The best PIM software depends on how many products and channels you have: a PIM for growing brands suits a few hundred products, a PIM with built-in asset management suits manufacturers, and an enterprise product experience platform suits big consumer brands. Ten options follow in no particular order.
PIM stands for product information management. A PIM is the single place where every product's titles, descriptions, specifications, images and translations live, so your website, marketplaces, catalogues and retailers all show the same, correct details.
The ten tools below are listed alphabetically and in no particular order, from an open source platform with a free edition to systems used by global consumer brands. Every description comes from the vendor's own site, read this week. If you're writing the descriptions themselves, my ChatGPT prompts for ecommerce product descriptions will speed things up.
PIM software at a glance
In the free plan column, Yes means the tool's own site names a free plan, a free version, a free tool or an open source edition. Trial only means a time-limited trial. Not stated means the pages I read named neither, even where there's a button inviting you to try it.
| Tool | Type | Good for | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Akeneo | Product information and experience platform | Brands with large catalogues | Not stated |
| Bluestone PIM | Headless product data platform | Headless and composable commerce | Not stated |
| Catsy | PIM with built-in DAM | Product data and images together | Not stated |
| inriver | PIM software for brands | Product stories across channels | Not stated |
| Pimberly | PIM for digital commerce | Distributing data to many channels | Not stated |
| Pimcore | Open source data and experience platform | Flexible PIM with a free edition | Yes |
| Plytix | PIM for growing brands | Channel-ready product feeds | Not stated |
| Sales Layer | PIM with AI agents | AI agents enriching product data | Trial only |
| Salsify | Product experience management platform | Winning on retailer product pages | Not stated |
| Syndigo | Product experience cloud | Grocery, foodservice and CPG data | Not stated |
Ten PIM tools to consider
Akeneo
Best for: Brands and retailers that want trusted product data powering every channel, with AI and automation built in.
Bluestone PIM
Best for: Teams building composable commerce that want a headless, agent-first product data platform feeding every storefront and channel.
Catsy
Best for: Manufacturers and distributors that want product data and digital assets managed together in one system.
inriver
Best for: Brands with complex products that want one product information system feeding every channel they sell on.
Pimberly
Best for: Retailers and manufacturers that want product data centralised, curated and distributed across many sales channels.
Pimcore
Best for: Developers and digital teams that want a highly flexible PIM and data platform, with a Community Edition to try for free.
Plytix
Best for: Small and growing brands that want product data in one place and channel-ready product feeds at scale.
Sales Layer
Best for: Retailers and brands that want AI agents to help enrich product data, with a free trial available.
Salsify
Best for: Consumer brands that want product content managed and syndicated to the product pages of the retailers that stock them.
Syndigo
Best for: Consumer goods and foodservice brands that want product data kept complete and delivered to every buying channel.
PIM, DAM or product experience platform?
A PIM manages product data: names, attributes, descriptions and the rules about what each channel needs. A DAM, or digital asset management system, manages the images, videos and documents that go with each product. Many PIMs now include basic DAM features, and some vendors sell both together. If your team spends as long hunting for the right product photo as it does fixing descriptions, look for a tool that handles both, so each image is tied to the product it belongs to and goes out with it.
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Product experience platforms go a step further and focus on how products appear on retailer sites and marketplaces, including syndicating content to each one in the format it wants. That's most useful for brands that sell through lots of retailers.
Product details are a legal requirement too
GOV.UK says you must provide certain information if you're selling goods or services online or at a distance, and that the information must be easy to understand.
A PIM is where that information should live. Make the details the law requires into required fields, so a product can't go live without them, rather than relying on someone remembering to add them before launch.
Questions to ask before you choose
- How many products and variants do we manage?
- Which channels do we feed, such as our site, marketplaces and retailers?
- Do we need images and documents managed in the same tool?
- Can it check that each channel's required fields are filled?
- Does it handle translations and regional differences?
- Will it connect to our ecommerce platform and ERP?
Signs you've outgrown spreadsheets
- The same product has different details on different channels. Customers notice.
- Launches wait on missing information. Nobody knows who owns which field.
- Listings on big selling sites get rejected. Required attributes are missing.
- Translations drift. Updates reach one language and not the others.
Do you make PIM software? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
My plain advice on choosing a PIM
Map where your product data lives today before you look at demos. Most businesses find it scattered across a spreadsheet, the ecommerce platform, the ERP and someone's inbox. Agree which system owns which field, then choose the PIM that fits that map.
Begin with your best-selling range and the channel that brings in the most orders. Get that clean and flowing, then add the rest. Set a simple completeness rule, such as every product needing a title, a description, key attributes and at least one image before it can be published, and let the PIM enforce it for you. My guide to alternatives to BigCommerce helps if you're rethinking the store platform at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
What is PIM software?
It's software that stores and manages all your product information in one place and sends the right details to each sales channel.
What's the difference between PIM and DAM?
PIM manages product data such as descriptions and attributes. DAM manages digital files such as images and videos. Some tools do both.
Is there free PIM software?
Yes. One tool in the table names a free Community Edition on its own site. Check the free plan column for each one.
When does a business need a PIM?
Usually when product data is spread across several systems, or when selling on several channels makes keeping details consistent hard work.
Can a PIM write product descriptions?
Several tools in this list describe AI features for enriching product data. You'll still want a person checking accuracy.
Does a PIM replace my ecommerce platform?
No. A PIM feeds product information to your ecommerce platform and other channels; it doesn't run the checkout.
