Inventory guides
Best inventory apps for iPhone and iPad in 2026
Which inventory app fits depends on how your business works. If you record stock on an iPhone or iPad and would rather start without an account, try Countstead, which I make. Sortly and BoxHero suit businesses where several people need their own logins, or where someone works on Android or a computer. Zoho Inventory brings orders from online shops and marketplaces into one place, and inFlow is built around sales orders from other businesses. Orca Scan puts barcode scans into a sheet you design yourself.
I make Countstead, so this isn’t a neutral comparison. I haven’t used the other five apps; every fact about them comes from their own websites, help centers, and App Store listings as they stood on 1 November 2026, and the sources are at the end. The page compares features and plan limits, not prices. These apps change their plans often, so check the app’s own site before you decide.
Download Countstead for iPhone or iPad
Which app fits which business
Countstead: one business recording stock on iPhone or iPad
You need no account and no connection, and the full stock history stays on the device. The free app covers 30 active items at one location. Countstead Pro, an optional in-app subscription, adds unlimited items, more locations, sync across devices, and low-stock and expiry alerts on this device. There are no staff logins and no Android or web version.
Sortly: several people on iPhone, Android, and the web
Each person gets their own login on Sortly’s paid plans, and its phone apps have an offline mode. The free plan holds 100 unique items for one user, and the app is in English only.
BoxHero: several people, including on Windows or Mac
BoxHero has apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows, and Mac, plus a web app, and its app comes in 13 languages. The free Personal Plan holds 100 items for one user at one location. Its current pages do not mention offline use.
Zoho Inventory: stock that sells through online shops and marketplaces
Zoho says orders from connected stores such as Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, and eBay sync into the app, and stock updates across every channel. Even the free plan connects one Shopify store. Which marketplaces you can connect depends on the country edition you sign up with. Its App Store listing calls it an online app and does not describe offline use.
inFlow: sales orders, business-to-business ordering, and several locations
inFlow Inventory is built for businesses that run on orders, with sales orders, an ordering portal for business customers (an add-on on its two smaller plans), and unlimited locations on its Pro and Max plans. Every plan includes logins for at least two people and connections to Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, QuickBooks Online, and Xero. There is no free plan, only a 14-day trial, and inFlow’s help center says its apps need an internet connection.
Orca Scan: barcode scans into a sheet you design
You choose the columns on the web, and they become the fields in the app on every phone that uses the sheet. Scanning, searching, and editing work offline and sync later. Low-stock warnings are a rule you build yourself, on the Business and Enterprise plans.
The six apps side by side
Zoho Inventory’s limits here are from its US plans, which differ from its plans in other countries.
| Feature | Countstead | Sortly | BoxHero | Zoho Inventory | inFlow | Orca Scan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devices | iPhone and iPad, iOS 17 or later | iPhone and iPad (iOS 18.5 or later), Android, web | iPhone and iPad (iOS 15.5 or later), Android, Windows, Mac, web | iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 or later), Android, web, Windows, Mac | iPhone and iPad (iOS 15.1 or later), Android, Windows, web. inFlow recommends its web app on iPad. | iPhone and iPad (iOS 13 or later), Android, web, Windows, Mac, Linux |
| Account | Not needed for local use | Required | Required | Required | Required | Setup starts with logging in or creating an account |
| Without a connection | Every core action works offline | Offline mode in the phone apps, on every plan | Not mentioned on its current pages | Not described; the listing calls it an online app | Its help center says the apps need an internet connection | Scan, search, edit, and add entries offline; changes sync later |
| Free plan | 30 active items at one location (archived items don’t count) | 100 unique items, 1 user | 100 items, 1 user, 1 location | 50 orders a month, 1 user, 1 location | None; a 14-day trial | 1 user, 1 sheet, 100 rows |
