a free account and scale up to add more features as needed.
Zoho Inventory Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include vendor-managed inventory, reporting, analysis, and lot traceability. Users can create purchase orders, backorders, and drop shipments, as well as track every inventory item by serial number. Other benefits include features such as shipment estimating, tracking, bill of materials, and delivery confirmation. Mobile apps are available for both Android and iOS devices.
Zoho Inventory integrates natively with various ecommerce platforms and PoS systems, including Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Shopify, Magento, Bigcommerce, WooCommerce, and TradeGecko, and with numerous shipping and payment service systems. Additional custom integrations are also available by connecting a paid Zapier account too.
Sage X3
Best inventory management software for reliable asset tracking
Sage X3 is a powerful ERP and inventory management system that helps companies respond to change, reduce excess inventory, and cut costs. The software can be deployed in the cloud, on-premises, or using a hybrid of both. It is designed to be a multi-company, multi-country, and multi-site solution.
Why I picked Sage X3: Their inventory management system uses real-time supply-chain data to help organizations make decisions about stock volume and whether to restock or discontinue items. Their software also helps to automate purchasing while controlling inventory costs.
Sage X3 Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include inventory trackers to manage stock assets effectively, combined with Just-in-Time inventory management to ensure that products are stocked only when they are needed. This allows companies to minimize the costs of storing and maintaining unsold products.
Sage X3 integrates natively with other Sage applications and industry-leading software, including Boomi, Certify, erpCommerce, Planful, Lynq, Prophix, Skynamo, SPS Commerce, YayPay, and others.
Fishbowl
Best inventory management software for manufacturing and warehouse management
Fishbowl is a hybrid warehouse and manufacturing inventory management software solution that's designed for organizations who use QuickBooks. Their software is used by several notably large organizations, including General Electric, Mercedes-Benz, NASA, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Army.
Why I picked Fishbowl: Their software suite not only integrates with QuickBooks — a very popular accounting program with high user adoption — it also adds many inventory features that QuickBooks omits, like barcode scanning and part tracking.
Fishbowl Standout Features & Integrations:
Features including inventory control and automatic reorder points. Their software can also predict inventory requirements based on sales trends and facilitate stock transfer between warehouses.
Fishbowl integrates natively with 50+ popular software applications and ecommerce platforms, including Amazon, Clover Connect, eBay, HubSpot, Magento, NetStock, Salesforce, Shopify, QuickBooks Desktop, QuickBooks Online, Xero, Zencart, and others.
Cin7 Omni
Best inventory management software for advanced multichannel order management
Cin7 is a cloud-based inventory and order management software solution built for ecommerce businesses managing multiple sales channels. Their software allows online retailers to manage online, B2B, retail, and wholesale channels.
Why I picked Cin7: Their all-in-one platform functions as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) alternative, and includes integrated modules for ecommerce, retail, B2B sales, manufacturing, marketplaces, logistics, and electronic data interchange (EDI) management. They offer a lot of value for businesses who may benefit from ERP software, but don't already have one in place.
Cin7 Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include inventory management, point of sale (POS) systems, FIFO and reporting, plus tools to track inventory levels across various locations to avoid stockouts or overstocks. In addition, their multi-location, multichannel capability combines every sales channel, from POS to EDI, in a single automated solution with real-time visibility, giving platform admins the control needed to optimize warehousing, process work orders, and fulfill sales from any kind of customer through any channel.
Cin 7 integrates with 700+ popular accounting, ecommerce, warehouse and shipping platforms through a combination of native integrations and third party connectors. Popular platform integrations include Etsy, EVO Payments, GoSweetSpot, Magento, Mailchimp, PayPal, Salesforce, ShipStation, Shopify, Walmart, Wayfair, WooCommerce, and others.
Sortly
Best inventory management software for SMBs and sole proprietors
Sortly is a cloud-based inventory management software solution that caters specifically to the small business market. They offer a simplified user interface, and are well-suited for small and growing businesses, including those run by sole proprietors.
