Best Inventory Management Software for Small Business in 2026

If you’re still tracking inventory in a spreadsheet, you already know the pain: stockouts you didn’t see coming, orders you can’t fulfill because someone forgot to update a cell, and that sinking feeling when your “system” is really just one person’s memory plus a Google Sheet that hasn’t been accurate since November.

We tested five of the best inventory management tools for small businesses in 2026: MRPeasy, Cin7, Zoho Inventory, inFlow, and Sortly. We ran real inventory through each platform, tested integrations with accounting tools like Xero and QuickBooks, and evaluated how each handles the realities of managing physical products.

Quick Verdict

Use Case	Best Pick	Why
Manufacturers	MRPeasy	Full MRP with production planning, BOM, and shop floor control
Multi-channel retail	Cin7	Best marketplace integrations (Amazon, Shopify, eBay)
Budget-conscious	Zoho Inventory	Free tier + deep Zoho ecosystem integration
Simple warehousing	inFlow	Clean UI, no manufacturing complexity
Asset tracking	Sortly	Visual inventory with QR/barcode scanning

1. MRPeasy: Best for Small Manufacturers

If you make things, assemble products, manage bills of materials, schedule production runs, MRPeasy is the standout choice. It’s a full cloud-based ERP designed specifically for small manufacturers with 10-200 employees.

What MRPeasy Gets Right

Production planning that actually works. Most inventory tools treat manufacturing as an afterthought. MRPeasy puts it front and center: you can create multi-level bills of materials, schedule production orders against available capacity, and track work-in-progress across your shop floor. The Gantt-style production scheduler shows you exactly when each operation starts and finishes, and automatically flags bottlenecks.

Integrated supply chain. Purchase orders, supplier management, and procurement planning are baked in. When stock drops below your reorder point, MRPeasy generates purchase orders automatically. It tracks lead times per supplier, so your production schedule accounts for how long materials actually take to arrive: not just how long they’re supposed to.

Real costing. This is where MRPeasy separates from pure inventory tools. It calculates actual production costs including materials, labor, and overhead. If you’ve ever tried to figure out your true cost-per-unit using spreadsheets and gut feel, you’ll appreciate having real numbers.

Accounting integrations. Connects natively with Xero, QuickBooks, and Sage. Financial data flows automatically: no double entry, no CSV exports.

Where MRPeasy Falls Short

It’s MRP software, not just inventory. If you only need to track stock levels and fulfill orders, MRPeasy is overkill. The manufacturing-focused interface will feel overly complex for a retailer or distributor.

Reporting could be deeper. The built-in reports cover the essentials, but power users will want more customization options. You can export data to Excel for custom analysis, but an in-app report builder would be welcome.

No free tier. The 30-day trial is generous, but there’s no permanent free plan like Zoho Inventory offers.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Users	Key Features
Starter	$49/mo	1 user	Full MRP, 1 warehouse
Professional	$69/mo	1 user	Multi-currency, API access
Enterprise	$99/mo	1 user	Subcontracting, serial tracking
Unlimited	Custom	Unlimited	Dedicated support, custom workflows

Additional users are $29: $59/user/month depending on plan. 30-day free trial, no credit card required.

Who MRPeasy Is Perfect For

Small manufacturers (10-200 employees) who need production planning, BOM management, and real costing. Also excellent for contract manufacturers and job shops. If you’re assembling, fabricating, or producing physical goods and you’ve outgrown spreadsheets, MRPeasy is the sweet spot between “too simple” consumer tools and “too expensive” enterprise ERP.

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2. Cin7: Best for Multi-Channel Retail

Cin7 (formerly DEAR Inventory) is the go-to for businesses selling across multiple channels: your own website, Amazon, Shopify, eBay, and wholesale. It connects all your sales channels into a single inventory view, so you don’t sell what you don’t have.

What Cin7 Gets Right

Marketplace integrations are best-in-class. Amazon, Shopify, WooCommerce, eBay, Etsy, BigCommerce, Magento: Cin7 connects to all of them with native integrations that sync inventory in near real-time. When you sell a unit on Amazon, your Shopify stock updates within minutes.

Order management. The order lifecycle from quote → sale → pick → pack → ship is smooth. Batch picking, wave picking, and barcode scanning support make warehouse operations efficient even at scale.

B2B portal. Built-in wholesale portal lets your dealers and distributors place orders directly, with custom pricing tiers. This alone saves hours of email-based order processing.

Where Cin7 Falls Short

Price. Starting at $349/month, Cin7 is significantly more expensive than other options on this list. It’s priced for businesses doing real volume.

Complexity. The feature set is massive, and the learning curve reflects it. Expect a few weeks of onboarding before you’re comfortable.

Manufacturing is basic. If you need serious production planning, MRPeasy is a better fit. Cin7 handles simple assembly but not complex multi-level BOMs.

Pricing

Starting at $349/month for Core. Add-ons for EDI, 3PL, and automation. 14-day free trial.

Who Cin7 Is Perfect For

E-commerce businesses selling across 3+ channels with significant SKU counts (500+). Best for retailers and distributors rather than manufacturers.

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3. Zoho Inventory: Best Free Option

Zoho Inventory punches way above its weight for a tool with a functional free tier. It’s part of the broader Zoho ecosystem, which means it integrates seamlessly with Zoho Books, Zoho CRM, and the rest of the Zoho suite.

What Zoho Inventory Gets Right

Free tier is genuinely useful. 50 orders/month, 50 shipping labels, 1 warehouse: enough for a small business just getting started with inventory management. No credit card required.

