Zoho Inventory is the default pick for most small sellers, with a free plan for 50 orders a month and Standard at $29 per organization per month billed annually, while Shelf is the default pick for teams who lend equipment. Sortly charges by item count and user count together, so growth on either measure moves a team up a tier. Sortly yearly billing shows a 50 percent discount in the first year only, then a 20 percent discount after that, so Advanced costs $288 in year one and about $470 in year two on yearly billing.
Sortly is a photo-first inventory and asset tracking app for a small team that wants to photograph items, scan codes with a phone, and keep a simple list of where things sit. Each plan caps unique items and user licences together, so growth on either measure forces a move to a higher plan. Purchase orders also start on Ultra, which costs $149 per month on monthly billing.
On this page
Sortly alternatives: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sortly | photo-first inventory for small teams | $49 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | Zoho Inventory | small sellers who sell online | $29 per organization/month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | inFlow Inventory | wholesalers who need sales and purchase orders | $129 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 4 | Shelf | teams who lend equipment and need bookings | $34 per month | Yes | Visit |
| 5 | AssetTiger | asset registers with many users and fixed counts | $20 per month | Free trial (30 days) | Visit |
| 6 | Cheqroom | schools and media teams with shared equipment | $184 per admin/month | No | Visit |
| 7 | Cin7 Core | multichannel sellers with high order volume | $349 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 8 | Katana | makers who build products from parts | $299 per month | Yes | Visit |
The 8 best sortly alternatives, in detail
Sortly
Best for: photo-first inventory for small teams
Sortly stays a sensible choice when the inventory is visual and the team is small. The free plan covers 100 unique items, 1 user, and 2 active jobs, which is enough to test the mobile app and the folder structure. Advanced costs $49 per month on monthly billing and covers 500 unique items, 2 users, and 5 active jobs, with QR code label creation included.
- Ultra costs $149 per month and covers 2,000 items, 5 users, and 10 active jobs, with barcode labels and purchase orders added.
- Premium costs $299 per month and covers 5,000 items, 8 users, and 15 active jobs, with QuickBooks Online and custom role permissions added.
- Enterprise is quoted and covers 10,000 or more items and 12 or more users.
- New customers see $288 a year for Advanced in year one, then year two is about $470 a year.
Pros
- Free plan covers 100 items and 1 user
- QR label creation on Advanced
- mobile scanning on iOS and Android
Cons
- Advanced caps at 500 items and 2 users
- purchase orders start only on Ultra at $149 per month
Zoho Inventory
Best for: small sellers who sell online
Zoho Inventory is the value pick in this list because it prices by organization, not by seat. The free plan covers 50 orders a month, 1 user, and 1 location, with composite items, dropshipping, and backordering included. Standard costs $29 per organization per month billed annually and covers 500 orders a month, 3 users, and 2 locations, with a customer portal added.
- Premium costs $79 per month billed annually and covers 3,000 orders a month, 5 users, and 4 locations, with barcode generation, stock counting, serial
- Plus costs $129 per month billed annually and covers 7,500 orders a month, 10 users, and 6 locations.
- Enterprise costs $249 per month billed annually and covers 15,000 orders a month, 10 users, and 10 locations.
- Extra users and blocks of 500 orders each cost $7.50 per month billed annually, and extra locations cost $10.
Pros
- Free plan covers 50 orders a month
- pricing is per organization, not per user
- Standard covers 500 orders, 3 users, 2 locations
Cons
- Serial and batch tracking start on Premium at $79 per month
- order cap forces upgrade past 500 orders a month
inFlow Inventory
Best for: wholesalers who need sales and purchase orders
inFlow Inventory suits a product business that sells to other businesses and needs structured buying and selling in one place. Lite costs $129 per month billed monthly, or $99 per month billed annually, and covers 2 team members and 1 location. Every plan includes unlimited sales orders, unlimited purchase orders, and barcode workflows.
- Core costs $379 per month billed monthly, or $299 per month billed annually, and covers 5 team members and 5 locations.
- Pro costs $629 per month billed monthly, or $499 per month billed annually, and covers 10 team members and unlimited locations.
- Max costs $879 per month billed monthly, or $699 per month billed annually, and covers 20 team members and unlimited locations.
- Extra team members cost $29 per month each, and serial and lot tracking each cost $39 per month as add-ons.
