Best Inventory System for Small Business of 2025: Manage Your Inventory Tasks Professionally

bis
Feb 4, 2025 Reading time : 14 min

Small business management would be a complex process with the motive of boosting sales. However, using an inventory system for small businesses can be helpful to maintain your daily inventory tasks. It also saves your time and money and prevents human errors. Yet, finding the best inventory software for your business is also a challenging task.

Don’t worry, we will provide a comprehensive guide on how to choose the best small business inventory management. Alongside this, we include widely used inventory software, which may help you to choose the right one.

Let’s explore further to find suitable inventory software to increase sales for your small business.      

What is an Inventory System for Small Business?

Inventory System for Small Business

An inventory management system is the software used to track and monitor raw materials and other inventory tasks that a business holds.

For example, an inventory system for small business records how much raw material you have to restock. It will track the most demanding product in stock and help to monitor previous and present sales. Additionally, it provides information on purchase orders and bills of materials. 

Therefore, professional software manages your small business and the inventory you store. This system helps you maintain efficiency by automating every single inventory task. 

Instead of third-party software, you can create your inventory system manually. It will be helpful for you to record details free of charge.

How Do You Create a Simple Inventory System?

Creating a simple inventory system may increase your manual work. But it is a good method to manage your inventory information within your small business without spending a single penny.

Here are the quick steps to create your simple inventory system.

  1. Open a spreadsheet program such as Google Sheets or Excel.
    Open Google Sheets
  1. Create a new worksheet for your small business.
    New Google worksheet
  1. Add columns including date, product categories, items, product IDs, costs, quantities, etc.
    Add columns to record details
  1. Enter everything related to your inventory data.
  2. Timely audit and review your entries for informed decisions.        

Benefits of Inventory System for Small Business

Small business inventory software is crucial for maintaining business time and money. It also improves costly mistakes like ordering stock more than needed and having low stock.

You can also look for several other benefits of inventory software, which are mentioned below.

  • Real-Time Tracking: Inventory tracking software for small business carefully analyses real-time inventory like stock levels, locations, and quantities.
  • Avoid Human Errors: It can calculate every inventory task, including tracking purchase orders and evaluating pricing through automated systems. This could reduce manual errors.
  • Cost Reduction: The inventory software monitors the inventory levels accurately, which saves the cost of outdated stocks, excess stocks, and dead stocks based on customer demand.
  • Increase Efficiency: This software manages operational tasks like order fulfillment, checking stock, and purchase strategies to increase small business efficiency.
  • Better Customer Service: Fulfilling customer demand by providing the right product quickly can increase customer satisfaction. The inventory management system for small business would support better customer service.
  • Enhance Data Visibility and Productivity: Adapting sophisticated inventory management software can help to access real-time data for informed decisions about sales and purchases. Thus, it resulted in increasing productivity.

    Overall, inventory management software can help you access inventory levels according to the requirements. It will boost your small business revenue and growth.

How to Choose Small Business Inventory Management?

It’s important to choose suitable inventory management for your small business to get various benefits.

Here are essential factors to keep in mind while selecting small business inventory software.

Cost

You have to compare pricing plans of different inventory software available in the market. Simply research the most effective plans that suit your organization and budget. With more in-built features, inventory software is the best to maintain your business. 

On the other hand, you can also opt for a free inventory stock management system for small business. Free software is also a good option to monitor your inventory tasks without spending money. Choose the system that matches your financial budget and needs.

Business Size and Type

Different businesses require different inventory management software. It depends on business size and industry. If you have a small business, it requires basic inventory tracking, while large enterprises need professional automated software.

At the same time, inventory management software for retail stores might need POS integration. Meanwhile, a manufacturing business will require raw materials and work-in-progress inventory software. This shows that business size and type also matter in selecting a management system.

Integration

Whether you own an inventory system for small business or large organization, look for integration capabilities. It is necessary to coordinate new inventory software with your existing accounting software.

So, it can facilitate and track how much your business spends on inventory and how much your business earns. Not only this, but your POS (Point of Sale) integration also updates the stock level as items are sold with new inventory management software. As a result, compatibility with software is a must to handle your small business easily.

Customizations

When you purchase an inventory system, examine the customization of the software. It allows you to tailor the functionality of the inventory management system for small business based on your unique needs and requirements.

Moreover, customized software can help to detect particular data that changes due to operational workflow. It is another feature to deal with your small business changes timely with ease.

Customer Support 

You must check the responsive time and customer support features of inventory software. It benefits you to improve customer service, which enriches customer satisfaction. In case clients need any help for a specific issue, it will help them quickly and efficiently.

Therefore, the development in customer support service will help to expand your business’s overall value and reputation.     

Types of Inventory Software for Small Business

As we discussed already, different inventory software is designed for specific businesses, industries, and stores. Now dive deeper to learn different types of inventory software. This will guide you in determining which type of software is suitable for your small business. 

Here are the following types of inventory management systems that are crucial to maintaining inventory tasks.

Cloud-Based Software

This software stores inventory information in the cloud, which can be reviewed by multiple devices with an internet connection. It allows you to manage stock online from different locations. 

