License & Deployment Mix: 17 tools – 5 OSS, 13 SaaS. (OSS and SaaS counts can overlap when an open-source tool also offers a vendor-hosted edition.)
What Is Inventory Management?
Inventory Management is the systematic tracking, organizing, and controlling of stock across warehouses, storerooms, and distribution points. Inventory management platforms provide real-time visibility into stock levels, automate reorder decisions, and ensure that the right items are available at the right location when needed.
Modern inventory management systems handle barcode and QR code scanning for rapid item identification, batch and serial number tracking for traceability, multi-warehouse management for distributed stock across locations, and demand forecasting to anticipate future needs based on historical patterns. They enforce reorder points (minimum stock levels that trigger purchase orders) and support cycle counting (ongoing partial inventory audits that replace disruptive full physical counts).
Beyond basic stock tracking, inventory platforms manage stock transfers between warehouses, purchase order generation when reorder thresholds are reached, and reporting and analytics for inventory valuation, turnover rates, and dead stock identification. The goal is to minimize stockouts, reduce carrying costs, eliminate manual counting errors, and provide accurate real-time inventory data for operational decisions.
IT Inventory (Spare Parts & Consumables)
A significant use case for MSPs and IT departments is IT spare parts and consumables tracking – managing depot stock of replacement hardware, cables, adapters, toner and ink cartridges, and other consumable supplies. This includes:
- Spare parts depots – replacement drives, memory modules, power supplies, and other hardware staged for rapid deployment
- Cable and adapter inventory – network cables, fiber patch cords, display adapters, USB hubs, and similar connectivity items
- Toner and ink management – tracking printer consumable stock levels and reorder points
- Consumables – labels, cleaning supplies, thermal paste, and other regularly depleted items
IT inventory management overlaps with but is distinct from IT Asset Management (IT Asset Management), which tracks the full lifecycle of deployed assets (procurement, assignment, depreciation, disposal). Inventory management focuses on undeployed stock – items sitting in storage awaiting use. Once a spare part is deployed to a user or device, it transitions from inventory into asset management.
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it. Catalogue data version 2026.197.
Comparison
This evaluation documents inventory management platforms for warehousing, retail, manufacturing, and distribution use cases.
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol; the notes below assume Authentik as the IdP.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | SCIM | Authentik Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvenTree | Yes* (OAuth2) | No | No | OAuth2 via django-allauth; Authentik as IdP |
| PartKeepr | No | No | No | Basic auth only; abandoned project |
| Odoo Inventory | Yes* | No | No | Via Odoo OIDC module; Authentik as IdP |
| ERPNext Stock | Yes* | Yes | No | Via Social Login Key; Authentik as IdP |
| Grocy | No | No | No | Basic/LDAP only; no OIDC support |
| Fishbowl | No | No | No | Native auth; QuickBooks SSO only |
| Megaventory | No | Yes | No | SAML via third-party IdP; no OIDC |
| Cin7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Enterprise SSO; Authentik as IdP |
| Zoho Inventory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Zoho accounts; Authentik as external IdP |
| Sortly | No | Yes | No | SAML enterprise plan only |
| Boxstorm | No | No | No | Basic auth only |
| Netstock | Yes | Yes | No | Via ERP SSO delegation; Authentik federation |
| Katana | Yes | Yes | No | Cloud-native SSO; Authentik as IdP |
| inFlow | No | No | No | Basic auth only |
| Asset Panda | Yes | Yes | Yes | Enterprise SSO + SCIM; Authentik as IdP |
* = requires specific module, plugin, or cloud identity federation
Best SSO support: Cin7, Zoho Inventory, Asset Panda (OIDC + SAML + SCIM)
No SSO: PartKeepr, Grocy, Fishbowl, Boxstorm, inFlow (basic auth or LDAP only)
OIDC support: Cin7, Zoho Inventory, Netstock, Katana, Asset Panda (native OIDC); InvenTree, Odoo Inventory, ERPNext Stock (via module/federation)
API Comparison
| Tool | API Type | Auth | Webhooks | SDKs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvenTree | REST | Token, OAuth2 | Yes | Python (official) |
| PartKeepr | REST | Token | No | None official |
| Odoo Inventory | REST + XML-RPC | API key, OAuth2 | Yes | Python, Ruby, PHP, JS |
| ERPNext Stock | REST | Token, OAuth2 | Yes | Python (official) |
| Grocy | REST | API key | No | None official |
| Fishbowl | REST | API key | No | None official |
| Megaventory | REST | API key | Yes | None official |
| Cin7 | REST | API key | Yes | None official |
| Zoho Inventory | REST | OAuth2 | Yes | Python, Java, JS |
| Sortly | REST | API key | No | None official |
| Boxstorm | None | – | No | None |
| Netstock | REST | API key, OAuth2 | Yes | None official |
| Katana | REST | OAuth2 | Yes | None official |
| inFlow | REST | API key | No | None official |
| Asset Panda | REST | API key | Yes | None official |
Best API: Odoo Inventory (REST + XML-RPC with multi-language SDKs and webhooks)
ERP-integrated: ERPNext Stock, Odoo Inventory (inherit parent ERP API ecosystems)
No API: Boxstorm (no programmatic access)
Core Inventory Features
| Tool | Multi-Warehouse | Barcode | Batch/Serial | Reorder | Purchase Orders | Demand Forecast |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvenTree | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| PartKeepr | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Odoo Inventory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| ERPNext Stock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Grocy | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Fishbowl | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Megaventory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Cin7 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Zoho Inventory | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| Sortly | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Boxstorm | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | No | No |