Pros
- Lite includes unlimited sales and purchase orders
- Core adds 5 team members and 5 locations
- barcode workflows included on all plans
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- Core and higher plans require a $499 one-time onboarding package
Shelf
Best for: teams who lend equipment and need bookings
Shelf is built for equipment that moves between people, which is the gap Sortly leaves open. The Personal plan costs $0 per month and covers unlimited assets for 1 user, with locations, custody assignment, kits, and 3 custom fields included. Plus costs $34 per month on monthly billing, or $190 a year, and adds unlimited custom fields plus CSV import and export.
- Team costs $67 per month, or $370 a year, and adds unlimited team members, bookings and reservations, a booking calendar, and booking PDFs.
- Team also includes a 7-day free trial with no card required.
- The Audits add-on costs $37 per month, or $205 a year, and the Alternative Barcodes add-on costs $18.50 per month, or $170 a year.
- SSO costs from $9 per user per month on annual billing for the first 15 users.
Pros
- Personal plan is free with unlimited assets for 1 user
- Team plan has unlimited users at one flat price
- bookings and kits included on Team
Cons
- Bookings need Team at $67 per month
- SSO is a separate add-on from $9 per user/month
AssetTiger
Best for: asset registers with many users and fixed counts
AssetTiger is the cheapest way to give a whole organization access to one asset register. The 30-day free trial covers up to 250 assets and 2 users, with no card required, and the trial limits custom fields to 5 and email alerts to 100 per day. Basic costs $20 per month for up to 500 assets, Core costs $40 per month for up to 2,500 assets, Advanced costs $75 per month for up to 10,000 assets, Pro costs $140 per month for up to 50,000 assets, and Enterprise costs $275 per month for up to 250,000 assets.
- Every subscription plan includes unlimited users, barcode and QR scanning, check-in and check-out, maintenance scheduling, depreciation, contracts and
- Annual billing is equal to 11 months at the monthly rate.
- The inventory add-on is free for up to 2 items and costs $15 per month for unlimited items.
Pros
- Every subscription plan includes unlimited users
- all plans include the same features
- more than 80 report types included
Cons
- No permanent free plan, only a 30-day trial
- stock quantity tracking is a separate $15 per month add-on for unlimited items
Cheqroom
Best for: schools and media teams with shared equipment
Cheqroom is a specialist tool for equipment that is booked, collected, used, and returned. The pricing model is per admin, with unlimited items and unlimited regular users on every plan, so the cost follows the number of people who manage equipment, not the size of the inventory. Core costs $184 per admin per month billed annually, Business costs $275 per admin per month, Enterprise costs $367 per admin per month, and the Enterprise Licence Agreement is quoted.
- Every plan starts at 3 admins, so the lowest real entry cost is $552 per month on Core, or $6,624 a year, before any add-ons.
- That math is the key check for a small team.
- A university media center with 3 admins pays the same as a small studio with 3 admins, even when the studio holds far fewer items.
- Work orders are priced as an add-on.
Pros
- Unlimited items and unlimited regular users on every plan
- reservations and checkout built for shared gear
- pricing is per admin, not per asset
Cons
- Every plan starts at 3 admins, so Core starts at $552 per month
- no free plan, so small teams face a high entry cost
Cin7 Core
Best for: multichannel sellers with high order volume
Cin7 Core is the step up for a product business that sells on several channels and has outgrown a simple inventory list. Standard costs $349 per month and covers 5 users, 2 ecommerce or app integrations, 6,000 sale orders a year, and unlimited inventory locations, with prices in USD and excluding tax. Pro costs $599 per month and covers 10 users, 4 integrations, and 24,000 sale orders a year, with material requirements planning included.
- Advanced costs $1,199 per month and covers 15 users, 6 integrations, and 120,000 sale orders a year.
- Every Core plan includes assembly manufacturing, bills of materials, kits and bundles, and batch, serial, and expiry tracking.
- Cin7 Omni is the enterprise product and is quoted.
- Standard covers about 500 sale orders a month, so a seller above that level needs Pro.
Pros
- Standard includes 5 users, 2 integrations and 6,000 sale orders a year
- unlimited inventory locations on Standard
- assembly and bills of materials included on every plan
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day trial
- material requirements planning needs Pro at $599 per month
Katana
Best for: makers who build products from parts
Katana is made for a maker who buys parts, builds finished goods, and sells them online. The free plan covers up to 30 SKUs, 3 inventory locations, and unlimited users, with Shopify integration included. That 30 SKU limit is tight.
- A maker with 10 scents in 3 sizes is already at the limit, and the next step is Core.
