Free Inventory Management Software
Which inventory management apps a startup can track its stock, orders and warehouses with for free today, how many items, orders or locations the free plan covers, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, read from each provider's own page.
Free allowances read on each provider's own pages, all checked on or after . Inventory apps change their free plans from time to time: confirm the terms on the provider's page before you rely on it.
Inventory management apps a startup can use for free today include Katana (Free plan: up to 30 SKUs), InvenTree (Open-source inventory management), Zoho Inventory (Free plan: 50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations), Odoo Community (Open-source apps, incl. inventory), and Sortly (Free: $0, 100 unique items). Each of the 9 free plans below links to the provider's page that states it, with its main limit, its item and order limits, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs.
Once you sell physical products, a spreadsheet stops keeping up: stock goes out of sync across channels, orders get oversold and reorders come too late. Inventory management apps track stock, orders and locations in one place, several have a free plan for a small catalog, and open-source inventory software runs free on your own server.
The headline rarely tells you how far it goes. Free plans cap items, orders or locations, allow one user, and keep integrations and reports for paid plans, while others offer only a short trial. Each app below shows what is free, its main limit, its item and order limits, whether a card is needed and what the first paid plan costs, quoted from the provider's own page with the date we read it.
Which apps we picked and the order they appear in are our editorial choices; the terms are the providers'. Some of these providers pay us a referral commission when someone signs up through our link: those links are labeled, and they play no part in which apps are listed or where.
Inventory management apps with a free plan or trial
Track stock, orders and locations in a hosted app, free to start.
- 1
Katana
Stock and orders on up to 30 SKUs, free
Katana's Free plan includes all its features within a 30 SKU limit, with no card needed. Unlimited SKUs work for the first 15 days, and the paid Advantage plan is a custom annual contract.
- Items and orders
- Up to 30 SKUs (source: katanamrp.com)
- Payment card
- No card needed (source: katanamrp.com)
Start free at Katana Cloud InventoryReferral linkTerms read on katanamrp.com on Katana: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Zoho Inventory
Order and stock tracking for one user, free
Zoho Inventory's Free plan allows 50 orders for 1 user across 2 locations. The Standard plan costs $29 per organization a month when billed annually.
- Main limit
- 50 orders, 1 user (source: zoho.com)
- Items and orders
- 50 orders, 2 locations (source: zoho.com)
- First paid plan
- Standard: $29 a month, billed annually (source: zoho.com)
Start free at Zoho InventoryTerms read on zoho.com on Zoho Inventory: the free allowance and how to start - 3
Sortly
Photo-based stock lists for a small team
Sortly's Free plan costs $0 and covers 100 unique items, with a limit of 2 active jobs. Its Advanced plan is billed $288 a year.
- Items and orders
- 100 unique items (source: sortly.com)
- 4
BoxHero
A single shop or stockroom, free
BoxHero's free Personal Plan covers 1 member and 100 items at 1 location, with 30 days of transaction history. The Business plan is $24 per team a month, or $288 billed annually.
- Items and orders
- 100 items, 1 location (source: boxhero.io)
- 5
inFlow Inventory
Inventory and orders, tried fully for 14 days
inFlow lets you try unlimited features free for 14 days with no credit card. After the trial you must subscribe, and the Lite plan is $99 USD a month billed annually.
Start free at inFlow InventoryTerms read on inflowinventory.com on inFlow Inventory: the free allowance and how to start - 6
Stocksmith
Manufacturers and product sellers, trial with no card
Stocksmith, formerly Craftybase, offers a free 14-day trial on any plan with no credit card. The Indie plan includes 1,000 order lines a month and costs $99 USD a month billed monthly.
- Payment card
- No credit card needed (source: stocksmith.io)
Start free at StocksmithTerms read on stocksmith.io on Stocksmith: the free allowance and how to start - 7
Cin7
Product sellers who want Cin7 Core tested first
Cin7 offers a 14-day free trial of its inventory software. Its Core pricing starts at $349 a month, according to its pricing page.
- What's free
- 14-day free trial of Cin7 (source: cin7.com)
- First paid plan
- Core: from $349 a month (source: cin7.com)
Open-source inventory software
Run inventory software on your own server, free.
- 1
InvenTree
Parts and stock control you run yourself
InvenTree is an open-source inventory management system that provides parts management and stock control. Its site presents it as an open project, with no paid tier listed.
Start free at InvenTreeTerms read on inventree.org on InvenTree: the free allowance and how to start - 2
Odoo Community
Open-source business apps, including inventory
Odoo describes its suite of open source business apps as covering your company needs, including inventory. The Community edition can be downloaded from Odoo's own site.
Start free at OdooReferral linkTerms read on odoo.com on Odoo Community: the free allowance and how to start
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How this comparison is built
The list covers inventory management software a founder can use for free today without applying to a program. The order and the "best for" notes are our editorial reading of each app's terms. Every term comes from the app's own pricing or help page on the date shown, never from a third-party list; follow each link for the full conditions. A cap on items, orders or locations, one user only, integrations kept for paid plans, a short trial instead of a free plan can matter more than the headline, so the comparison quotes them wherever the provider states them. Some of these apps pay StartupPerks a referral commission, and their links are labeled as referral links; that decides neither whether nor where a app appears, and no app pays for a placement on this page.
Read the full methodologyCommon questions
What is the best free inventory management software?
By the terms each provider states, Zoho Inventory's free plan covers 50 orders, 1 user and 2 locations, Sortly and BoxHero are free for 100 items, Katana's free plan covers up to 30 SKUs, and InvenTree and Odoo Community are open source.
Is Sortly free?
Sortly's Free plan is $0 for 100 unique items and 2 active jobs. Advanced is $24 a month, billed $288 a year.
Is Zoho Inventory free?
Zoho Inventory has a free plan with 50 orders, 1 user and 2 locations. Standard is $29 a month billed annually.
Is there free open-source inventory software?
Yes. InvenTree is open-source inventory management, and Odoo Community includes inventory among its open-source apps.
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