The average small retailer in the U.S. experiences just 63% inventory accuracy — and human error is the leading cause. This can have serious implications for your business, from overstocking to lost sales. And, if you’re still using spreadsheets to manage inventory, you have a much higher risk of human error. The good news is that inventory management software can help, and there are many solutions to choose from.
The best inventory management software can work wonders for your business — offering extensive features ranging from built-in EDI capabilities to barcode scanners, POS systems, and more.
Investing in inventory management software can significantly cut back on errors, reduce inefficiencies, and ultimately save you a lot of time and money. When researching the best software for your business, it’s important to consider the features that are most applicable to your industry, what makes the most sense for your business needs, and your company size. Here are 10 of the best inventory management software solutions, who they’re the best fit for, their prices, and some key features.
Methodology: To compile our list, we evaluated software solutions capable of uniquely different features and varied in the markets they serve. To solidify our rankings, we weighed the number of features, prices, and user reviews of each option.
Best overall option
Why we picked it: Named the best inventory management software by Forbes and U.S. News, Cin7 stands out by offering two elite software solutions — Core and Omni — designed to meet the needs of businesses in several different industries.
Cin7 Core is a comprehensive solution that helps small businesses track inventory, manage sales, and reach more customers. By integrating with numerous sales channels like Shopify and Amazon, Core lets business owners track sales from any device. Designed to be an out-of-the-box solution, Core additionally automates your workflow so you can focus exclusively on running your business smoothly while the software does the rest.
Cin7 Omni is a top choice for companies looking for a scalable and fully customizable product. It supports native EDI connections and third-party logistics (3PL) connections. With Omni, businesses can connect with over 700 tools and work to expand their sales channels and reach new customers. With products, stock locations, sales, and reporting all in one place, Omni empowers product sellers to run operations smoothly without the hassle of shuffling through spreadsheets to manage sales and reporting.
Cin7 has also introduced Connected Inventory Performance, an advanced system that streamlines inventory management with real-time visibility, automation, and integrations. It eliminates manual tasks, reduces cash flow waste, improves customer experience, and solves inventory inefficiency. Acting as a single source of truth also helps enhance sales efficiency.
Core:
Omni:
Free trial: A free trial of Cin7 Core is available for 14 days
| Pros | Cons |
| Comprehensive inventory management | Slight learning curve |
| Scalability | |
| Integration with sales channels | |
| Workflow automation | |
| Integrates with 700+ tools |
Best for omnichannel fulfillment
Why we picked it: Formerly Skubana, Extensiv Order Manager allows you to sell large volumes of items on virtually every online marketplace, such as Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and more. Great for online sellers wanting to automate dropshipping tasks, Extensiv Order Manager makes connecting marketplace partners with fulfillment centers easy.
By integrating with numerous marketplaces and order management software (including Cin7), Extensiv Order Manager allows online sellers to build and scale their online marketplace with ease.
Free trial: 30-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Omnichannel fulfillment solution | Customization limitations |
| Automate dropshipping tasks | Limited reporting features |
| Integration with multiple marketplaces and order management software |
Best for mid-size to large companies
Why we picked it: For large multi-location brands, NetSuite is a solid ERP software option. NetSuite’s advanced platform allows enterprise companies to automate complex processes and operate more efficiently.
NetSuite has various features that make it a strong choice for large companies looking to centralize their data into a single solution. To help businesses improve efficiency, NetSuite includes a built-in financial management solution that automates accounting tasks and tracks financial data.
Free trial: No free trial; product tour available upon request
| Pros | Cons |
| Cloud-based system integration | Not suited for small businesses |
| Automation for complex processes | No free trial |
| Centralized data | Less intuitive user interface |
Best for B2B and wholesale
Why we picked it: A solid choice for B2B wholesalers and retailers, inFlow allows business owners to create B2B showrooms, scan and generate barcodes, send invoices and receipts, manage purchase orders and vendor history, and generate sales and industry reports.
Similar to Cin7, inFlow integrates with numerous sales channels like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Squarespace — among others. Additionally, the software automates sales and invoicing and provides location tracking after a customer places an online order.
Free trial: 14-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| End-to-end inventory management solution | More expensive solution |
| B2B showroom creation | Limited scalability for enterprise organizations |
| Integration with numerous sales channels | Poor mobile app accessibility |
Best for small or large manufacturers
Why we picked it: Katana is known as a strong option in the manufacturing sector — offering an end-to-end software solution for manufacturers that comes with parts and assembly tracking, storage floor management, barcode tracking, third-party logistics, and more.
Katana’s manufacturing software allows businesses to store all their data in the cloud so owners can focus on smoothly running their businesses. By allowing you to create custom dashboards and automate sales and accounting processes, Katana makes it easy for manufacturers to streamline their operations.