- Core starts at $299 per month and covers unlimited SKUs, unlimited users, 1 inventory location, sales and purchase orders, an inventory planner, and b
- Manufacturing Management costs $199 per month extra and adds production routings, plus planned cost against actual cost.
- Traceability costs $249 per month extra, and Warehouse Management costs $149 per month extra.
Pros
- Free plan covers 30 SKUs with unlimited users
- Core includes unlimited SKUs and 1 inventory location
- bills of materials included on Core
Cons
- Manufacturing Management is a $199 per month add-on
- sales order volume and extra locations add usage charges on Core
How we chose
We chose tools that cover the same job as Sortly: tracking items, assets, or stock, with a published price or a clear trial. We read official pricing pages on 12 November 2026 and used the monthly billing price as the starting price, except where the vendor prices by organization or by admin, in which case we state that basis in the key line. We did not test any tool hands-on. We did not install any product, and we did not use customer counts, awards, or review scores to rank the list. Prices change, so check the pricing page in Sources before you subscribe.
Which option fits your team size and budget
| Situation | Pick | Why it fits | Monthly cost to start |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 user, under 100 items | Sortly free plan | Photo list with no cost | $0 |
| 1 user, under 50 orders a month | Zoho Inventory free plan | Orders, composite items, dropshipping | $0 |
| 1 user, unlimited assets, no bookings | Shelf Personal | Unlimited assets for 1 user | $0 |
| 3 users, 500 items, QR labels | Sortly Advanced | 500 items and 2 users, QR labels | $49 |
| 3 users, 500 orders a month | Zoho Inventory Standard | 500 orders, 3 users, 2 locations | $29 billed annually |
| 5 users, 2,500 assets | AssetTiger Core | 2,500 assets, unlimited users | $40 |
| 10 users, shared equipment with bookings | Shelf Team | Unlimited users, bookings, kits | $67 |
| 3 admins, shared equipment with reservations | Cheqroom Core | Unlimited items and users, per admin | $552 |
| 5 users, 6,000 sale orders a year | Cin7 Core Standard | 6,000 orders, 5 users, 2 integrations | $349 |
| Maker under 30 SKUs | Katana free plan | 30 SKUs, unlimited users | $0 |
Frequently asked questions
How much does Sortly cost?
Sortly has a free plan for 100 unique items and 1 user. Advanced costs $49 per month on monthly billing, Ultra costs $149 per month, and Premium costs $299 per month. Yearly billing shows $288, $888, and $1,788 in the first year, then a 20 percent discount after that.
Which is best for small businesses on a tight budget?
Zoho Inventory is the best pick for most small sellers, with a free plan for 50 orders a month and Standard at $29 per organization per month billed annually. AssetTiger is the best pick for a fixed asset list, at $20 per month for up to 500 assets with unlimited users.
Which is best for equipment checkout?
Shelf is the best pick for most teams, because Team at $67 per month includes bookings, a booking calendar, kits, and unlimited users. Cheqroom suits schools and media teams that need admin control, but Core starts at $552 per month for 3 admins.
Which is best for makers who build products?
Katana is the best pick for makers, because Core at $299 per month includes bills of materials, unlimited SKUs, and unlimited users. The free plan covers 30 SKUs. Add $199 per month for Manufacturing Management when production routings are needed.
Does inFlow Inventory have a free plan?
No, inFlow Inventory has no free plan. It offers a 14-day free trial with no card required. Lite costs $129 per month billed monthly, or $99 per month billed annually, and covers 2 team members and 1 location.
Is there a free Sortly alternative with unlimited assets?
Yes, Shelf Personal is free for 1 user with unlimited assets, locations, tags, and categories, plus custody assignment and kits. AssetTiger offers a 30-day free trial for up to 250 assets, but it has no permanent free plan.
Sources
- https://www.sortly.com/
- https://www.sortly.com/pricing/
- https://www.zoho.com/
- https://www.zoho.com/us/inventory/pricing/?src=footer
- https://www.inflowinventory.com/
- https://www.inflowinventory.com/software-pricing-inflow
- https://www.shelf.nu/
- https://www.shelf.nu/pricing
- https://www.assettiger.com/
- https://www.assettiger.com/pricing
- https://www.cheqroom.com/
- https://www.cheqroom.com/pricing/
- https://www.cin7.com/
- https://www.cin7.com/pricing
- https://katanamrp.com/
- https://katanamrp.com/pricing
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.