inFlow Inventory vs. Sortly
Which software should you use for inventory management?
Choosing inventory software isn’t about finding the “best” tool overall—it’s about finding the one that fits how your team actually works.
Both inFlow Inventory and Sortly help businesses track inventory, but they’re designed for different levels of operational complexity. This guide walks through where they overlap, where they differ, and which types of teams each platform is best suited for.
Quick decision guide
Choose inFlow Inventory if you need more robust inventory workflows (such as sales orders, purchase orders, fulfillment, manufacturing, or multi-location control) for a growing operations team.
Choose Sortly if you need a simple, mobile-friendly way to track items using photos and folder-style organization, with lightweight purchasing and picking features.
Or check out inFlow Stockroom — our inventory scanner app that lets you easily and accurately track supplies used day-to-day at your business.
Features, plans, & support overview
| inFlow Inventory | Sortly | |
|---|---|---|
| Core inventory features | ||
| Real-time inventory tracking | Included | Included |
| Multi-location inventory | Included | Included |
| Low stock alerts | Included | Included |
| Barcode scanning | Included | Included |
| Barcode/label printing | Included | Plan-dependent |
| Purchase orders | Included | Plan-dependent |
| Pick lists | Included | Plan-dependent |
| Stock counts/cycle counts | Included | Plan-dependent |
| Downloadable reports | Included | Some reports locked to select plans |
| Serial & lot tracking | Add-on | Not included |
| Manufacturing/assemblies | With inFlow Manufacturing | Not included |
| Selling & fulfillment | ||
| Sales orders | Included | Not included |
| B2B ordering portal | Included | Not included |
| Ecommerce integrations | Included | Not included |
| Shipping carrier integrations | Included | Not included |
| Integrations | ||
| Native integrations | 95+ available on all plans | Limited set, locked to select plans |
| Accounting integrations | Included | QuickBooks only |
| API access | Add-on | Plan-dependent |
| Webhooks | Included | Plan-dependent |
| Plans, limits & add-ons | ||
| Free plan | Not included | Included |
| Unlimited products | Included | Not included |
| Add-ons for advanced functionality | Included | Not included |
| Support & enablement | ||
| Email & chat support | Included | Included |
| Learning center & documentation | Included | Included |
| Live training & support sessions | Add-on | Not included |
| Guided onboarding | Add-on | Plan-dependent |
| Pricing & trials | ||
| 14-day free trial | Included | Included |
| Pricing | Starts at 129 USD/month | Starts at 48 USD/month |
The details
How inFlow Inventory and Sortly handle your day-to-day tasks differently.
Purchase orders & receiving
inFlow Inventory supports purchase orders as part of a broader operational flow, tying receiving into stock adjustments, sales orders, fulfillment, and manufacturing workflows.
Sortly lets you create purchase orders and receive items to update stock quantities, which works well for teams that want lightweight purchasing without complex downstream processes.
Which platform is better?
inFlow Inventory works better when purchasing needs to connect directly to sales, fulfillment, or manufacturing workflows.
Sortly is a stronger fit for teams that want simple, lightweight purchasing without complex downstream processes.
Picking, packing, & fulfillment
inFlow Inventory includes pick lists as part of a more complete fulfillment process, supporting sales orders, shipping steps, and multi-stage workflows designed for higher order volumes.
Sortly lets you create purchase orders and receive items to update stock quantities, which works well for teams that want lightweight purchasing without complex downstream processes.
Which platform is better?
Only inFlow supports the full workflow for picking, packing, and shipping products (including purchasing labels) to your customers.
Sales orders & invoicing
inFlow Inventory includes full sales order and invoicing workflows, allowing teams to generate quotes, convert them to orders, fulfill shipments, and record payments — with inventory automatically updated in real time.
Sortly does not offer a built-in sales order system for creating, managing, and shipping orders directly from the platform, relying instead on external tools for selling.
Which platform is better?
With native sales orders, invoicing, and fulfillment workflows built in, inFlow is the stronger choice for teams that want inventory and selling managed in one system.
B2B ordering & customer portals
inFlow Showroom is a purpose-built B2B ordering portal that lets businesses publish live catalogs, customize pricing by customer, accept orders (and payments in supported regions), and sync everything directly with inventory.
Sortly does not currently offer a built-in B2B ordering or customer portal for browsing and placing orders.
Which platform is better?
With inFlow Showroom, businesses can turn inventory into a self-serve B2B sales channel, complete with live catalogs, customer-specific pricing, and direct order syncing, without adding a separate ecommerce platform.
Reporting, audits, & stock counts
inFlow Inventory supports cycle counts, ongoing audits, and unlimited downloadable reports on every plan, including inventory valuation, stock movement history, and transaction-level audit data.
Sortly supports structured stock counts with assignments and progress tracking, and you can export basic inventory data and count results.
However, some downloadable reports — such as full activity history or advanced inventory exports — are only available on higher-tier plans.
Which platform is better?
With no export limits and the widest variety of report types, inFlow is the better choice for teams that regularly analyze and share inventory data.
Locations & organization models
inFlow Inventory uses locations and sublocations, where locations represent physical buildings and sublocations represent shelves, aisles, or bins.