Why I picked Sortly: Their interface is easy to use and requires little to no training to find your way around, making it a friendly option for organizations with smaller inventory management needs. In addition, their mobile apps for Android and iOS devices allow users to manage inventory from anywhere, making it a good choice for business owners who are often on the go.
Sortly Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include location tracking, barcoding, activity tracking, audit trails and customizable access profiles. Users can add notes or tags to items, upload item photos, search and track products, or print customizable QR labels. They can also scan UPC, ISBN, and EAN barcodes to find specific items, plus send reminders for loaned items, warranty expirations, or return dates.
Sortly is currently developing API integrations with popular accounting and ecommerce providers, including Shopify, QuickBooks, and Xero. However, API access is only included in their Enterprise level plan.
InFlow
Best inventory management system for creating customizable B2B sales portals
inFlow is designed to be a one-stop shop for inventory management. In addition to a wide range of inventory management features, the software covers barcode scanning, customizable access rights, and support for mobile devices.
Why I picked inFlow: inFlow supports customizable B2B portals called Showrooms, that allow you to create tailor-made catalogues of up-to-date inventory for specific customers. This is an efficient way to utilize the details that are already stored within your inventory records, and provides a high-quality buying experience for your customers.
inFlow Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include tools for tracking products quickly, together with accurate inventory management and optimization. The software allows you to receive, transfer or fulfill stock in real-time. The suite also includes manufacturing add-ons for quick kitting and raw materials assembly.
inFlow integrates with 95+ top ecommerce marketplaces and tools, including Amazon, EasyPost, QuickBooks Online, Shopify, Squarespace, WooCommerce, Xero, and Zapier. These integrations are accessible through multiple avenues, including native integrations, third party integrations, or through inFlow's customizable API.
Trunk
Best inventory management software for syncing inventory across multiple platforms
Trunk is a cloud-based software solution that enables ecommerce enterprises to manage and list products across multiple sales channels. It was designed to make multi-channel inventory management easy.
Why I picked Trunk: I like how trunk automatically builds its own centralized inventory database from product listings across multiple platforms. By linking the items using SKUs, Trunk will automatically adjust your listings, or remove them once sold in another platform, so you can avoid overselling an item that was purchased elsewhere.
Trunk Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include the ability to create quantity packs and categorize products into customizable bundles. Users can automatically link listings with SKUs to eliminate duplicate entries and improve workflow. They can also configure system settings to track inventory levels and display updated listings centrally. Thousands of SKUs can be synced within minutes, rather than wasting time updating inventory levels across multiple sales platforms individually.
Trunk integrates natively with AIMS360, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Faire, QuickBooks Online, Square, Squarespace, Shopify, Tundra, and WooCommerce. They are also in a beta testing phase for other software integrations, including BigCommerce, Facebook Shops, Meganto, NetSuite, Xero, and others.
Netstock
Best inventory management software for demand forecasting and supplier management
Netstock is a cloud-based inventory management solution that provides a unified platform for demand forecasting and supplier management. Their built-in predictive analytics make it a good choice for any ecommerce business that is prone to seasonal fluctuations in consumer purchasing trends.
Why I picked Netstock: The platform allows managers to track inventory levels and plan future demand based on consumer behavior and market trends. This is an important feature, as it can help you avoid stock-outs during demand-heavy times of year (i.e., for seasonal products, Christmas, etc.).
Netstock Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include replenishment, multi-channel distribution, procurement, and data management. The reporting module enables users to gain insights into customer activities using graphs, analytics, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Managers can track sales orders through their life cycle, automatically calculate lead times, and streamline stocking policies to meet business needs.
Netstock integrates with 30+ popular enterprise resource planning (ERP) platforms like Acumatica, AlphaPlan, Dear Inventory, Epicor, eSuite, GWS, SAP Business One, LOCATE Inventory, Oracle NetSuite, Sage, Syspro, and others.
Wasp
Best inventory management software for businesses that are ready to scale
Wasp's InventoryCloud is designed to help small businesses that are ready to grow fast. Wasp began with the desire to provide easy, straightforward, and error-free tracking solutions for small businesses but now has the capacity to deal with enterprise-level organizations too.