| Logins for several people | Not available | Paid plans, 2 to 12 or more | Business Plan, from 3 | Paid plans, 3 to 10 | Every plan, 2 to 20 | Paid plans, from 2 |
| Barcode scanning with the camera | Yes, read on the device | Every plan | Every plan | Yes, in the iPhone and iPad app | Yes, in the mobile app | Yes |
| Printing barcode labels | Label sheets with Countstead Pro | QR labels from Advanced, barcode labels from Ultra | Business Plan | Premium, Plus, and Enterprise plans | Yes, through inFlow’s print helper on a computer | Every plan |
| Low-stock warnings | Free Low Stock view; alerts on this device with Countstead Pro | From the Advanced plan | Business Plan | Reorder-level warnings on every plan | Scheduled emails | A rule you build, on Business and Enterprise |
| Spreadsheet import and export | Excel or CSV in (up to 10,000 rows), CSV out | CSV or Excel in and out | Excel in and out | CSV or TSV in; CSV or Excel out | CSV in and out | Excel in; Excel, CSV, and more out |
| App languages (App Store) | 9 | English only | 13 | 27 | English only | English only; its guide lists 24 display languages |
| Connections to other software | None | QuickBooks Online from Premium; API on Enterprise | API on every plan; Slack | Shopify, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, WooCommerce, Zoho Books, QuickBooks Online, Xero | Over 95, including Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, QuickBooks Online, Xero | Google Sheets, Excel, an API, and more, on Business and Enterprise |
Where Countstead fits, and where it doesn’t
Countstead suits a small business that keeps physical stock and records it on an iPhone or iPad. Each item has a balance at each location, and every sale, delivery, count, or correction is kept as a stock movement, so you can see why a number changed. The free app includes barcode and QR code scanning, the full stock history, expiry dates with an Expiring soon list, the Low Stock view, and Excel or CSV import with a CSV export.
Countstead has no staff logins, no Android or web version, and no connections to other business software. If you need any of those, including online-shop orders that update your stock automatically, choose one of the other apps.
How to choose an inventory app for a small business
Answer these before you compare features. The first three rule most apps in or out.
Who records the stock?
If one person records stock on each device, an app without staff logins is enough. If several people need their own logins and permissions, choose an app that includes them on a plan you can use.
Which devices do you use?
Countstead runs only on iPhone and iPad. If anyone in the business works on Android or a computer, pick an app that runs there too.
Where do you count?
In a stockroom or at a market stall with no signal, an app that needs a connection will stop you. Put the phone in Airplane Mode and try a count before you commit.
How many items do you keep?
Free plans limit items, rows, or orders. Count the items you stock today and compare that with each free plan.
Does your stock move through orders?
If you sell through online shops or take orders from other businesses, an order-based system such as Zoho Inventory or inFlow saves retyping. If you record sales and deliveries as they happen, an item-based app is simpler.
Try it with real items
Pick three items you sell often and record the next real sale or delivery for them in each app you are considering, before you move your whole list.
If you need a till or a full business system
Square for Retail is a point-of-sale system. Square calls it “a POS designed for retail”, and its iPhone and iPad app can update and confirm inventory counts with the camera. Choose it if you want sales at the till and stock in one system.
Odoo Inventory is part of Odoo, a larger business suite, and Odoo calls it its “warehouse management app”. Its App Store app covers all of Odoo and supports Odoo 16 or later, Enterprise edition; Odoo’s documentation recommends its web app, added to the home screen, instead.
Sources and trademarks
Each fact about the other apps comes from that app’s own pages, checked on 1 November 2026. The one-to-one comparisons with Sortly and BoxHero list more sources. If something here is out of date, email [email protected] and I’ll correct it.
The product names on this page are trademarks of their owners: Sortly Inc.; BGPworks, Inc. (BoxHero); Zoho Corporation; Archon Systems Inc. (inFlow); Orca Scan Ltd; Block, Inc. (Square); and Odoo S.A. Countstead is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of them.