Zoho ecosystem. If you’re already using Zoho for CRM, accounting, or helpdesk, inventory data flows automatically across the suite. A sale in Zoho CRM triggers an order in Zoho Inventory which creates an invoice in Zoho Books. No integrations to configure.

Multi-channel support. Integrates with Amazon, Shopify, Etsy, and eBay. Not as deep as Cin7, but solid for small-scale multi-channel sellers.

Shipping integrations. Built-in rate comparison and label printing for FedEx, UPS, USPS, and DHL.

Where Zoho Inventory Falls Short

No manufacturing. If you need BOM, production scheduling, or shop floor tracking, MRPeasy is the right tool. Zoho Inventory is purely for tracking finished goods.

UI can feel dated. The Zoho design language is functional but not modern. It works, but it won’t win design awards.

Scaling gets expensive. The free tier is great, but upgrading to handle more orders/warehouses jumps quickly. The Standard plan at $79/month feels steep compared to inFlow.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Orders/mo	Warehouses
Free	$0	50	1
Standard	$79/mo	500	2
Professional	$129/mo	7,500	5
Premium	$199/mo	15,000	7

Who Zoho Inventory Is Perfect For

Small businesses already in the Zoho ecosystem, or anyone who wants to start with free inventory management and grow into paid plans as needed.

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4. inFlow: Best for Simple Warehousing

inFlow strips away the complexity and gives you a clean, straightforward inventory management system. If you need to track what’s in stock, where it is, and when to reorder, without the bells and whistles of manufacturing or multi-channel commerce, inFlow nails it.

What inFlow Gets Right

Easiest to learn. Of all the tools we tested, inFlow had the shortest time from signup to operational. The interface is intuitive, and the setup wizard walks you through importing products, setting up locations, and configuring reorder points.

Barcode scanning. The mobile app turns any phone into a barcode scanner. Receiving inventory, picking orders, and doing stock counts with the phone app is fast and reliable.

Desktop + cloud. Unlike most competitors, inFlow offers both a cloud version and a Windows desktop app. If you prefer a traditional installed application (or have unreliable internet), the desktop version works great.

Affordable. Starting at $110/month for 2 team members: reasonable for what you get.

Where inFlow Falls Short

Limited integrations. No native Amazon or eBay integration. Shopify and WooCommerce are supported, but multi-channel sellers need Cin7 or Zoho Inventory.

No manufacturing. Like Zoho Inventory, this is purely a finished goods tool. Need BOMs? Look at MRPeasy.

No free tier. The 14-day trial is short compared to MRPeasy’s 30 days or Zoho Inventory’s permanent free plan.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Team Members
Entrepreneur	$110/mo	2
Small Business	$279/mo	5
Mid-Size	$549/mo	10
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited

Who inFlow Is Perfect For

Small warehouses, distribution centers, and businesses that need clean inventory tracking without manufacturing or multi-channel complexity.

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5. Sortly: Best for Asset & Visual Tracking

Sortly takes a different approach: it’s built around visual inventory. Instead of spreadsheet-like tables, Sortly lets you photograph items, organize them into folders, and track everything with a mobile-first interface. It’s ideal for asset tracking, equipment management, and businesses where “what does this thing look like?” matters.

What Sortly Gets Right

Visual-first inventory. Every item gets photos, QR codes, and custom fields. For businesses tracking tools, equipment, or diverse physical assets, seeing a photo alongside the item record is incredibly useful.

QR code and barcode generation. Sortly generates custom QR labels you can print and stick on items. Scan with your phone to pull up the full item record instantly.

Mobile app excellence. The iOS/Android app is genuinely good: not an afterthought. Adding items, scanning codes, and doing quick stock checks from your phone works smoothly.

Where Sortly Falls Short

Not a full inventory management system. No purchase orders, no sales orders, no multi-channel integrations. If you’re running an e-commerce business, Sortly isn’t the right tool.

No manufacturing. No BOMs, no production planning. This is pure asset/stock tracking.

Gets expensive at scale. The free tier (100 entries) is very limited. The Advanced plan at $49/user/month adds up quickly for teams.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Entries	Users
Free	$0	100	1
Advanced	$49/user/mo	Unlimited	Per user
Ultra	$74/user/mo	Unlimited	Per user + API
Enterprise	Custom	Unlimited	Custom

Who Sortly Is Perfect For

Construction companies, maintenance teams, IT departments, and any business tracking physical assets (not retail inventory). Also great for personal collections or home inventory.

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How We Tested

We created test environments in each platform with realistic inventory data: 50+ SKUs, multiple warehouses/locations, and real integrations with accounting software (Xero and QuickBooks). We evaluated:

• Setup time: how long from signup to operational
• Core inventory functions: stock tracking, reorder points, transfers, adjustments
• Manufacturing support: BOMs, production orders, work orders (where applicable)
• Integrations: accounting, e-commerce, shipping, CRM
• Mobile experience: barcode scanning, stock counts, field use
• Pricing fairness: value for what you get at each tier
• Reporting: stock valuation, movement history, forecasting

Bottom Line

For manufacturers: MRPeasy. For multi-channel e-commerce: Cin7. For budget-conscious small businesses: Zoho Inventory. For simple warehousing: inFlow. For visual asset tracking: Sortly.

No single tool wins across every use case, which is exactly why this comparison exists. Match the tool to your workflow: not the other way around.