We compared 8 of the most popular Shopify inventory management apps on features, pricing, and who they are actually built for. Here is what we found.
The Shopify App Store lists over 200 apps under "inventory management." Most of them solve one narrow problem. A handful solve the whole picture. A few are genuinely excellent. Most are fine for a small store and fall apart at scale.
This guide cuts through the noise. We looked at eight of the most commonly recommended options and evaluated them on features, pricing, and the type of store they are actually built for — not the store the marketing copy claims they are built for.
No single app is best for everyone. A $5k/month Shopify store has completely different needs from a $500k/month store. The goal of this guide is to help you identify which tool fits your specific situation — not to declare a winner.
Before comparing tools, establish your actual requirements:
Must-haves: - Real-time Shopify sync (not batch updates) - Low stock alerts with configurable thresholds - Multi-location support if you have more than one fulfilment location - Purchase order management - Reporting on sell-through and days of stock
Good-to-haves: - Demand forecasting - Anomaly detection (automated flagging of discrepancies) - Supplier management - Bundle / kit support - Barcode scanning for cycle counts
Advanced (relevant at $200k+/month): - Machine learning demand forecasting - ABC analysis / SKU rationalisation - Multi-channel inventory (Amazon, eBay, wholesale) - 3PL integrations
Best for: Shopify merchants who want AI-powered anomaly detection and predictive insights, not just stock tracking
CoreCaptain focuses on the intelligence layer that most inventory apps ignore. Rather than just tracking what you have, it actively monitors for anomalies — phantom stock, unexpected demand spikes, SKUs trending toward stockout — and alerts you before damage occurs.
Key features: - Automatic anomaly detection with severity scoring (low / medium / high / critical) - Machine learning demand forecasting with seasonal adjustment - Safety stock and reorder point calculation per SKU - Full purchase order management (create, send, receive, track) - Supplier profiles with performance scoring - ABC analysis across your catalogue - Multi-store, multi-platform support (Shopify, WooCommerce, Amazon, eBay, Etsy)
Pricing: From $19/month (Starter) · $49/month (Growth) · $99/month (Pro)
Limitations: Newer product, so integration depth for legacy ERP systems is still expanding.
Best for: Stores with strong wholesale or seasonal demand that need sophisticated replenishment forecasting
Inventory Planner is the most forecasting-focused app in this list. Its core competency is predicting what you will need to order and when — with particularly strong handling of seasonal patterns and promotional uplifts.
Key features: - Replenishment forecasting with supplier lead times - Purchase order creation and sending - Pre-order management - Shopify and WooCommerce integration
Pricing: Starts around $99/month, scales with order volume
Limitations: Less focus on real-time monitoring and anomaly detection. Reporting is strong but the UI has a steep learning curve for non-technical users.
Best for: High-volume, multi-channel operations with complex fulfilment
Skubana (now Extensiv Order Manager) is an enterprise-grade OMS that handles inventory across multiple warehouses, fulfilment centres, and sales channels. It is powerful but expensive, and most of its value is in order routing and 3PL management.
Pricing: $500–$2,000+/month
Limitations: Significant overkill for stores under $1M/year. Implementation complexity is high. Better as an OMS than a pure inventory tool.
Best for: Small stores (under 500 SKUs) that want a free, simple reorder management tool
Stocky is Shopify's own free inventory app. It handles reorder suggestions, purchase orders, and basic stock counts. For a small store just getting started with inventory management, it is a reasonable starting point.
Pricing: Free
Limitations: No demand forecasting. No anomaly detection. No multi-location support beyond what Shopify natively provides. Reporting is minimal. Outgrown quickly by stores above 300–500 SKUs.
Best for: Product businesses that also need manufacturing, costing, and accounting integration
DEAR is a full inventory and manufacturing management platform. If you manufacture products, do kitting, or need deep accounting integration (especially Xero/QuickBooks), it is worth evaluating seriously.
Pricing: From $349/month
Limitations: Complex setup. Most features are overkill for pure DTC Shopify merchants. The Shopify sync is reliable but not real-time.
Best for: Multi-channel merchants selling across Amazon, eBay, Shopify, and wholesale simultaneously
Linnworks centralises inventory across multiple selling channels and handles the complex order routing that comes with it. It is particularly strong for UK and European merchants.
Pricing: From $449/month
Limitations: Interface is dated. Not optimised for Shopify-native merchants. Better suited to marketplace-heavy operations.
Best for: Shopify merchants who manufacture their own products
Katana is built for make-to-order and make-to-stock manufacturers. It handles BOMs (bills of materials), production orders, raw material tracking, and finished goods inventory in one place.
Pricing: From $179/month
Limitations: Not the right tool for merchants who buy finished goods from suppliers. Manufacturing focus means inventory intelligence (forecasting, anomaly detection) is limited.
Best for: Merchants who need inventory tightly integrated with QuickBooks accounting
QBO Commerce handles inventory, purchase orders, and sales orders with native QuickBooks integration. If you are heavily invested in the QuickBooks ecosystem, this reduces manual reconciliation significantly.
Pricing: Included with QuickBooks Online Advanced ($200/month)
Limitations: Shopify sync has known reliability issues. Forecasting is minimal. Primarily an accounting integration play rather than a pure inventory management tool.
| Feature | CoreCaptain | Inventory Planner | Stocky | DEAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anomaly detection | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| ML demand forecasting | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Safety stock calc | ✅ | ✅ | Limited | ✅ |
| Purchase orders | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| Supplier management | ✅ | Limited | ❌ | ✅ |
| ABC analysis | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ | ❌ |
| Multi-store | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ | ✅ |
| Free plan | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ | ❌ |
| Starting price | $19/mo | $99/mo | Free | $349/mo |
If you are just starting out (under $20k/month): Start with Stocky (free) to get the basics, and move to CoreCaptain when you start experiencing stockouts or want demand forecasting.
If you are growing ($20k–$200k/month): CoreCaptain or Inventory Planner. CoreCaptain if you prioritise anomaly detection and monitoring. Inventory Planner if replenishment forecasting is the primary use case.
If you manufacture: Katana, then layer on inventory intelligence separately.
If you are multi-channel at scale: Linnworks or Skubana/Extensiv for order management, CoreCaptain or Inventory Planner for demand intelligence.
If you need deep accounting integration: DEAR or QuickBooks Commerce, accepting the inventory intelligence tradeoffs.
Every app in this list tracks inventory. The better ones forecast demand. Almost none of them actively monitor for anomalies — the unexpected discrepancies, phantom stock events, and demand spikes that cause the most expensive problems.
Most merchants only discover an anomaly when a customer complains, when a cycle count reveals a gap, or when a stockout happens. By that point, the damage is already done.
Proactive monitoring — the kind that tells you about a problem 10 days before it becomes a customer service crisis — is the feature that separates inventory management from inventory intelligence.
CoreCaptain detects phantom stock, sync errors, and inventory discrepancies automatically. 14-day free trial, no credit card required.
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