Sortly is a photo-and-QR-code inventory app that's popular for tracking tools, equipment, and physical assets rather than high-volume retail SKUs. People look for alternatives for one of two reasons: the free plan's 100-item cap is too tight, or the paid tiers get expensive once more than one person needs access.
The four tools below cover the range: a free-tier upgrade with barcode scanning built in, a suite-integrated option, an order-based alternative for wholesale-style operations, and a genuinely free (if limited) option for very small teams.
StockFlow
Starting price: Free, then $9/mo · Best for: Teams that want barcode scanning and multi-user access without Sortly's per-seat pricing
StockFlow's free Starter plan includes 25 products, 2 users, and 1 warehouse, with barcode scanning and bill-of-materials support that Sortly gates behind its paid tiers. Where Sortly is photo-first, StockFlow is barcode/SKU-first, which suits teams tracking sellable inventory rather than a fixed set of tools.
Pros
- Barcode scanning included free
- 2 users included on the free plan (Sortly free is 1)
- No monthly order cap at any tier
Cons
- Less suited to pure photo-catalog asset tracking than Sortly
- Newer platform than Sortly
Zoho Inventory
Starting price: Free, then $39/mo · Best for: Teams already in the Zoho ecosystem who need order-based inventory
Zoho Inventory's free plan allows 50 orders/month with no item cap, which suits low-order, high-SKU catalogs better than Sortly's item-count model. It integrates cleanly with Zoho Books and Zoho CRM if you already use them, but barcode scanning and multi-warehouse tracking require a paid tier.
Pros
- No item-count cap, even free
- Deep integration with the wider Zoho suite
Cons
- Free plan caps at 50 orders/month
- Barcode scanning requires a paid tier
inFlow
Starting price: From $161/mo ($129/mo billed yearly) · Best for: Teams with unlimited products but structured order and receiving workflows
inFlow prices by sales orders per month rather than item count, with unlimited products on every plan. It has stronger purchase-order and receiving workflows than Sortly, but the entry price is well above both Sortly and StockFlow.
Pros
- Unlimited products on every tier
- Purpose-built purchase order and receiving flow
Cons
- No free tier
- Entry price ($161/mo) is 3x Sortly's starting paid tier
OpenInventory
Starting price: Free · Best for: A single person tracking unlimited items with a phone camera, nothing more
OpenInventory offers unlimited products and camera-based scanning for free, but limits you to one location and one staff member — thinner than Sortly's free tier in every dimension except item count.
Pros
- Unlimited products, completely free
- No item cap unlike Sortly's 100-item free limit
Cons
- One location and one staff member only
- Camera scanning only, no hardware scanner support
Side-by-side scorecard
| Criteria | StockFlow | Sortly | Zoho | inFlow | OpenInventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free plan | |||||
| Free plan users | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Barcode scanning on free tier | Camera only | ||||
| Multi-location | Paid tier | Paid tier | |||
| Starting paid price | $9/mo | $49/mo | $39/mo | $161/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 compared these
We weighted what a team actually gets on a free or entry-level plan (not the marketing page), whether barcode scanning is included or gated, and fit for teams that have outgrown Sortly's photo-catalog model specifically.
None of these fully replicate Sortly's visual, photo-led browsing if that specific workflow is why you chose Sortly in the first place, it may still be the right tool. These alternatives suit teams whose real need is SKU-based stock tracking with more users or higher item counts than Sortly's free tier allows.
See also: the full StockFlow vs Sortly comparison, best inventory management software overall.
Try the free plan on this list
25 products, 2 users, 1 warehouse, barcode scanning, and BOM support included, no credit card required.
Trusted by small businesses
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.”