Point-of-Sale Software

You can select POS software for tracking sales transactions, including online checkouts, in-store purchases, and self-service stores. It is designed to focus on inventory data at the time of sales.

Accounting Software

Accounting software has built-in inventory management features to regulate real-time inventory levels. This software is worthwhile for accessing stocks timely.  

Top 10 Inventory System for Small Business

We’ve got you !! Figuring out the best inventory management software is a daunting task for you. There are varieties of software to streamline order processes, sales, and stock levels. So, we are here to help you make good decisions for your small business. 

Here are the best small business inventory software that provides dozens of tools to maintain your organization.    

Zoho Inventory

You may wonder, which is the best free program to keep track of inventory? Zoho Inventory offers the best free plans and decent inventory management features for small businesses. It is a cloud-based software that provides 50 sale orders per month, limited to one user only. 

Additionally, it manages business inventory such as multiple channels, stock levels, controlling warehouses, barcodes, and purchases. This software customizes your inventory plans based on orders, warehouses, SMS, branches, and auto scans. Zoho inventory is ideal for entrepreneurs with other paid plans to scale up their businesses. 

Pricing Plans:

Standard- $150.28/year 

Professional- $312.14/year

Premium- $531.80/year

Enterprise- $1040.48/year

Pros
  • Sync with multiple channels 
  • Free plans for small businesses
  • Mobile app for Android and iOS
Cons
  • Free plan limited to 20 purchase and 50 sale orders
Cin7 Core

If you need advanced management capabilities and e-commerce app integration, choose Cin7 Core. It provides an all-in-one connected inventory management to support multiple users and standard manufacturing. 

In addition, this software allows you to customize your inventory management plans with unique add-ons. Cin7 Core inventory software delivers four exclusive categories including B2B portal, MRP, POS registers, and 3DI/3PL connections. The team is committed to helping grow your business and utilizing Cin7 Core features for the best outcomes. 

Pricing Plans:

Standard- $349/month

Pro- $599/month

Advanced- $999/month

Omni- Contact Cin7 Core for pricing

Pros
  • Available for multiple industries, retail businesses, and manufacturing 
  • Facilitate different locations and channels 
  • Accommodate e-commerce and accounting integration 
Cons
  • Price may be higher for small businesses 
  • Complexities in integration facilities 
Sortly

Where inventory management is a complicated process, Sortly has a simple and intuitive UI design. You can effectively use it to upload photos of lists and scan barcodes or QR codes with your smartphone. It can organize your inventory location, alert you for low stock, and automate your audits, budgets, and plans. 

On top of that, it automatically syncs your inventory across all devices and updates real-time data from any location. Sortly offers five pricing categories, including a free plan suitable for small businesses. 

Pricing Plans:        

Free- $0/month

Advanced- $24/month

Ultra- $74/month

Premium- $149/month

Enterprise- Contact Sortly for pricing

Pros
  • Free plan with in-built barcode app to scan items in and out
  • Available for Android and iOS
  • Modify inventory counts when the internet is slow 
Cons
  • Opt for premium plans for stock alerts and QuickBooks integration 
  • Don’t have e-commerce integration
Katana

This inventory software is specially designed for manufacturing companies. It allows you to track raw materials, finished goods, and stock levels while tracking labor costs and productivity. Katana inventory is a perfect choice for small and medium-sized businesses. 

Furthermore, it helps in creating bills of materials, resource allocation, and manufacturing costs. The insights of the dashboard are easy to read and understand through Katana software. 

Pricing Plans:

Starter- $179/month

Standard- $359/month 

Professional- $799/month

Professional Plus- $1799/month

Pros
  • Ideal for manufacturing businesses
  • Real-time inventory management
  • Scan barcodes and assign jobs within the software
Cons
  • No mobile app
Veeqo

Veeqo is an Amazon company that demonstrates the efficiency of inventory management. It is a free inventory stock management software that aims to simplify the shipping process for business owners. This software forecasts customer demand, automates inventory tasks, and manages inventory from different locations or stores.

Therefore, it also calculates the distance between customers and stores. Figure out whether a stock is available in the warehouse or not and instantly allocate the inventory to the user. Veeqo also maintains spreadsheets across Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and Walmart for a better experience.

Pricing Plans:

Veeqo is entirely free of cost with unlimited orders.      

Pros
  • Free to use for unlimited orders
  • Integration with e-commerce platforms
  • Better customer service
Cons
  • Manual invoice creation
Finale Inventory

When you purchase the Finale Inventory plans, you can access the mobile barcode scanner app and optimize warehouse management. You can integrate location and sublocation data into a scanner for tracking inventory easily. The higher premium plans also include QuickBooks online accounting to save your time and money. 

Besides this, it can audit stocks using product IDs and serial numbers. This software also offers in-depth financial reporting, stock counts, and reordering. You can achieve sales growth and faster workflows with Finale Inventory. 