Sortly organizes inventory using folders and subfolders, allowing you to nest categories, customers, and locations just as you would in Windows or macOS.
Which platform is better?
inFlow is a better choice for warehouse-style locations with bins, shelves, and multiple stockrooms.
Sortly is a great option for teams wanting visual, folder-based organization of assets or equipment.
Barcode scanning & labeling
inFlow Inventory supports end-to-end barcode workflows, including barcode creation, bulk label printing, and scanning across receiving, picking, counting, and fulfillment processes.
inFlow also offers dedicated in-house hardware, including the inFlow Smart Scanner for fast, reliable scanning and the inFlow Portable Label Printer for on-demand label printing in warehouses, stockrooms, and receiving areas.
Sortly supports barcode scanning through its mobile apps and allows users to create and assign barcodes or QR codes to items, making it easy to label inventory using a phone or tablet. This works well for teams that want simple scanning and labeling without specialized hardware.
Which platform is better?
With end-to-end barcode workflows, bulk label printing, and dedicated hardware options, inFlow provides a more complete and scalable solution for warehouse and stockroom operations.
Explore inFlow’s hardware options for faster, more reliable barcode scanning and labeling.
Visit inFlow Shop
Mobile apps & offline use
inFlow Inventory offers a robust mobile app for inventory tasks, but is most commonly used in connected warehouse or office environments where real-time syncing matters.
Sortly emphasizes mobile-first inventory management and supports offline work, syncing changes when a connection is restored.
Which platform is better?
inFlow is a stronger option for centralized, connected operations where real-time syncing matters.
Sortly works better for field teams working at offline sites.
Integrations, API, & automation
inFlow Inventory offers 95+ integrations so you can connect your inventory and orders to all of the other platforms your business relies on.
- Ecommerce integrations for Shopify, WooCommerce, and more
- Accounting integrations with QuickBooks Online and Xero
- 50+ shipping integrations via EasyPost
- Webhooks and expansive API capabilities
- Two-way automations with Zapier
Sortly offers a smaller set of native integrations to support basic accounting syncing and workflow notifications. These include:
- QuickBooks Online
- Slack
- Microsoft Teams
- Amazon Business (US)
- API and webhooks (plan-dependent)
Which platform is better?
With 95+ integrations and two-way automations, inFlow offers a fully connected foundation for growing businesses.
Pricing & trials
inFlow Inventory plans start at 129 USD/month and include a broader set of inventory, purchasing, selling, and reporting features from the start.
Instead of locking functionality behind higher tiers, inFlow offers optional add-ons—such as API access or serial number tracking—so teams can customize what they need before committing to a higher plan.
Sortly starts at 48 USD/month for the Advanced plan, but it excludes several core inventory features such as stock counts, pick lists, purchase orders, and includes only one year of transaction history.
Many teams upgrade to the 149 USD/month Ultra plan for broader day-to-day functionality, but businesses needing more than 2,000 products, a QuickBooks Online integration, or unlimited transaction history will require the 149 USD/month Premium plan.
Which platform is better?
inFlow Inventory is a stronger choice for teams that want more core inventory features included upfront, with flexibility through add-ons instead of forced tier upgrades.
Sortly works better for businesses prioritizing the lowest possible entry price.
FAQs
Does inFlow Inventory support manufacturing?
Yes, but you’ll need to sign up for inFlow Manufacturing if you’re interested in assemblies and manufacturing workflows.
Can inFlow Inventory or Sortly scan barcodes?
Yes, both Sortly and inFlow support barcode scanning and barcode creation. The key difference is depth. Sortly allows users to create and assign barcodes or QR codes to items and scan them using its mobile apps. inFlow Inventory supports advanced barcode workflows, bulk printing, and dedicated warehouse hardware.
Between inFlow Inventory and Sortly, which tool is better for multi-location inventory?
inFlow is better suited for managing inventory across multiple warehouses or storage areas.
inFlow vs. Sortly, which tool is easier to use?
Sortly is often the quickest to pick up for basic inventory tracking. inFlow supports more advanced operations, which means there’s more to learn — but the platform is designed to be intuitive, so teams typically get comfortable with it faster than they expect.
Can I control user access rights in inFlow Inventory?
Yes, both inFlow and Sortly give you control over what team members can see and/or change within the platform. For example, in inFlow, you could allow a warehouse team to fulfill orders, but not change them.
I just want a simple asset tracking tool. Can I use inFlow?
Yes! If you just want to track supplies and consumables used day-to-day at your business, opt for inFlow Stockroom.
Final takeaway: choosing between inFlow Inventory and Sortly
inFlow Inventory is better suited for growing businesses that need more robust inventory management across purchasing, selling, fulfillment, reporting, and manufacturing workflows. With more functionality included from the start — plus the flexibility to add advanced features and hardware — inFlow offers room to scale without switching systems.
Sortly is a good fit for teams that need a low-cost entry point, mobile barcode scanning, and simple organization, and don’t need much beyond real-time inventory tracking. Its free plan and lower-priced tiers make it easy to get started, though access to more advanced features and reports depends on upgrading to higher plans.
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