The best inventory management software for a small business depends on what you sell. For small manufacturers, look at Katana, MRPeasy and Fishbowl. For ecommerce and multichannel sellers, Zoho Inventory, Cin7, Ordoro and inFlow are strong starting points. For simple stock and asset tracking, Sortly is the easy option. Odoo Inventory suits teams that want room to grow.
If you're still tracking stock in a spreadsheet, you already know how it ends. Someone sells something you don't have, someone else reorders something you already have plenty of, and the numbers never quite match the shelf. Good inventory management software fixes that by keeping one live count of what you own, where it is and what's on order.
This is my 2026 guide to inventory management software for small business, including small manufacturers and ecommerce sellers. I've grouped the tools by the kind of business they suit, because a maker with a bill of materials and a shop selling on three marketplaces need very different things. Every tool below was checked against its own website this month, and I've only listed features the vendor states there. Always confirm the details for your own setup before you commit.
What to look for in inventory software
Before you compare tools, decide which of these problems you're really trying to solve. It'll narrow the list fast.
- Stock accuracy across places. If you hold stock in more than one warehouse, shop or storage area, you need location-level tracking.
- Sales channel sync. If you sell on your own store and on marketplaces, the software should update stock everywhere when something sells.
- Manufacturing. If you make what you sell, you need bills of materials, so raw materials are used up as you build.
- Barcodes. Scanning cuts picking and counting mistakes more than almost anything else.
- Accounting connection. Your stock value ends up in your books, so check the tool talks to your accounting package. My guide to accounting software tools is worth a look if you haven't chosen one yet.
Best for small manufacturers
If you turn raw materials into finished products, plain stock counting won't be enough. These three are built around production.
Katana
Katana is cloud inventory software that combines stock tracking, order management and manufacturing in one place. Its site describes real-time stock visibility across locations and sales channels, production tracking from materials to finished goods, and demand forecasting based on live stock and sales data.
It suits multichannel ecommerce brands, manufacturers and co-manufacturers, and hybrid businesses that outsource some of their production. It lists native connections to Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce, QuickBooks Online, Xero, HubSpot and ShipStation, plus batch and serial tracking with expiry dates for regulated products. It also says it has a free plan with limits on SKUs and locations, and full access for the first 15 days.
Watch out for: the free plan is capped on SKUs and locations, so check the limits against your catalogue before you build your process around it.
MRPeasy
MRPeasy describes itself as MRP software for small manufacturers. It covers production planning and scheduling, inventory with lot and batch tracking, serial numbers and barcodes, sales management, purchasing, shop floor reporting and financial reporting.
It's aimed at manufacturers with roughly 10 to 200 employees, so it's a fit if you've outgrown spreadsheets but don't need enterprise software. Its integrations list includes Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, QuickBooks Online, Xero, ShipStation and Zapier, and the site offers a free trial.
Watch out for: it's a full manufacturing system, not a light stock tracker. If you only resell products, you'd be buying more than you need.
Fishbowl
Fishbowl is aimed at small to midsize businesses in manufacturing, distribution and product sales. Its site lists real-time tracking across multiple warehouses, bill of materials management, work orders, material requirements planning, lot, serial and expiry tracking, and a mobile barcode scanning app.
What stands out is the accounting side. It names QuickBooks Online, QuickBooks Desktop and Xero integrations, alongside Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce and Magento, and the main carriers. If your bookkeeper lives in QuickBooks, that matters.
Watch out for: the pages I checked didn't mention a free trial, so you'll probably need to talk to the team or book a demo first.
Best for ecommerce and multichannel sellers
If your stock sells through several channels, the priority is keeping every listing accurate. If you're still choosing where to sell, my guide on selecting an ecommerce platform will help before you pick inventory software.
Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory is cloud-based software for stock tracking, order fulfilment and warehouse operations. Its site lists multi-warehouse management with transfer orders and bin locations, barcode, serial and batch tracking, sales and purchase orders, composite items for assemblies, and multichannel selling.
It says it suits retailers, ecommerce sellers, manufacturers and dropshippers, and connects with Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, Zoho Books, Xero, QuickBooks Online and shipping carriers. There's a free plan with limits, and a 14-day free trial.
Watch out for: the free plan has caps on orders, users and locations. It's a good way to test it, but a growing shop will hit them.
Cin7
Cin7 has two platforms, Cin7 Core and Cin7 Omni. Its site lists real-time visibility across locations, order management, bill of materials, point of sale, warehouse management, EDI, a B2B portal and forecasting.
It's aimed at product businesses at different stages, from startups to companies scaling across channels or warehouses, including retailers, wholesalers and distributors. It connects with QuickBooks Online, Xero, Shopify, Amazon, WooCommerce and ShipStation, and you can start with a free trial or a demo.