Why I picked Wasp: Their software is ready to use out-of-the-box, but has the robust features needed as a business scales. I also appreciate the fact that Wasp also sells supporting inventory management items such as scanners, label printers, and tags, since not all inventory management software providers do.
Wasp Standout Features & Integrations:
Features include real-time tracking, barcode scanner options, cycle counts, and supplier management tools. Admins can also manage maximum and minimum stock levels and create email purchase orders. Wasp's InventoryCloud functions as a centralized hub for managing the ordering, receiving, and picking of both inventory and non-inventory items.
Wasp integrates with inventory systems such as Fishbowl, and offers mobile apps for Android and iOS devices.
Best Inventory Management Software Comparison Chart
This comparison chart summarizes basic details about each of my top inventory management software selections. You can view pricing details and the availability of free trials or demos side-by-side to help you find the best software for your budget.
Tool | Free Option | Price | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | MRPeasy Best inventory management software for manufacturers | Free for up to 30 days. | MRPeasy has four plans: Unlimited, Professional, Enterprise, and Starter. The latter is priced at $49 per user for month. | Visit Website |
2 | Zoho Inventory Best inventory management software for small businesses on tight budgets | 14-day free trial | Free plan with limited features. Paid plans from $79 per month. | Visit Website |
3 | Sage X3 Best inventory management software for reliable asset tracking | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
4 | Fishbowl Best inventory management software for manufacturing and warehouse management | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
5 | Cin7 Omni Best inventory management software for advanced multichannel order management | Free demo available | From $399 per month | Visit Website |
6 | Sortly Best inventory management software for SMBs and sole proprietors | 14-day free trial | Free plan with limited features. Paid plans from $49 per month. | Visit Website |
7 | InFlow Best inventory management system for creating customizable B2B sales portals | 14-day free trial | From $99 per month | Visit Website |
8 | Trunk Best inventory management software for syncing inventory across multiple platforms | 14-day free trial | From $35 per month | Visit Website |
9 | Netstock Best inventory management software for demand forecasting and supplier management | Free demo available | Pricing upon request | Visit Website |
10 | Wasp Best inventory management software for businesses that are ready to scale | Free trial + free demo | From $1,295 per year | Visit Website |
Need expert help selecting the right Inventory Management Software?
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It only takes a minute to submit your requirements and they will give you a quick call at no cost or commitment. Based on your needs you’ll receive customized software shortlists listing the best-fitting solutions from their team of software advisors (via phone or email). They can even connect you with your selected vendor choices along with community negotiated discounts. To get started, please complete the form below:
Other Inventory Management Solutions
Here are a few more worthwhile options that didn’t make the best inventory management software list:
- Katana - Web-based, material requirements planning application that meets the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
- Salesforce Commerce - Agile ecommerce cloud platform that's a good fit for Salesforce users.
- ParagonSMB - Helps small businesses manage inventory, fulfillment, and shipping.
- TrueCommerce - Integrates everything from inventory management and fulfillment to digital storefronts and marketplaces.
- ECI ScanIT - Inventory management system that offers greater control and reduced costs through mobile scanning.
- ShipStation - Specialized shipping software that makes order fulfillment quicker, easier, and more affordable.
- Infoplus - Cloud-based warehouse management software designed to power high-volume growth.
- Acctivate - Protects inventory investment and amplifies supply chain visibility.
- UpKeep - Delivers powerful insights to control costs better and ensure you have sufficient supply in stock.
- MarginPoint - Offers real-time visibility and control of inventory regardless of supplier or where the stock is stored.
- Square for Retail - Point-of-Sale system designed for running retail businesses of every size and type.
- ECOUNT - Low-cost, web-based Enterprise Resource Planning and inventory management system.
- 3PL Warehouse Manager - Cloud-based warehouse management platform that automates time-consuming tasks and delivers high levels of visibility.
- SKUlab - All-in-one ecommerce solution for managing multi-channel orders and controlling inventory.
- SwiftCount - Range of software tools for optimizing inventory-based businesses.
- Finale Inventory - Cloud inventory software for applications involving high volume, multi-channel ecommerce and warehouse management.
