Top 9 ecommerce inventory management software vendors in 2022
Inventory management software is at the heart of all operations in the ecommerce business. In this article you will learn everything you need to know about the top 9 ecommerce inventory management software vendors in 2022 and which platform may suit you best.
In Centra we’re working every day with successful ecommerce brands, helping them achieve their goals. While connecting our headless ecommerce platform to a variety of inventory management software (IMS) options, we’ve had the opportunity to learn the importance of choosing the right IMS in modern ecommerce businesses. That inspired us to make this extra effort and compare available inventory management vendors to help you choose the best solution for you.
Inventory management software benefits
Most of the challenges associated with ecommerce inventory management systems arise from relying on outdated methods and human error. Inventory management software overcomes those challenges by automating the majority of processes and providing clarity and consistency company-wide. By maintaining a centralized record of every asset and item, IMS can have a dramatic effect on the productivity and efficiency of your ecommerce store when implemented properly.
IMS reduces costly problems, such as:
Keeping too much slow-moving inventory in stock, taking up valuable storage space and eating into the bottom line.
An unexpected shortage of a critical inventory item, causing a delay in the supply chain.
Errors in manual documentation (incorrect part numbers, wrong inventory counts) typically resulting in inaccurate records.
Wasted person-hours on searching for items stored in the wrong locations.
IMS grants control over inventory and serves as a source of comprehensive information about every item, vendor and supplier. By collecting data about the flow of the entire stock, IMS provides you with crucial insights to help you plan your orders more efficiently.
Essential features of any inventory management software:
Centralized inventory management
Tagging and barcoding
Data collection and analysis
Reporting
Forecasting demand
Alerts regarding inventory details
Backup and security of inventory
Integration with other systems
Order management
Order fulfillment
Product kitting
Third-party logistics (3PL)
Inventory management software vs. enterprise resource planning
The common misconception is that enterprise resource planning (ERP) and inventory management software are the same thing. They’re not. IMS is highly specified software allowing you to control your inventory, while ERP centralizes all business data in one place. ERP derives from the monolith software development philosophy - all-in-one platforms. Inventory management is one among many enterprise resource planning features.
Enterprise resource planning and inventory management software have different purposes. If you need to manage a small inventory, you will be overwhelmed with the additional functionalities of costly ERP. On the other hand, if you’re running a big enterprise having everything in one platform is a must.
Enterprise resource planning includes:
Asset tracking and inventory management
Business intelligence system
Accounting management system
Corporate performance
Customer relationship management (CRM)
Ecommerce management system
Human resources (HR) management system
Sales management system
Supply chain management
Comparison criteria
To choose the right inventory management software, we’ve evaluated platforms by the following criteria:
User interface (UI). We have chosen only software with an intuitive interface and clear data visualization options.
Practicality. For inventory management software to be efficient, it has to manage a large number of products, identify key information and automate basic inventory management processes. Some inventory management software is packed with a lot of additional functionalities, while the most important features are not the best. We focused only on practical and well-functioning platforms.
Specific features. There is a variety of functionalities dedicated to different industries, business sizes and selling strategies. We took those into consideration to align the software to the environment it would work best in.
Integrations. We looked for a set of ecommerce integrations such as Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and marketplaces integrations such as Amazon, eBay, Etsy, to make sure that the inventory management platform is easy to set up. All additional integrations with accounting software, marketing platforms, ERP or CRM were a bonus.
Support. We looked for well-supported solutions with a 24/7 helpline. We took into consideration professional reviews from experts in the field.
Value for money. We chose platforms that offer the best set of features for different price points. We also considered if they came from a wider ecosystem including e.g. accounting software, customer relationship management (CRM) software, workplace management software, recruitment software, etc. Wider well-integrated ecosystems allow you to grow your business with new software without investing in expensive third-party integrations.