Watch out for: with this many features, it's easy to buy more than a small team needs. Decide which ones you'll use in your first six months.
Ordoro
Ordoro is an ecommerce operations platform. It puts shipping, inventory sync across sales channels, dropshipping automation, purchase orders and kitting in one system. The site says it works with Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Amazon, Walmart, eBay and Etsy, and offers a free trial with no credit card needed.
It suits merchants and fulfilment teams selling across several channels, especially if shipping and supplier routing take up much of your day. Its dropshipping tools route orders to suppliers and pass tracking information back into your order workflow.
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Watch out for: it's built around order fulfilment, so if you make your own products, you'll want to check how it handles materials before you rely on it.
inFlow
inFlow covers stock levels, sales and purchase orders, barcode scanning, label printing and a B2B portal. It also has a manufacturing option for assembly work, and a mobile app for scanning in the stockroom.
The site says it suits everyone from sole entrepreneurs to teams of around 50, including wholesalers, ecommerce retailers and warehouse operations. It offers a 14-day free trial with no credit card. It states GDPR and SOC 2 compliance, which is useful if you handle customer data.
Watch out for: the homepage I checked didn't list specific integration partners, so ask about your sales channels and accounting package before you sign up.
Best for simple stock tracking and room to grow
Sortly
Sortly is the friendliest option here if your needs are basic. It's a mobile-first tool where you add photos of items, scan barcodes and QR codes, set low stock alerts and generate PDF or CSV reports. The app works offline and syncs across devices.
The site lists uses from tracking supplies and parts to tools, equipment and asset tracking, across sectors such as construction, retail, events and education. It offers a 14-day free trial with no payment upfront.
Watch out for: it's about knowing what you have and where it is. If you need bills of materials or channel sync, look at the manufacturing or ecommerce tools above.
Odoo Inventory
Odoo Inventory is one app in a wider business suite. Its site lists replenishment rules, automatic purchase order triggers, serial and lot tracking, cycle counting, multiple warehouses, several picking methods, barcode scanning that works offline, and valuation methods including FIFO and average price.
It says it suits businesses from tiny teams to larger companies, and links to Odoo's sales, manufacturing, purchase and accounting apps. The site says the first app is free with unlimited users. That's attractive if you want one system that grows with you.
Watch out for: the flexibility that makes it powerful can mean more setup work. Plan time to configure it, or get help.
Mistakes I'd avoid
The most common error is buying for the business you hope to have in three years. Pick the tool that fixes today's problem and can stretch a little, then review it once a year. The second is skipping the clean-up. Software only helps if your product names, codes and counts are tidy when you import them, so fix your data before you switch, not after.
The third is forgetting your team. Whoever receives stock and packs orders will use the system most, so let them try it during any trial. If they find it awkward, the counts won't stay accurate for long.
How I'd choose
Start with what you do, not the feature list. If you make things, shortlist Katana, MRPeasy and Fishbowl. If you sell across channels, look at Zoho Inventory, Cin7, Ordoro and inFlow. If you mainly need to count and locate things, try Sortly. If you'd like one system for stock, sales and accounts, look at Odoo.
Then run the same test on your shortlist. Load 20 of your real products, receive a purchase order, sell one item and count the stock. Where the vendor offers a free trial, use it before you commit, and check that it talks to your accounting package, since your invoicing will depend on it. If you're still sorting that out, my comparison of invoicing software can help.
Finally, check how much manual work it removes. If you're spending time on repetitive tasks such as reorder emails and stock reports, my roundup of AI tools for small business shows what else can be automated.
For the rest of the series, see the AI for Small Business: 25 Plain-English Guides to Automation, Marketing, Sales and Admin.
Frequently asked questions
What is inventory management software?
It's software that keeps a live record of your stock: what you have, where it is, what's on order and what's been sold. Most tools also handle purchase orders, sales orders and reports, and many connect to your online store and accounting system.
Do small businesses really need it?
Not on day one. A spreadsheet can work while you have a handful of products and one place to sell. The moment you sell on more than one channel, hold stock in more than one place or make products from parts, mistakes get expensive and software pays for itself in avoided errors.
Can I use inventory software if I'm a small manufacturer?
Yes, but choose one that supports bills of materials and production orders. Among the tools above, Katana, MRPeasy and Fishbowl all state manufacturing features, and Zoho Inventory, Cin7 and inFlow also mention assembly or manufacturing tools.
Are there free options?
Some vendors say so on their own sites. Katana, Zoho Inventory and Odoo describe free plans with limits, and several others offer free trials. Limits change, so check the current terms on each site.
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