Free inventory management software is a real option for a small business, but “free” always comes with a limit. One tool caps your orders, another your items, another the number of apps you can use. The right free plan is the one whose limit you won’t hit for a while, and whose paid upgrade you can live with when you do.
This guide compares three well-known free plans, Zoho Inventory, Sortly and Odoo, shows exactly where each one stops, and explains what you give up compared with a paid system. Limits and prices come from each company’s pricing page, checked on 27 October 2026, in US dollars.
Three free inventory plans compared
| Software | What’s free | The limit you’ll hit first | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory | 50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations, composite items, dropshipping and backorders | Order volume and a single user | Small online or wholesale sellers who want order and stock workflows |
| Sortly | 100 unique items, 1 user, 2 active jobs, 1 custom field | Number of items | Tracking equipment, tools or supplies rather than sales orders |
| Odoo | “One App Free”: one app (such as Inventory), unlimited users, free hosting with up to 100 GB storage | You can only use one app; adding sales or accounting means paying | Teams who want a full inventory system with many users |
What each free plan costs to outgrow
The upgrade price matters as much as the free plan. This is what the first paid step looks like:
| Software | First paid plan | What it adds |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory | Standard: $29 per organisation a month, billed annually | 500 orders a month, 2 users, 2 locations |
| Sortly | Advanced: $49 a month list price, currently shown at $24 a month with a first-year discount | 500 items, 2 users, unlimited QR labels |
| Odoo | Standard: $11.20 per user a month regular price ($8.95 discounted for the first 12 months) | All Odoo apps, including sales, purchasing and accounting |
Watch first-year discounts
Introductory prices make paid plans look cheaper than they’ll be in year two. Sortly’s Advanced plan, for example, shows $24 a month now against a $49 list price. Budget for the regular price, not the launch offer.
The tradeoffs of free inventory software
What you gain
- Real-time stock levels instead of a spreadsheet
- Low-stock awareness and fewer stock-outs
- Barcode or QR scanning on many tools
- A clean way to test workflows before paying
- Data in a format you can export later
What you give up
- Usually one user, so no team access or audit trail
- Tight caps on orders, items or apps
- Few integrations with sales channels and accounting
- Limited support, often community or email only
- A forced upgrade at a busy moment if you grow quickly
Features to check, free or paid
- Multi-location stockIf you keep stock in more than one place (shop, warehouse, van), check how many locations the plan allows.
- Barcode or QR scanningScanning with a phone camera removes most counting errors. Check whether it’s included on the free plan.
- Low-stock alerts and reorder pointsAlerts are the main reason to move off a spreadsheet. Some tools reserve them for paid plans.
- IntegrationsConnections to your online store, marketplaces, accounting software or CRM decide how much re-typing you’ll do. See our CRM guide for linking customers and stock.
- ExportMake sure you can export items, stock levels and history to CSV before you invest time in setup.
Is a spreadsheet enough?
For a handful of products and one person managing them, a well-structured spreadsheet can work. It stops working when two people edit stock at once, when you sell on more than one channel, or when you need to know what’s in stock right now rather than at the last count. That’s the point at which even a free inventory tool earns its place.
- Will I stay under the free plan’s limit for at least six months?
- Do I need more than one user now, or soon?
- Is the paid upgrade affordable at its regular price, not just the first-year offer?
- Does it connect to where I sell and to my accounting?
- Can I export everything if I switch?
Our verdict
Bottom line
Choose the free plan whose limit fits your business. Zoho Inventory suits order-based sellers (50 orders, 1 user free). Sortly suits tracking equipment and supplies (100 items free). Odoo’s One App Free suits teams that need many users on a full inventory app.
Plan for the upgrade from day one: Zoho Inventory Standard is $29 a month billed annually, and introductory discounts like Sortly’s don’t last. Limits and prices were checked on 27 October 2026.
Common questions
Is there free inventory management software?
Yes. Zoho Inventory, Sortly and Odoo all offer free plans, each with a limit: 50 orders on Zoho, 100 items on Sortly, and one app on Odoo.
What are the limits of Zoho Inventory's free plan?
The free plan includes 50 orders, 1 user and 2 locations, plus composite items, dropshipping and backorders. Standard costs $29 per organisation a month billed annually, for 500 orders a month.
Is Sortly free?
Sortly has a free plan with 100 unique items, 1 user, 2 active jobs and 1 custom field. Its Advanced plan lists at $49 a month, currently shown at $24 with a first-year discount.
Is Odoo Inventory free?
Odoo's "One App Free" plan lets you use one app, such as Inventory, for unlimited users with free hosting up to 100 GB. Using more apps requires the Standard plan, priced per user.
What do I lose with free inventory software?
Usually multi-user access, higher order or item limits, integrations with sales channels and accounting, and priority support. You may also have to upgrade suddenly if your business grows fast.
When should I move from a spreadsheet to inventory software?
When more than one person updates stock, when you sell on several channels, or when you need live stock levels and low-stock alerts rather than periodic counts.