| Netstock | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Katana | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Limited |
| inFlow | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Asset Panda | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Full inventory suite: Odoo Inventory, ERPNext Stock, Cin7, Netstock (all core capabilities including demand forecasting)
Best OSS inventory: InvenTree (MIT; strong inventory features with barcode, batch/serial, and purchase orders)
Asset tracking focus: Asset Panda, Sortly (asset-centric; not full inventory management)
Deployment and Licensing
| Tool | License | Self-Hosted | Language | Min RAM | Docker/K8s | Pricing Model |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| InvenTree | MIT | Yes | Python/Django | 1 GB | Yes | Free |
| PartKeepr | GPL-3.0 | Yes | PHP/Symfony | 1 GB | Yes | Free (abandoned) |
| Odoo Inventory | AGPL-3.0 | Yes | Python | 4 GB | Yes | Free (Enterprise paid) |
| ERPNext Stock | GPL-3.0 | Yes | Python/Frappe | 4 GB | Yes | Free (hosted paid) |
| Grocy | MIT | Yes | PHP | 256 MB | Yes | Free |
| Fishbowl | Proprietary | Yes | Java | 4 GB | No | Per-seat perpetual |
| Megaventory | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-user/month |
| Cin7 | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-user/month |
| Zoho Inventory | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-org/month |
| Sortly | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-user/month |
| Boxstorm | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Free / paid tiers |
| Netstock | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-user/month |
| Katana | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-user/month |
| inFlow | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-team/month |
| Asset Panda | Proprietary | No (SaaS) | – | – | – | Per-asset/month |
Free options: InvenTree (MIT), PartKeepr (GPL-3.0; abandoned), Odoo Inventory (AGPL-3.0), ERPNext Stock (GPL-3.0), Grocy (MIT)
Lightest deployment: Grocy (256 MB RAM, Docker), InvenTree (1 GB RAM, Docker)
Heaviest self-hosted: Odoo Inventory, ERPNext Stock, Fishbowl (4 GB RAM, multi-tier infrastructure)
Tools
17 tools.
Asset Panda
Asset Panda is a cloud-based asset and inventory tracking platform that bridges traditional asset management and inventory management in a single configurable system.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Boxstorm
Boxstorm is a cloud-based inventory management platform created by Fishbowl as a simplified, SaaS alternative to its on-premises Fishbowl Inventory product.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Cin7 (Core + Omni)
Cin7 is a cloud-based inventory management platform offering two product tiers: Cin7 Core (formerly DEAR Inventory) for mid-market businesses and Cin7 Omni for larger enterprises needing omnichannel inventory management.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
ERPNext Stock Module
ERPNext Stock is the inventory and warehouse management module within the ERPNext open source ERP system built on the Frappe framework.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Fishbowl
Fishbowl is a commercial inventory management and warehouse management platform built on Java with deep QuickBooks integration as its primary differentiator.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Grocy
Grocy is a lightweight, self-hosted inventory and household management solution. Originally designed for groceries and household goods, it has grown into a versatile small-scale inventory tracker with stock management, expiry date tracking,…
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
inFlow Inventory
inFlow Inventory is an inventory and order management platform offering both a cloud-based web interface and a Windows desktop client with cloud synchronization.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
InvenTree
InvenTree is an open source inventory management system with integrated bill of materials management capabilities.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Katana
Katana is a cloud-based manufacturing inventory and production management platform designed for small to mid-sized manufacturers who sell through ecommerce channels.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
Lightspeed Retail
Lightspeed Retail is a cloud-based point-of-sale (POS) and inventory management platform designed for brick-and-mortar retail businesses.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Megaventory
Megaventory is a cloud-based inventory and order management platform with an optional on-premises hybrid deployment model.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: none
Netstock
Netstock is a cloud-based inventory optimization and demand planning platform designed to complement existing ERP systems rather than replace them.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
NetSuite Inventory Management
NetSuite Inventory Management is the inventory module within Oracle NetSuite ERP, the dominant cloud-based enterprise resource planning platform for mid-market and growing businesses.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
Odoo Inventory
Odoo Inventory is the warehouse and stock management module of the Odoo ERP suite, with multi-warehouse management, barcode scanning, lot/serial tracking, reorder rules, and inventory valuation.
License: AGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native, saas · SSO: SAML
PartKeepr
PartKeepr is an open-source (MIT) inventory management system for electronic component tracking, offering parametric part search, footprint management, distributor integration, and project BOM tracking.
License: MIT (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: native · SSO: none
Sortly
Sortly is a cloud-based visual inventory management platform designed with a mobile-first, photo-based approach for non-technical users.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory is a cloud-based inventory and order management platform that is part of the Zoho ecosystem of business applications.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: OIDC, SAML