Free trial: 14-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Parts and assembly tracking | More expensive solutions |
| Storage floor management | Can only designate full access to one person |
| Cloud-based storage for data accessibility |
Best for startups
Why we picked it: For quickly growing businesses, Zoho is a compelling choice. With key features available at a more affordable price than most competitors, young companies can get inventory management support at value.
Offering order management, inventory tracking, product bundling, kitting, and more, Zoho allows up-and-coming companies to streamline their operations and focus on growing their business. The one downside is that Zoho integrates with fewer marketplaces than competitors, limiting the sales channels that businesses can take advantage of.
Free trial: 14-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable option | Limited marketplace integrations |
| Supports order management, inventory tracking, product bundling, and knitting | Limited sales channels |
Best for large manufacturers/e-commerce companies
Why we picked it: Fishbowl is a great choice for large companies, namely manufacturers and e-commerce businesses, looking to streamline production processes.
For manufacturers, Fishbowl can be particularly valuable — the solution allows businesses real-time tracking as parts move through assembly, storage, and fulfillment. For e-commerce companies, Fishbowl integrates with sales channels, supports product bundling, and recommends substitute products when items are out of stock.
Free trial: No free trial; demo available on request
| Pros | Cons |
| Real-time tracking for manufacturers | No free trial |
| Integration with sales channels | Not ideal for small businesses |
| Product bundling and substitute product recommendations |
Best for multichannel e-commerce
Why we picked it: With strong multi-channel sales capabilities, Ordoro serves as a comprehensive inventory management software built for e-commerce companies looking to improve their sales process.
Ordoro allows product sellers to improve the sales process by automatically forwarding orders to warehouses and other vendors for order fulfillment. Beyond this, the software also creates purchase orders based on forecasting.
Free trial: 15-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Multi-channel sales capabilities | May not be suitable for businesses with simple inventory needs |
| Automated order forwarding | |
| Purchase order creation based on forecasting |
Best for small businesses
Why we picked it: Sortly isn’t a comprehensive inventory management software like some of the solutions we listed above. But Sortly can be extremely effective for small businesses looking for affordable asset-tracking software that sets reorder points and notifies you when inventory levels are low.
Since it’s a less advanced software, it’s fairly intuitive, has a library of resources and training material on its site, and phone support.
Free trial: 14-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Easy to use | Not as comprehensive as other inventory management software |
| Affordable | May not be suitable for businesses with complex inventory needs |
| Intuitive interface with library of resources and trainings |
Best free option
Why we picked it: While it wasn’t specifically created for inventory management, Monday.com’s versatile and customizable features cater to the unique needs of businesses managing diverse inventory portfolios. The platform provides a visual and collaborative workspace to streamline communication, track inventory levels, and manage supply chains efficiently.
The ability to create customized workflows and automation also helps reduce the time it takes to complete routine tasks and reduces the likelihood of errors in inventory tracking.
The free plan option makes it particularly appealing for small businesses or startups looking to optimize their inventory management processes without incurring extra costs.
Free trial: 14-day free trial
| Pros | Cons |
| Affordable | Not specifically designed for inventory management |
| Custom workflows and automation | May require additional setup and customization |
| Free plan has limited features |
The best inventory management features vary widely depending on industry needs, so you should ensure your selected software comes with the features you need to run your specific business efficiently.
For example, a clothing retailer will approach inventory management much differently than a food and beverage vendor because they can afford to keep clothing on the shelves longer. The same is true for a discount shop (a highly competitive market) versus a luxury car brand, which can enjoy a lower inventory turnover ratio.
Here are a few industry-specific must-have features for inventory management:
The key pillar of retail inventory management is maximizing sales while avoiding being out of stock or overstocking. As a result, there are some core components the best inventory management software for retailers include. These are:
Fulfilling orders on time is paramount in wholesale inventory management, and the best inventory management software makes it simple for wholesalers to track orders and ensure processes go smoothly. Key features include:
Manufacturers need an inventory management tool that will track assets from purchase to sale and allow visibility into the production process. The best software includes:
Beyond industry-specific capabilities, some universal considerations to remember when selecting the right inventory management software for your business include:
Streamlining your sales, manufacturing, and distribution process is a critical part of growing your business, and robust inventory management software is a worthy investment that can help accomplish this. Inventory management software can improve your internal processes and give you insights into your sales numbers, product performance, and customer base.
While choosing a solution may be daunting, the results tend to speak for themselves. At Cin7, we help our customers place over 125 million orders per year, resulting in well over $35 billion in gross merchandise value annually. As sales processes evolve and change, we pride ourselves on our ability to adapt and help businesses grow.
Looking to get off spreadsheets for good? Start your 14-day free trial to see what our products can do for you.
