The cost of inventory management platforms varies. While some providers offer free versions, others cost hundreds or thousands of dollars per month. But keep in mind that free versions have their limitations. Additionally, some software offers free trials to show you how they work, so you can upgrade to their premium versions when you deem them suitable for your business needs.
They often come with different pricing tiers with varying features and capabilities, including customization options, number of users or warehouses, and store locations you’ll get. So expect the more expensive plans to support high sales volumes or provide advanced automation, analytics, or integration.
Other software would require you to customize your subscription. You can choose the features of your plan, allowing you to pay only for what your business needs. And since they’re typically cloud-based, you’ll make monthly or annual payments to access inventory management features. Some providers also offer discounts on annual payments and reduce the cost of the subscription in the first year.
Here are the costs of the inventory management software we reviewed:
- Cin7: Starts at $349 per month
- Ordoro: Free; $349 per month
- influx: $89 to $439 per month when billed annually
- Katana: $179 to $799 per month when billed annually
- Zoho inventory: Free; £25 to £199 per month when billed annually
- Sort : Free; $24 to $149 per month when billed annually
- monday.com: Free; £8 to £17 per user per month when billed annually
There is also a quote plan with monday.com for businesses. And for ShipBob Merchant Plus and Fishbowl Inventory, you will need to contact them for quotes. But note that ShipBob Merchant Plus requires a minimum of 3,500 orders per month.
Free or Paid Inventory Management Systems
You can choose between free and paid inventory management systems. But at best, you’ll find basic features on the free versions. For example, Zoho Inventory’s free version limits orders, shipping labeling, and AfterShip tracking to 50, while its least paid tier allows up to 500 per month. It also only gives two user licenses and does not allow multi-warehouse management.
The free version of Ordoro is only suitable for shipping: it allows unlimited shipping but lacks advanced analytics and API access. It also doesn’t integrate with QuickBooks Online.
Sortly gives one user license and one custom field, and only allows 100 entries. You will not receive quantity-based alerts and will not be able to use the unlimited QR code label generation and in-app barcode scanner offered by its cheapest plan after activating up to 2,000 entries.
While free systems may be suitable for small businesses with fewer inventory needs, those with complex inventory needs fare better with paid inventory management systems.