Inventory Counting Apps Compared
Counting stock with a clipboard works until the day it does not: a miscounted shelf, a lost sheet or a total that never matches the books. Mid-October is a good time to fix that, before holiday orders pile up and year-end arrives. This comparison looks at five inventory counting apps small businesses often use, what each does best and how to choose one that your team will actually use on the shop floor.
Key takeaways
- Inventory counting apps range from simple item trackers to full inventory systems built into point-of-sale software.
- If you sell in person or online, your POS or ecommerce platform may already include counting tools worth trying first.
- Barcode scanning on a phone, offline counting and easy adjustments matter more than long feature lists.
- Sortly, inFlow, Zoho Inventory, Square for Retail and Shopify POS fit different setups, so check their current features, pricing and privacy policies.
Accurate stock counts affect almost everything: what you reorder, what you can promise customers, how much cash is tied up on your shelves and what your accountant reports at year-end. Yet many small businesses still count on paper and type the totals into a spreadsheet later. Every step in between is a chance for errors to creep in.
A quick note: this article is general information about inventory software, not accounting or tax advice. How you value and report inventory depends on your business and location, so check with a qualified accountant for your situation.
What an inventory counting app should do
You do not need every feature on the market. For counting specifically, focus on the handful that save time and reduce mistakes.
Scan instead of type
Barcode or QR code scanning, ideally with a phone camera, is the single biggest time saver. It cuts down on typing errors and makes it easier to split a count among several people.
Count in sections
Good apps let you count by location, shelf or category, then combine the results. That makes cycle counting, where you count a small section regularly instead of everything at once, much easier.
Show and explain differences
After a count, the app should show where your physical count differs from the system quantity and let you record why: damage, theft, a receiving error or a sale that was not recorded. Those notes help you spot patterns.
Connect to sales and accounting
Counts are most useful when they update the same stock levels your sales channels and accounting software use, so you are not maintaining two versions of the truth.
Pro tip
Before choosing any app, label every shelf and bin with a simple location code such as "A1" or "Back room 3." Location labels make any counting tool faster and help new staff find things during the holiday rush.
The five apps at a glance
Here is a plain-language summary of each option. Features vary by plan and region and change often, so confirm details on each provider's site.
Sortly
Sortly is a visual inventory app that lets you organize items into folders with photos, tags and custom fields, and count using a phone's barcode or QR scanner. It often suits businesses tracking supplies, tools, equipment or a modest product range, and teams who want something simple to start with.
inFlow
inFlow is inventory management software for product businesses, with features such as barcode scanning, purchase orders, stock locations and reporting. It may suit wholesalers, small manufacturers and retailers who need more control over reordering and stock across several locations.
Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory is online inventory and order management software that is part of a wider suite of business apps. It covers stock tracking, warehouses, orders and integrations with sales channels. It can appeal to businesses selling across several channels or already using other apps from the same suite.
Square for Retail
Square for Retail is a point-of-sale system for shops with inventory features built in, including stock counts and adjustments. If you already sell in person with Square, it may be the simplest way to keep counts and sales in one place.
Shopify POS
Shopify POS is the in-person selling side of the Shopify platform. It shares inventory with your online store, so counts in the shop and stock online stay connected. It often suits brands selling both online and in a shop, at markets or at pop-ups.
| App | Type | Often suits | Check before buying |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sortly | Standalone item tracker | Supplies, equipment and small product ranges | Scanning and user limits on your plan |
| inFlow | Inventory management | Wholesalers, makers and multi-location retailers | Purchase orders, location features |
| Zoho Inventory | Inventory and order management | Multichannel sellers | Channel integrations, warehouse features |
| Square for Retail | POS with inventory | Shops already selling with Square | Count and adjustment tools |
| Shopify POS | POS linked to online store | Brands selling online and in person | Stock counting features, hardware needs |
How to choose the right counting app
Use these steps to go from a long list to a tool your team can use on a busy Saturday.
- Start with what you already use. If you sell through a POS or ecommerce platform, try its inventory and counting features before buying anything new.
- Count your items and locations. A few hundred items in one shop needs less than thousands of items across a warehouse and two stores.
