Compared · checked 2026-10-24
The best free inventory management software
Free inventory plans are usually a taster: a cap on items or orders, one user, and the useful parts such as stock counts and alerts on a paid plan. Here is what each one gives for free, from its own pages.
We make Inventory, one of the tools on this page. Every fact about the other tools comes from their own pages, linked under each one, as they read on 2026-10-24. Prices and features change: check each site before you choose.
How we compared them
- What the free plan allows: items, orders, users, locations
- Barcode scanning, stock counts and low-stock alerts on the free plan
- Orders and purchasing
- Account needed, and where the stock data is kept
At a glance
| Tool | Price | Free plan limits | Barcode scanning | Account | Where your data is kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inventory ours | Free | None set by us | USB scanner in any browser; camera in Chromium browsers | Not needed | In your browser, on this device |
| Sortly | Free; Advanced, Ultra and Premium paid (yearly discounts) | 100 unique items, 1 user, 1 custom field | In-app barcode and QR scanning on every plan | Sortly account | Sortly's service (synced) |
| Zoho Inventory (Free) | Free; Standard $29 a month yearly | 50 orders, 1 user, 1 location | Barcode generation on Premium | Zoho account | Zoho's servers |
| Feature | Inventory ours | Sortly | Zoho Inventory (Free) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Items on the free plan | No limit | 100 unique items | Not stated |
| Orders on the free plan | No limit (Orders) | Not stated | 50 |
| Users on the free plan | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Stock by location | Yes | Not stated | 1 location |
| Scan barcodes with a camera | Partly | Yes | Not stated |
| USB or Bluetooth scanner | Yes | Partly | Not stated |
| Barcode labels | No | Partly | Partly |
| Stock counts | Yes | Partly | Partly |
| Low-stock alerts | Yes | Partly | Not stated |
| Import from a spreadsheet | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| Item photos | No | Yes | Not stated |
| Custom fields | No | 1 | Not stated |
| Purchase orders | In Purchase Orders | Partly | Not stated |
| Kits or composite items | No | Not stated | Yes |
| Phone app | Works in the browser | Yes | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | Yes | Not stated |
| No account needed | Yes | No | No |
1. Inventory (ours)
Best for: A small shop or workshop that wants counts, locations and reorder alerts free, on one computer
Products and stock by location in the browser: scan with the camera or a USB scanner, receive, move and count stock, set reorder levels, and see the stock value, with orders and purchase orders in the sibling apps.
Good
- No limit on products, locations or movements
- Stock counts, transfers, reorder levels and a low-stock list free
- CSV import with a validation report, and CSV export
- Fulfilled orders take stock out (Orders); received purchase orders put it back (Purchase Orders)
- Works on your phone, tablet and computer in the browser, even offline
Not so good
- Camera scanning needs a Chromium-based browser (the browser's BarcodeDetector)
- No item photos, no custom fields, no barcode labels
- One person in one browser: no team, no sync between devices
- Still being built
2. Sortly
Best for: Visual tracking of a small number of items with photos and a phone app
Good
- Item photos, folders, tags and inventory import on the free plan
- Barcode and QR scanning with the phone, and offline mobile access with automatic sync
- Activity history and inventory summary reports
Not so good
- Free plan: 100 unique items and one user
- Low-stock alerts, QR labels and check-in/check-out need Advanced; barcode labels, stock counts and purchase orders need Ultra
- Third-party scanners from Ultra up
Sortly website · Sources: Sortly pricing and plan table
3. Zoho Inventory (Free)
Best for: Selling products with sales orders, kits and dropshipping at a very small scale
Good
- Composite items, dropshipping and backorders on the free plan
- Integrations with 3PL providers, Zoho apps, Slack and more
- Mobile and Windows apps
Not so good
- Free plan: 50 orders, one user and one location
- Stock counting, barcode generation and serial or batch tracking are on Premium ($79)
- Customer portal starts on Standard
Zoho Inventory (Free) website · Sources: Zoho Inventory pricing
Which one to choose
Inventory is our pick when the free plan has to do real stock control: counts, locations and reorder alerts with no item cap, installable from the browser and usable offline. It is for one person, without photos or labels.
Choose Sortly for a small, visual inventory with item photos on a phone, within 100 items. Choose Zoho Inventory for a business selling online that will grow into its paid plans; its free plan stops at 50 orders and one location.
Questions
Is there free inventory software with no item limit?
Of these, Inventory sets no limit. Sortly's free plan allows 100 unique items; Zoho Inventory's free plan is limited to 50 orders and one location.
Can I scan barcodes for free?
Sortly includes barcode and QR scanning with the phone on its free plan. Inventory reads codes from any USB scanner, and from the camera in Chromium-based browsers.
Which free inventory software does stock counts?
Inventory includes stock counts free. On Sortly they are an Ultra feature and on Zoho Inventory a Premium feature, as their pricing pages show.
Where is my stock data kept?
Sortly and Zoho Inventory keep it on their services. Inventory keeps it in your browser on this device; download a backup to keep a copy.
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