- Countstead vs Sortly, with its full list of Sortly sources
- Countstead vs BoxHero, with its full list of BoxHero sources
- Sortly plan table: items, users, labels, low-stock warnings, and offline access
- Sortly help center: offline mode
- Sortly on the App Store: devices, iOS version, and languages
- Sortly help center: QR code and barcode labels by plan
- BoxHero plans and features
- BoxHero help center: plan limits
- BoxHero on the App Store: devices, iOS version, and languages
- BoxHero downloads: iOS, Android, Windows, and Mac
- BoxHero help center: connections to other software
- Zoho Inventory US plan comparison: orders, users, locations, and labels
- Zoho Inventory on the App Store: devices, iOS version, and languages
- Zoho Inventory help: signing up, web and desktop apps
- Zoho Inventory help: online stores and marketplaces
- Zoho Inventory help: importing data
- inFlow plans: logins, locations, trial, and add-ons
- inFlow help center: the apps need an internet connection
- inFlow help center: device requirements and the iPad recommendation
- inFlow: connected apps
- inFlow help center: printing labels
- inFlow help center: low-stock emails
- Orca Scan plans: users, sheets, rows, offline access, and connected apps
- Orca Scan changelog: offline mode
- Orca Scan guide: low-stock triggers
- Orca Scan guide: display languages
- Orca Scan on the App Store: devices, iOS version, and languages
- Square for Retail
- Odoo Inventory
- Odoo documentation: mobile apps
Common questions
- What is the best inventory app for a small business on iPhone?
- It depends on who records the stock and where it sells. For a business that records stock on an iPhone or iPad without separate staff logins, and would rather start without an account, try Countstead, which I make. If several people need their own logins on phones, Android, or the web, look at Sortly or BoxHero. If most of your stock sells through online shops and marketplaces, Zoho Inventory is built around those orders; if you take sales orders from other businesses, inFlow is.
- What is the best free inventory app for iPhone or iPad?
- Five of the six have a free plan, and each limits something different. Countstead’s holds 30 active items at one location, with no account. Sortly’s holds 100 unique items for one user, and BoxHero’s 100 items for one user at one location. Zoho Inventory’s US free plan covers 50 orders a month for one user at one location, and Orca Scan’s one user, one sheet, and 100 rows. inFlow has a 14-day trial instead of a free plan.
- Which inventory apps work offline on iPhone?
- Countstead, Sortly, and Orca Scan document offline use. In Countstead, every core action works without a connection. Sortly’s phone apps have an offline mode that syncs once you reconnect, and Orca Scan lets you scan, search, edit, and add entries offline. inFlow’s help center says its apps need an internet connection, and BoxHero’s and Zoho Inventory’s pages don’t describe offline use. If you count where there is no signal, test the app in Airplane Mode before you rely on it.
- Is there an inventory app for iPhone that doesn’t need an account?
- Yes. Countstead needs no account for local use: you can add items and record stock straight after installing it, and your records stay on the iPhone or iPad. Sync between your devices is part of Countstead Pro and uses Sign in with Apple. Sortly, BoxHero, Zoho Inventory, and inFlow say you need an account, and Orca Scan’s setup starts with logging in or creating one.
- What’s the difference between Sortly, inFlow, and Zoho Inventory?
- Sortly is organized around items and folders, with a free plan and an offline mode in its phone apps. inFlow and Zoho Inventory are organized around orders. inFlow adds sales orders, an ordering portal for business customers, and connections to Shopify, Amazon, QuickBooks Online, and Xero, and has no free plan. Zoho Inventory syncs orders from online stores and marketplaces, and its US free plan covers 50 orders a month. All three need an account and keep your data in their cloud.
- Which inventory apps work on iPad?
- All six run on iPad. inFlow’s app installs on iPad, but its help center recommends its web app there instead. Countstead needs iPadOS 17 or later.
- Does Countstead work on Android or a computer?
- No, only on iPhone and iPad. If you need Android, Windows, Mac, or a browser, choose one of the other five.
Try the inventory demo
Add an item and record stock movements in the browser. The demo is a working example; camera scanning is simulated.
Try the inventory demoAbout this guide
Written by Imdad Ismail, an independent developer in Sri Lanka who makes Countstead. Where a guide gives steps in Countstead, they match the version on the App Store. To report a mistake, email [email protected].