Top 9 inventory management software
1. Cin7 - the best for a growing business
Cin7 is the automated inventory management platform for companies of all sizes. You might start as a small business, choosing the Cin7 platform to manage your inventory, and over the years grow into an enterprise with Cin7 ERP. It’s a flexible and smart piece of software focused on delivering the most accurate information in real time. Cin7 ensures that your stock is synchronized with sales and orders across every physical and online sales channel.
| Features | - Inventory management - Order management - Order fulfillment - Built-in electronic data interchange (EDI) - B2B ecommerce - Amazon seller, vendor, FBA - Reports and forecasting - Built-in point of sale (POS) - Payment portal - Production management - Sales quoting - Third-party logistics (3PL) - Serial numbers and lot numbers - Multichannel support - Flexible inventory options - Accurate profitability and costs tracking - Inventory planning - Higher stock visibility - Pre-order/backorder management - Barcode, batch, first in, first out (FIFO) and serial tracking - Dropshipping - Inventory management - Single-click accounting synchronization - Real-time reporting - Custom inventory fields - Mobile stocktaking - Automated inventory adjustment - Product kitting - Supplier management - Multicurrency |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | WooCommerce, Magento, Magento 2, Shopify, Square, BigCommerce, and more |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon, Etsy, eBay, and more |
| Benefits | - User-friendly interface - Connected inventory management support - The precise cost of goods sold (COGS) instead of the average - POS runs offline (when needed) - Direct sales from distribution center - Real-time synchronization - Variety of market-leading tools integrations - Variety of features. Cin7 grows with your company, and it can become a potent ERP. |
| Challenges | - Not suitable for rentals or asset management type of business - Expensive for small business - Available only in English |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - FAQs/forum - 24/7 (live representative) - Phone support - Email/help desk - Chat - Knowledge base |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Small business - $299/month Business - $539/month Advanced - $999/month Enterprise - customized pricing on request |
| Who is it for? | - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
2. Fishbowl - the most advanced inventory automation
Fishbowl is a hybrid warehouse and manufacturing management platform. It’s an inventory management software with a few ERP features. Fishbowl covers it all, from manufacturing tools with work orders and asset management insights to asset tracking and warehousing. It is geared toward inventory automation.
| Features | - Inventory management - Order management - Built-in electronic data interchange (EDI) - Serial numbers and lot numbers - Barcode scanning - Reports and forecasting - Work orders - Labor and job tracking - Production management - Multilevel bill of materials - Third-party logistics (3PL) - Manufacturing management - Multiple locations - MRP - Business intelligence - Multichannel inventory syncing - Inventory costing - Inventory tracking - Centralized inventory database - Stock history reporting - Data exporting/importing - Multiwarehouse routing - WYSIWYG editor - Shipment integration - Multicurrency - Landed costs |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | Salesforce, Shopify, BigCommerce, Magento, WooCommerce, and more |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon, eBay, and more |
| Benefits | - Variety of market-leading tools integrations - Real-time inventory updates - Non-expiring subscription - A good price for the number of inventory features |
| Challenges | - High purchase price - Expensive for small business - Available only in English |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - FAQs/forum - Knowledge base - Chat - Email/help desk - Phone support |
| Pricing | Fishbowl starts at $4,395. It’s the price for permanent ownership of the software. You need to renew annually to maintain access to support and software updates. |
| Who is it for? | - Small businesses - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
3. Zoho Inventory - the best featured free software
Zoho Inventory is one of the best-known tools on the market and for good reason. This ecommerce inventory management software is affordable and has everything you need to successfully manage your inventory. It is designed to be simple but powerful.
Zoho inventory management is not a compromise between features and price, it’s full-fledged software that helps companies to increase their profitability.
| Features | - Inventory management - Order management - Serial numbers and lot numbers - Barcode scanning - Reports and forecasting - Inventory tracking - Centralized inventory database - Order fulfillment - Real-time shipping rates - Label printing - Multilingual - Multicurrency - Backorders - Invoicing and billing - Multiple store integration - CRM software - Dropshipping - Products kitting |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon, eBay, Etsy |
| Benefits | - User-friendly interface - Great value for money - Demo account available - Variety of market-leading tools integrations - Workflow tools for human resources and marketing - Meaningful features - 40+ integrations with shipping carriers - Multilingual - even more expensive IMSs are rarely multilingual. - Free setup assistance |
| Challenges | - Subscriptions per user, not per group - Smaller set of features |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - Knowledge base - Email/help desk - Chat - FAQs/forum - 24/7 (live representative) - Phone support |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Free - $0/month Standard - $59/month Professional - $99/month Premium - $159/month Elite - $239/month |
| Who is it for? | - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
4. NetSuite - the best enterprise resource planning
NetSuite is an all-in-one enterprise resource planning software to help you with inventory management, accounting, marketing and business operations. NetSuite is dedicated to mid-sized businesses and enterprises.
