A free inventory plan is useful exactly until you hit its cap, and the three free plans we found cap different things. One counts orders, one counts items, one counts SKUs. Pick the plan whose cap matches how your business grows, and the free tier lasts; pick the wrong one and you outgrow it in a month. We read each vendor's pricing page on October 27, 2026; nothing here comes from a hands-on trial.
For whom: a solo seller, a small shop or a maker starting to track stock. Not for: a business with several warehouses or channels to keep in sync from day one; Zoho's and Sortly's free tiers are single-user, Zoho's is single-location, and Katana's caps the catalog at 30 SKUs.
The free plans side by side
| Tool | Free plan cap | Users | Other limits stated | First paid step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory | 50 orders (the page does not state the period) | 1 | 1 location | Standard, $29 per organization a month billed annually: 500 orders a month, 3 users, 2 locations |
| Sortly | 100 unique items; quantities do not count | 1 | 1 custom field | Advanced, $49 a month list price; a first-year promotion showed $24 a month on yearly billing for new customers |
| Katana | Up to 30 SKUs; 15 days with unlimited SKUs first | Unlimited | Unlimited locations; integrations listed as unlimited, but its FAQ says Shopify is the ecommerce integration available on Free | Advantage, custom price on an annual contract |
| Product | Published entry price | Free plan |
|---|---|---|
| Zoho Inventory | $29 per organization/month, billed annuallyStandard planVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | Yes, 50 orders a month, 1 user |
| Sortly | $49/monthAdvanced planPromotion: $24/month in year one on yearly billingVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | Yes, 100 items and 1 user |
| Katana | Quote only: no public pricePaid plan quoted on an annual contractVendor pricing page, checked Oct 27, 2026 ↗ | Yes, limited to 30 SKUs after 15 days |
Prices are the entry list prices each vendor publishes on its own US pricing page, read on Oct 27, 2026. They exclude taxes, payment processing unless stated, hardware, add-ons and negotiated discounts; a promotion appears only in the notes, labeled as one. Prices change. No vendor paid for a place or a price in this table.
Our pick
Zoho Inventory, for a small seller. A shop or online seller lives in orders, and Zoho's free plan is built around them, with a paid step at a published price when you need more orders, users or a second location.
- Pick Sortly instead if you are counting things rather than selling them: tools, supplies, equipment. Its cap is 100 unique items, and stock quantities do not count against it.
- Pick Katana instead if you make products from a short catalog and want several people in the system: its free plan allows unlimited users and locations, but only 30 SKUs once the 15-day period ends, and its paid plan has no published price.
- Who should skip free plans: a business that already has several sales channels or a large catalog, or more than one person updating stock at once on Zoho or Sortly, whose free tiers are single-user.
Still on a spreadsheet? See our inventory spreadsheet template. For what paid inventory software costs, see inventory software cost.
Traceable evidence
Sources for this decision
- vendorZoho Inventory official product siteZoho Inventory · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small businesses evaluating inventory and order management within the Zoho ecosystem. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorSortly official product siteSortly · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Small teams evaluating visual item tracking, mobile counts, and straightforward asset or supply control. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorKatana official product siteKatana · checked Aug 5, 2026 · supports: Vendor-published product scope used to verify capabilities relevant to this buyer context: Makers and light manufacturers evaluating material, production, and finished-goods visibility. It does not prove the guide's fit verdict, configured performance, current pricing or compliance.Open source ↗
- vendorZoho Inventory pricing pageZoho Inventory · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Zoho Inventory's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Standard plan ($29 per organization/month, billed annually), and a free plan (Yes, 50 orders a month, 1 user). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorSortly pricing pageSortly · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Sortly's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting the entry list price of its Advanced plan ($49/month) and the page details recorded with it (Promotion: $24/month in year one on yearly billing), and a free plan (Yes, 100 items and 1 user). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorKatana pricing pageKatana · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Katana's own pricing page as read on 2026-10-27, supporting that no list price is published (quote only) and the page details recorded with it (Paid plan quoted on an annual contract), and a free plan (Yes, limited to 30 SKUs after 15 days). It does not prove the total cost for a given buyer, later price changes, promotions, negotiated discounts or taxes.Open source ↗
- vendorZoho Inventory pricing page, plan limitsZoho · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Zoho Inventory's US pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: a Free plan with 50 orders, one user and one location, and the Standard plan at a per-organization monthly price billed annually with 500 orders a month, three users and two locations; it does not state the free plan's order period or prove fit.Open source ↗
- vendorSortly pricing page, plan limitsSortly · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Sortly's pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: a Free plan with 100 unique items (quantities not counted), one user license and one custom field, the Advanced plan at a list monthly price with a first-year promotion for new customers on yearly billing, and a 14-day trial requiring a card; it does not show which scanning features the free plan includes.Open source ↗
- vendorKatana pricing page, free plan and AdvantageKatana · checked Oct 27, 2026 · supports: Katana's pricing page as read on October 27, 2026: a free plan at no cost with up to 30 SKUs and unlimited users, integrations and locations, 15 days with unlimited SKUs before the catalog must be reduced, and an Advantage plan with custom pricing on an annual contract; it does not publish a paid price.Open source ↗