You may also want to check out our list of the 10 best warehouse management systems or our top selections for multi-channel ecommerce software too.
How I Selected the Best Inventory Management Software
Perhaps you're wondering how I choose the best inventory management tools for this list? I'm happy to explain my methodology.
My process began by creating a long list of the most popular inventory management systems out there based on user rankings and market share data. I then assessed each software vendors website in fine detail to ensure their software covered all the basic features inventory managers would need to manage their processes from end-to-end.
Next, I turned to my selection criteria below to help me make my final selections. Using these criteria as a framework, I was able to compare each inventory management system to see how it stacked up to the rest of the tools in the stack.
Selection Criteria
Here’s a summary of the selection criteria I used to determine my top picks for this list:
- User Interface (UI): I chose software systems with an intuitive interface that empowers users to drill deeper to get granular data and insights.
- Usability: I selected systems that make it easy to manage a large number of products and quickly identify the key information.
- Software Integrations: I picked inventory management software that integrates with ecommerce platforms, accounting software, ERP solutions, CRM apps, and marketing tools. For example, the most efficient inventory management systems should connect to services like Amazon, Shopify, QuickBooks, eBay, WooCommerce—everything you’d expect!
- Value for Price: I always look for software with scalable pricing that’s affordable for ecommerce startups while also meeting the needs of larger players at a cost that makes sense. However, for some software, prices are only available upon request.
Inventory Management Software: FAQs
Here are some answers to frequently asked questions you may have about inventory management tools and how they work:
What is inventory management software?
Inventory management software is designed to help organizations manage all aspects of their inventory, including materials that are in production, in transit, or stored in a warehouse, ready to be purchased and eventually shipped. The goal of this type of software is to track and monitor all the fine details, automate tasks, and set up predictive alerts to avoid potential inventory or stock issues.
Looking for some pro tips on how to create inventory management best practices? See What is Ecommerce Inventory Management, And How to Get it Right for more details.
What key features are included in inventory management software?
While each inventory system is unique, here's a list of some core features you can expect to find in all the best inventory management solutions:
- Inventory tracking: maintaining records of all orders received, orders filled, and refill requirements.
- Product categorization: effectively tracking inventory for products in different categories, managing migration between categories, and making products easily searchable.
- Barcoding & tagging: saving time and reducing human error by using barcode scanning to enter products into the system.
- Automatic replenishment of stock: automatically creating a purchase order as soon as stock levels fall below a specified threshold.
- Inventory forecasting: calculating future stock requirements to allow for seasonal demand and other factors.
- Low stock alerts: alerting managers by email or SMS to inform them of key news such as shipment status and issues in the inventory pipeline.
- Inventory security and backups: protecting your ecommerce assets through bulletproof security and regular backups of all inventory data.
- Stock returns handling: keeping track of returned goods and ensuring that they are handled optimally.
- Scalability: having the potential to grow with the business, handling larger volumes of data and more complex business requirements.
What are the main benefits of using inventory management software?
Still wondering if you really need inventory management software or not? If you're on the fence, here are some of the main benefits you can expect to gain by using this type of software:
- A streamlined inventory process
- Increased productivity
- Up-to-date inventory counts
- Improved profitability
- The ability to automate key tasks
- Inventory optimization tools to spot aged stock
- The ability to monitor multiple warehouses in one interface
- Predictive analytics
- Tools to manage purchase orders and sales orders
- Improved customer service
Want to learn more? See Inventory Management Software Features and Key Benefits for more details.
Are there any free inventory management tools?
There are many free inventory management software tools, including Odoo, Zoho Inventory, Boxstorm, and Stockpile. However, in my experience, most free applications only offer limited features and functionality.
Free plans may be useful for testing out basic capabilities and getting a feel for their user interface. However, most business owners soon graduate to paid pro tools that offer the advanced performance needed to run a successful ecommerce store and enhance customer relationships.
Related Read: Ecommerce Warehouse Process: Turn It Into A Competitive Advantage
More Resources for Ecommerce Business Leaders
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