NetSuite ERP was acquired by Oracle in 2016, so it has the resources of a multi-billion-dollar company behind it.
| Features | - Built-in business intelligence - Advanced inventory management - Over 350 integrations - Product kitting - Forecasting - Production identification - Multiwarehouse support - Integrated POS - Advanced order management - Supply chain management - Fully responsive - Multicurrency - Multichannel - Multicompany - Multilingual - Multistore - Multilocation - Dropshipping option - Tax compliance - Advanced sales management - Advanced marketing features and automation - Advanced project management - Advanced communication management - Advanced customer management - Advanced data management - Advanced accounting, invoicing and billing - Advanced HR management - Advanced budget management - Advanced operations - Advanced reporting, forecasting and analytics - Real-time synchronization - Third-party logistics - Contact database and advanced management - Advanced asset management - Advanced non-profit management - Advanced tax management |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | BigCommerce |
| Marketplaces integrations | none |
| Benefits | - Multilingual support - Doesn’t need plugins or other integrations, it’s an all-in-one platform - Brings together the back-office and financial processes on a single dashboard |
| Challenges | - Expensive - Lack of ecommerce and retail integrations - Customized pricing only - Extra fee for initial set up |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - Email/help desk - FAQs/forum - Phone support - 24/7 (live representative) - Chat - Knowledge base |
| Pricing | NetSuite has an annual license fee. Customized pricing is based on three main components: - core platform - optional modules - the number of users Additionally, you will pay a one-time implementation fee for the initial setup. |
| Who is it for? | - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
5. QuickBooks Inventory Management - the best accounting features
QuickBooks Inventory Management was designed to improve operations by introducing automation to ecommerce and supply chain professionals. Its core capabilities and extensive app ecosystem provide businesses with the ability to easily automate order workflows, increasing operational efficiency and customer satisfaction.
QuickBooks is best known for their QuickBooks Online, one of the most versatile, user-friendly, and fully featured online accounting software products. QuickBooks Inventory Management accounting features are powered by QuickBooks Online.
| Features | - Inventory management - Barcode / ticket scanning - Billing and invoicing - Cost tracking - Customer database - Reports and forecasting - Data synchronization - Product kitting - Manufacturing management - Multichannel management - Multicurrency - Multilocation - Order management - Order tracking - Point of sale (POS) - Product Identification - Real-time synchronization - Shipping management - Status tracking - Stock management - Supplier management - Third-party integrations - Vendor managed inventory - Warehouse management - eCommerce management |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | WooCommerce, Shopify, Shopify plus, BigCommerce |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon |
| Benefits | - Mobile access - User-friendly interface - Excellent for supply chain professionals - Good value for money - Non-inventory items - Seamless communication with accounting software |
| Challenges | - Accounting-focused software - Lack of initial training - Lack of ecommerce and retail integrations - Limited multilocation, you cannot move inventory from one location to the other - Limited monthly sales, 30,000 orders and 20,000 SKUs - Available only in English |
| Deployments | - Web - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - Email/help desk - Chat - Phone support - 24/7 (live representative) - FAQs/forum - Knowledge base |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Simple start - $25/month Standard - $50/month Plus - $80/month Advanced - $180/month Quickbooks often offers promotions up to 70% off for 3 months. |
| Who is it for? | - Freelancers - Small businesses |
6. Ordoro - the most flexible inventory management system
Ordoro is flexible ecommerce inventory management software that fits it into any selling strategy. It allows you to limit the number of in-stock items your customers can see or conduct a strategic oversell. Ordoro is primarily focused on shipping and supply chain management to minimize wait time during the product reordering process. Ordoro is said to have the best dropshipping features on the market.