Pricing Plans:

Self-Starter- $99/month

Bronze- $240/month

Silver- $420/month

Gold- $649/month 

Platinum- $949/month

Custom- Talk with the Finale Inventory team

Pros
  • Over 50 e-commerce integrations
  • Mobile barcode scanner app
  • Automate inventory tasks
Cons
  • High paid charges for QuickBooks online
Fishbowl Inventory

You can simply go for Fishbowl Inventory for seamless work with QuickBooks. It helps you to sync your inventory transactions with your QuickBooks online account. From raw materials to delivery, it can manage all-in-one inventory management tasks efficiently. 

Additionally, it keeps financial records in order to manage sales orders, shipping, and invoices. This software completes the gap between every part of a product lifecycle automatically. You can trust Fishbowl Inventory to perform your daily business tasks with full potential. 

Pricing Plans:

Basic Inventory- Call for pricing

Advanced Warehousing- Starting at $50/month

Advanced Manufacturing- Starting at $50/month   

Pros
  • Integrate with QuickBooks and Xero
  • Responsive customer support
Cons
  • Complexing integration setup
Linnworks

As a small business inventory management software, Linnworks simplifies stock controls and handles multiple selling channels. It automates manual tasks and streamlines operations for business growth. 

This inventory management software works as a centralized platform to control purchase orders, warehouse transfers, and other inventory details. It integrates with online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay to boost sales. However, it has a learning curve that may bother you as a new user.        

Pricing Plans: 

Linnworks doesn’t reveal the pricing plans. You have to contact them for pricing policies based on your business. 

Pros
  • Offers automated inventory tasks to save effort and time
  • Centralized platform to deal with many online selling channels
  • Provide valuable planning and strategies
Cons
  • Complicated pricing structure 
  • May have a learning curve for beginners
Oddo Inventory

Odoo Inventory offers almost free and budget-friendly open-source inventory software for small business. It lets you utilize a vast collection of business apps in one place with just one click. This software automates accounting, Point of Sale (POS), purchase orders, and inventory tasks easily. 

On the other hand, it also integrates with HR and CRM with Odoo’s other services. If you purchase higher pricing plans, you will explore Odoo online, Odoo Studio, Multi-company, and external API. 

Pricing Plans: 

One App Free- $0

Standard- $24.90/month 

Custom- $37.40/month    

Pros
  • Free to use for one app or service
  • Comprehensive user guide and tutorials
  • Financial reporting for inventory
Cons
  • Limited service with a free version
Square

If you own a retail business, Square can be a sufficient inventory management software. It can offer various business handling features, including real-time inventory updates, and analysis reports. You will always receive alerts related to accurate stock levels to make informed decisions. 

Moreover, it offers built-in POS service, unlimited item tracking, and barcode label printing. With three pricing packages, you can simply sell your services online, create invoices, integrate with POS, and optimize text message marketing.

Pricing Plans:

Free- $0 + processing fee

Plus- $29+/month + processing fee

Premium- Contact Sales

Pros
  • Built-in POS system 
  • Barcode printing and COGS tracking in paid plans 
  • Automated low-stock alerts
Cons
  • Limited reporting system that some competitors

Best Inventory Methods for Small Business

Along with the best inventory system, relevant inventory methods also play a vital role. The inventory methods are used to calculate and report inventory turnover. Each company selects its approaches for inventory methods and sticks to them throughout the year.

There are five best inventory methods for small business to calculate the value of a company’s inventory.

  1. FIFO (First in, First out)
    This method suggests that which inventory comes first, sell to be first. It is the best inventory method for a small business.
  1. LIFO (Last in, First out)
    The company sells products first which they bought last. This method is useful for non-perishable products.
  1. WAC (Weighted Average Cost)

    In this method, companies calculate the average costs of all inventory and how much they sell them over a specific period. 

  1. Specific Identification
    This method evaluates the cost of each item. It is best for high-value businesses like unique items.
  1. Retail Inventory Method
    It estimates the costs of an inventory at the retail store end. This method uses the ratio of actual cost to retail price cost.      

Conclusion

Hopefully, you understand that small business inventory management software is essential for effective maintenance and results. It helps you manage everyday inventory tasks and improve customer support for a better business reputation.

However, finding a suitable inventory management software can be a tricky task. So, you can select one from the above-mentioned software according to your business specifications and requirements. These top-tier inventory software can be worthwhile for your small business.

Frequently Asked Questions
Which inventory system is best for small businesses?

Zoho Inventory, Cin7 Core, and Katana are considered to be the best inventory systems for small businesses.

Does QuickBooks have inventory management?

Yes, QuickBooks has an inventory management features. It can track order status, reorder inventory, and calculate inventory costs.

What is the best inventory method for a small business?

First in, First Out (FIFO) is the best inventory method. It reduces the risk of outdated stock because it sells older items quickly.

What is the best free program to keep track of inventory?

Zoho Inventory, Veeqo, Sortly, Oddo, and Square are some free inventory system for small businesses.

Vibha Anand
Posted by
Vibha Anand

Business Journalist

Subscribe to our newsletter

Subscribe to our newsletter and get top Tech, Gaming & Streaming latest news, updates and amazing offers delivered directly in your inbox.