Key takeaways
- StockFlow ranks first for most small businesses: its free plan includes barcode scanning and BOM support with no order cap, features most competitors gate behind a paid tier.
- Manufacturers with heavy production-scheduling needs are usually better served by Katana; technical teams willing to self-host get the most for free from Odoo Community.
- The right tool depends on your business model as much as your budget,retail POS (Lightspeed), omnichannel (Cin7), and simple asset tracking (Sortly) each fit a narrower use case than general inventory management.
"Best" depends on what you're actually running: a growing SMB tracking SKUs across a warehouse and a storefront needs different things than a manufacturer scheduling production runs, or a retailer that just needs point-of-sale built in. We ranked these seven tools on price transparency, what's actually included on the free tier (not just advertised), and fit for a specific kind of business, not a single generic score.
StockFlow
Starting price: Free, then $9/mo · Best for: Small businesses that want barcode scanning and BOM support without a paid upgrade
StockFlow's free Starter plan (25 products, 2 users, 1 warehouse) includes barcode scanning, BOM support, and low-stock alerts with no monthly order cap and no credit card required. Paid plans scale gradually,Professional ($9/mo), Business ($29/mo), Enterprise ($59/mo),instead of a sudden jump from a free trial to an enterprise price.
Pros
- Barcode scanning and BOM included on the free plan
- No monthly order cap at any tier
- Usage-based pricing scales gradually
Cons
- Newer platform than long-established competitors
- No offline scanning mode (requires a live connection)
Zoho Inventory
Starting price: Free, then $29/mo · Best for: Teams already using Zoho Books or Zoho CRM
Part of the wider Zoho suite, so it integrates cleanly if you already run Zoho Books or CRM, and it covers multichannel selling and warehouse tracking. The free plan caps out at 50 orders per month and one warehouse, and the interface can feel cluttered if you just need straightforward stock control.
Pros
- Deep integration with the rest of the Zoho suite
- Strong multichannel selling support
Cons
- Free plan caps at 50 orders/month
- Barcode scanning and multi-location require paid tiers
Katana
Starting price: From $179/mo · Best for: Manufacturers who need production planning and multi-level BOM
Built specifically for manufacturers, with strong bill-of-materials and production-planning tools baked into its inventory tracking. Valuable if you make products, but more complex and considerably pricier than general inventory software if you're a retailer, wholesaler, or e-commerce seller.
Pros
- Purpose-built production scheduling
- Deep multi-level BOM support
Cons
- Starts at $179/mo, no free tier
- Overkill for non-manufacturing businesses
Odoo
Starting price: Free (self-hosted) or from $24.90/mo · Best for: Businesses with a developer on staff and unique process needs
An open-source ERP with inventory as one of many modules,highly customizable for businesses with unique processes. The free, self-hosted version trades cost for complexity: most teams end up paying for hosting or consultants, which makes it overkill if you just need efficient stock management.
Pros
- Genuinely free and unlimited if self-hosted
- Extremely customizable across the whole business, not just inventory
Cons
- Self-hosting requires real technical setup
- Cloud pricing adds up once you need multiple apps
Cin7
Starting price: From $349/mo · Best for: Established omnichannel sellers who need deep e-commerce and marketplace integrations
Aimed at omnichannel sellers, with strong integrations across e-commerce platforms, marketplaces, and accounting tools. The feature depth comes with a learning curve and pricing on the higher end of the market, which can be prohibitive for small businesses.
Pros
- Extensive e-commerce and marketplace integrations
- Handles high order volume well
Cons
- Starts at $349/mo
- Steep learning curve for smaller teams
Sortly
Starting price: Free, then $49/mo · Best for: Lightweight, photo-and-QR tracking of tools and equipment rather than high-volume SKUs
A visual, photo-and-QR-code approach that's popular for tracking physical assets like tools and equipment rather than high-volume retail SKUs. It lacks demand forecasting and multi-location tracking, and its free plan is limited before paid tiers get pricey for multi-user teams.
Pros
- Simple, photo-led interface
- Good fit for asset and tool tracking
Cons
- No demand forecasting
- Multi-user paid tiers get expensive fast
Lightspeed
Starting price: From $69/mo · Best for: Brick-and-mortar retailers and hospitality businesses that need POS built in
Primarily a point-of-sale system with inventory built in, popular with brick-and-mortar retailers and hospitality businesses. Solid if you need POS functionality alongside stock tracking, but you'll pay for features you won't use if you're purely online or don't need a till.
Pros
- Strong point-of-sale integration
- Purpose-built for in-store retail and hospitality
Cons
- Pay for POS even if you do not need it
- Less suited to pure e-commerce or wholesale operations
Side-by-side scorecard
| Criteria | StockFlow | Zoho | Katana | Odoo | Cin7 | Sortly | Lightspeed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes (self-host) | ||||||
| Barcode scanning on free tier | |||||||
| BOM / manufacturing support | |||||||
| Multi-location | Paid tier | Paid tier | |||||
| Starting paid price | $9/mo | $29/mo | $179/mo | $24.90/mo | $349/mo | $49/mo | $69/mo |
Pricing and limits as published by each vendor at time of writing; confirm current terms on each provider's site before deciding. See StockFlow's own pricing page for full plan details.
How we ranked these
We weighted three things: what a business actually gets on the free or entry-level tier (not just the marketing page), whether pricing scales gradually or jumps sharply once you outgrow a free plan, and fit for a specific business model rather than a generic feature checklist. A manufacturer and a retail storefront have different "best" answers, which is why the ranking above leads with who each tool suits rather than a single overall score.
Want the deeper breakdown on free plans specifically? See our best free inventory management software comparison, or read the full inventory management software guide for what to look for beyond this list.
Try the highest-ranked free plan on this list
25 products, 2 users, 1 warehouse, barcode scanning, and BOM support included, no credit card required.
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What our customers say
“Super Kind! Quick replies from their support and very easy fixes, changed the dashboard a bit and customized it. Also gave me 450 items extra on the free plan just for me. Highly recommend and again great service!”
“Best customer service! Stockflow's customer support is fast and extremely helpful. They assisted me with customization of the software to improve my experience as a user.”