- Check your barcodes. Decide whether you will use manufacturer barcodes, print your own labels or both.
- Test scanning on the shop floor. Try it in your actual stockroom, with real lighting and patchy signal, on the phones your staff use.
- Confirm integrations. Make sure counts flow to your sales channels and accounting software without exports and imports.
- Run a pilot count. Count one section with the new app and compare it with a manual count before rolling it out.
Common mistake
Running two systems at once. If your POS tracks stock and a separate app tracks stock too, the numbers drift apart within weeks. Choose one system as the source of truth for quantities and connect everything else to it.
An inventory app scorecard you can copy
Rate your shortlist from 1 to 5 on each row, where 5 means "exactly what we need." The scores below are made-up examples to show the template, not ratings of the real products.
| Criteria | Weight | Option A (example) | Option B (example) | Option C (example) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Connects to our sales channels | Must have | Yes | Yes | No |
| Phone barcode scanning | High | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Count by location or section | High | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Records reasons for adjustments | Medium | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Easy for part-time staff to learn | Medium | 5 | 3 | 4 |
Drop any app that fails a must-have row, then compare weighted totals. When scores are close, let the staff who will do the counting break the tie.
Hypothetical example
Tom runs a homeware shop with a small online store. He counts stock on paper twice a year, and his online store regularly sells items that are already gone from the shelf. Since his online store and shop already share a platform, he tests its built-in POS counting tools first. He labels shelves A to F, counts one shelf a week with a phone scanner and records reasons for every difference. Within two months, overselling online drops sharply, and he notices that most differences come from one supplier's deliveries, so he starts checking those boxes on arrival.
Using counts to make better decisions
A counting app is not just for year-end. Regular, accurate counts feed numbers you can use all year.
Inventory turnover
Turnover tells you how quickly stock sells through. A low figure can mean cash is sitting on your shelves.
Shrinkage
Inventory shrinkage is the gap between your recorded stock and what is actually there, caused by theft, damage, errors or supplier fraud. It is often expressed as a percentage of sales. Recording a reason for each adjustment in your app shows you where shrinkage really comes from.
Reordering
Many apps let you set reorder points so you get an alert when stock falls below a level you choose. Accurate counts make those alerts trustworthy, which matters most in the run-up to the holidays.
Rolling out the app with your team
- Write a one-page counting guide covering how to scan, how to count a section and what to do with damaged items.
- Give each person their own login so you can see who counted what.
- Count when it is quiet, such as before opening, and pause sales updates if your app requires it.
- Review differences together and fix the cause, not just the number.
- Check data and privacy settings and read the provider's privacy policy.
Your inventory app action checklist
- Check the counting features in the POS or ecommerce tool you already use
- Label shelves, bins and storage areas with location codes
- Decide on manufacturer barcodes, your own labels or both
- Shortlist two or three apps and fill in the scorecard
- Test scanning in your real stockroom on staff phones
- Pick one system as the source of truth for stock quantities
- Run a pilot count on one section before the holiday rush
- Start a weekly cycle count and record reasons for differences
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate counting app if I use a POS?
Often not. Many POS systems, including Square for Retail and Shopify POS, include stock counting tools. A separate app can help if you track items your POS does not, such as supplies or equipment, or need more advanced warehouse features.
Do I need special scanners?
Many apps work with a phone camera, which is fine for small ranges. Dedicated scanners can be faster for large counts. Check which devices each app supports before buying hardware.
How often should I count stock?
Many small businesses combine a full count once or twice a year with regular cycle counts of fast-moving or high-value items. Your accountant can tell you what you need for year-end reporting.
Can I switch apps later?
Yes, but moving item lists, barcodes and stock history takes effort. Check that the app lets you export your data in a standard format before you commit.
Related reading
The bottom line
The right inventory counting app is the one that fits how you sell, scans quickly on the phones your team already carries and becomes your single source of truth for stock. Start with the tools you already have, then move to a dedicated app only if they fall short.
Label your shelves, run one pilot count this week and pick your app before the holiday orders arrive. Accurate counts now mean fewer oversold items in December and a much easier year-end.