Flexibility and strong focus on fulfillment make Ordoro the best choice for the ecommerce industry.
| Features | - Accounting integration - Activity tracking - Audit management - Backorder management - Barcode / ticket scanning - Barcoding/RFID - Cost tracking - Customer database - Customizable branding - Customizable reports - Data synchronization - Delivery tracking - Inventory management - Invoice management - Product kitting - Label printing - Labeling - Location tracking - Multichannel - Multilocation - Order fulfillment - Order management - Parcel shipping - Real-time analytics - Real-time data - Real-time reporting - Reorder management - Reporting and statistics - Returns management - Serial number tracking - Shipping management - Shipping services integration - Stock management - Supplier management - Third-party integrations - Vendor managed inventory - Warehouse management - Workflow management - Dropshipping |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify, Shopify plus, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Magento, and more |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Instagram, Facebook and more |
| Benefits | - Great value for money - Batch-print shipping labels - Discounted shipping rates - The ability to limit the number of in-stock items your customers can see (scarcity illusion) - Strategic oversell, Ordoro also lets you oversell your products while you're waiting for inventory to come in - Exceptional dropshipping features - Partnership with Pitney Bowes, an enterprise-level shipping and logistics that over 90% of the Fortune 500 uses - Exceptional starting plan, free up to 1000 orders/month |
| Challenges | - Slow syncing - No forecasting - No mobile access |
| Deployments | Web |
| Support | - FAQs/forum - Email/help desk - Phone support - Knowledge base - Chat |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Starter - $0/month Express - $59/month Pro - $499/month Enterprise - $999/month |
| Who is it for? | - Small businesses - Mid-size businesses |
7. inFlow - the best affordable IMS
inFlow is an all-in-one inventory management software. The platform offers a wide range of inventory management features including barcode scanning, customizable access rights, and support for mobile devices. It is possible to send customized prices and catalogs to specific customers via inFlow’s B2B portal.
inFlow offers two IMSs, a cloud-based software and a local software. The local software (inFlow On-Premise) is more limited than inFlow’s cloud-based inventory software (inFlow SaaS).
| Features | - 3PL - Accounting - Accounting integration - Backorder management - Barcode / ticket scanning - Barcoding / RFID - Billing and invoicing - Bills of material - Cataloging / categorization - Check-in / check-out - Contact database - Cost tracking - Customer database - Customer history - Customization - Cycle count - Data synchronization - Discount management - Forecasting - Historical reporting - Inventory management - Invoice management - Invoice processing - Item management - Product kitting - Label printing - Location tracking - Manufacturing management - Multichannel management - Multicurrency - Multilocation - Order fulfillment - Order management - Product catalog - Product identification - Projections - Quotes/estimates - Real-time analytics - Real-time data - Real-time synchronization - Receiving labels - Receiving/putaway management - Recurring orders - Reorder management - Reporting and statistics - Returns management - SKU/UPC - Serial number tracking - Shipping management - Stock management - Supplier management - Third-party Integrations - Warehouse management - Work order management - Workflow management - Ecommerce management |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | WooCommerce, Magento, Magento 2, Shopify, BigCommerce, Salesforce, and more |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon, eBay, Etsy, wish, and more |
| Benefits | - Mobile access - Great set of features - Variety of market-leading tools integrations |
| Challenges | - inFlow was built on a scaled-back technology - inFlow On-Premise is more limited than inFlow SaaS and it can be misleading. - On-premise version offers only Shopify integration. It doesn’t accommodate kitting, accounting integrations, or product variations. It’s limited to 100 products or customers, then you have to switch to the inFlow cloud service. - The most expensive plan includes 10,000 sales orders per month - Limited integrations |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - FAQs/forum - Phone support - Email/help desk - Chat - Knowledge base |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Entrepreneur - $99/month Small Business - $279/month Mid-size - $549/month Enterprise - $1649/month inFlow offers 20% off with annual billing |
| Who is it for? | - Freelancers - Small businesses - Mid-size businesses |
8. Unleashed - the best for fast-growing warehouse businesses
Unleashed is a dynamic inventory management suite that comprises modules for inventory control, purchasing, sales, and production. The software functions as an all-in-one work environment that can save you more time than some ERP solutions.
