Short answer
Choose based on how your warehouse works: how many products and warehouses there are, whether you need batches, expiry dates, barcodes and mobile stocktaking, and — most importantly — what the software must connect to (accounting, online store, orders). Inventory tracking that isn’t connected to sales will create manual work again.
What to check
- Products and units — variants, packaging, units of measure.
- Multiple warehouses and transfers between them.
- Batches and expiry dates, if they apply to your products.
- Barcodes and mobile stocktaking with a phone or scanner.
- Reservations — stock is reserved as soon as there is an order.
- Minimum stock levels and automatic purchase suggestions.
- Integrations with accounting, the online store and the order system.
Standalone software or part of a system
If the warehouse is simple, the inventory module of your accounting software may be enough. If the warehouse is linked to production, dealers or several sales channels, inventory works better as part of an ERP or a custom system.
Free solutions
Free programs and Excel templates are fine to begin with, but as volumes grow, errors and duplicate work appear. Comparison: inventory in Excel or in a system.