| Features | - Access controls/permissions - Accounting integration - Audit trail - Backorder management - Barcode / ticket scanning - Barcoding/RFID - Billing & invoicing - Bills of material - CRM - Task management - Cataloging/categorization - Channel management - Compliance management - Contact database - Cost tracking - Customer history - Customizable categories - Customizable fields - Customizable reports - Customizable templates - Data synchronization - Delivery tracking - Discount management - Distribution management - Electronic payments - Financial analysis - Import/export management - Inventory management - Inventory optimization - Invoice management - Item management - Product kitting - Label printing - MES - Manufacturing management - Mobile access - Multichannel - Multicurrency - Multilocation - Order fulfillment - Order management - Point of sale (POS) - Product identification - Production management - Production tracking - Purchase order management - Purchasing & receiving - QuickBooks integration - Quotes/estimates - Real-time analytics - Real-time data - Real-time monitoring - Real-time reporting - Real-time updates - Receipt management - Recipe management - Reorder management - Reporting and statistics - Reporting/analytics - Returns management - SKU/UPC codes - Sales forecasting - Sales orders - Sales reports - Search/filter - Serial number tracking - Shipping labels - Shipping management - Sourcing management - Stock management - Supplier management - Third-party integrations - User management - Warehouse management - Workflow management - eCommerce management |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, WooCommerce, BigCommerce and more |
| Marketplaces integrations | Amazon |
| Benefits | - Mobile Sales App - free fall all pricing plans - Excellent integration with Xero - Flexible stock counts |
| Challenges | - No forecasting - No status tracking - Unreliable reporting - Average cost model |
| Deployments | - Web - Android - iPhone/iPad |
| Support | - FAQs/forum - Knowledge base - Phone support - Email/help desk - Chat |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Mid-sized businesses - $299/month Scaling businesses - $579/month Emerging enterprises - $949/month |
| Who is it for? | - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
9. Megaventory - the best choice for direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands
Megaventory is an inventory management system, manufacturing execution system (MES), and manufacturing resources planning (MRP) software. Megaventory offers a number of additional specialized features designed with retailers and manufacturers in mind. The platform is flexible and can be integrated with complicated manufacturing and purchasing platforms dedicated for D2C.
Megaventory is used by manufacturers and distributors.
| Features | - Backorder management - Barcode / ticket scanning - Barcoding/RFID - Bills of material - CRM - Cataloging/categorization - Check-in/check-out - Cost tracking - Data import/export - Demand forecasting - Discount management - EDI - Forecasting - Historical reporting - Import/export management - Inventory management - Inventory replenishment - Invoice management - Item management - Product kitting - Maintenance management - Manufacturing management - Monitoring - Multichannel - Multicurrency - Multilocation - Order fulfillment - Price/margin management - Procurement management - Product identification - Production management - Purchase order management - Quality management - Quotes/estimates - Real-time reporting - Receipt management - Reorder management - Reporting & statistics - Requisition management - Retail inventory management - Returns management - SKU/UPC codes - Multilingual - Safety management - Sales & operations planning - Serial number tracking - Shipping management - Special order management - Spend management - Stock management - Supplier management - Supply chain management - Transportation management - Vendor management - Warehouse management - Work order management - Ecommerce management |
|---|---|
| Ecommerce integrations | Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento |
| Marketplaces integrations | - |
| Benefits | - Outstanding support team - Manufacturing management toolkit that supports every feature from a standard - MRP system - Compiled bill of material (BOM) documents and work costs calculation - Multilingual |
| Challenges | - Poor report quality - Design requires improvements - Lack of flexibility |
| Deployments | - Web |
| Support | - Chat - Knowledge base - FAQs/forum - Email/help desk |
| Pricing | Pricing plans: Pro - $150/month Enterprise - customized pricing on request. Megaventory offers 10% off with annual billing |
| Who is it for? | - Small businesses - Mid-size businesses - Large enterprises |
The best inventory management software
The best inventory software is the one that fits your business. We’ve shown you a list of 9 quality vendors that stand out in different categories:
Cin7 - the best for a growing business
Fishbowl - the most advanced inventory automation
Zoho Inventory - the best value for money
NetSuite - the best ERP
QuickBooks Inventory Management - the best accounting features
Orodoro - the most flexible inventory management software
inFlow - the best affordable inventory management software
Unleashed - the best IMS for fast-growing warehouses
Megaventory - the best choice for D2C sector
Now you’re able to choose the best inventory management software on your own. Identify the features you need, forecast your growth plans, and assess your budget to select the right software for you.
