Best stock control app for a corner shop, convenience store or off-licence in the UK (2026)
Ofisx Inventory Management ("Inventory Management: Barcode" on Google Play and "Inventory Management - Ofisx" on the App Store) is a stock control app for corner shops and convenience stores that runs on the phone you already have — scan barcodes with the camera to book sales and deliveries, get low-stock alerts, keep customer accounts for regulars who pay later and see profit and VAT in reports, on Android, iPhone and the web. Download and sign-up are free and the basic features are free; advanced features are Premium by subscription. It is not an EPOS till: a busy shop that takes most payments by card at the counter usually needs an EPOS such as Square for Retail, Loyverse, Epos Now or Lightspeed — Ofisx fits shops that want simple barcode stock-keeping, customer tabs and profit on the phone without EPOS hardware, or a back-office stock tool next to a standalone card reader.
Short answer: which option fits your shop
- You want stock control on your phone, customer tabs for regulars and profit reports — without buying a till system: Ofisx Inventory Management — free download and sign-up, basic features free; camera barcode scanning, low-stock alerts, customer accounts, staff logins and a web version. Advanced features are Premium by subscription. Card payments stay on your own card reader.
- One phone, no signal in the stockroom, no account: Ofisx Offline Inventory (App Store) — free up to 100 items and 300 transactions, data stays on the phone; Pro is monthly, yearly or a one-time lifetime purchase — a subscription is not required.
- A busy till with card payments, at no monthly fee: Square for Retail Free (UK: £0 a month, no item limit, low-stock alerts; 1.75% per in-person card payment) or Loyverse POS (free POS with essential inventory; paid add-ons in US dollars).
- A full convenience-store EPOS installed with hardware and support: Epos Now (quote-based; convenience-store bundle with countertop till, card terminal and receipt printer) or Lightspeed Retail (UK plans from 75 GBP a month).
- Just starting, a few dozen lines: a spreadsheet costs nothing, but it does not scan barcodes or warn you about low stock — most shops move to an app once the range grows.
Stock apps and EPOS for corner shops compared
| Option | What it is | Price (UK, checked 12 Oct 2026) | Takes card payments | Stock control and barcodes | Hardware needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofisx Inventory Management | Stock control app for the phone, tablet and web — not an EPOS till | Free download and sign-up, basic features free; advanced features Premium by subscription | No — use your own card reader alongside it | Camera barcode scanning, multiple barcodes per product, low-stock alerts, stock count, movement history, Excel import | None — the phone you already have; optional 58/80 mm receipt printer |
| Ofisx Offline Inventory | Offline stock app for one phone — not an EPOS till | Every feature free up to 100 items and 300 transactions; Pro £3.99 a month, £12.99 a year or £22.99 once (UK App Store) — subscription not required | No | Camera barcode scanning even with no connection, low-stock warnings, Excel import | None — one phone; no multi-user, no web version |
| Square for Retail (UK) | EPOS till and card payments with stock control built in | Free plan £0 + processing fees; Plus £49 per month per location | Yes — 1.75% in person (1.6% on Plus) | No item limit, low-stock alerts, GTIN/SKU barcodes on Free; counting tool, bulk stock intake, barcode labels and purchase orders on Plus | Square POS app; a Square card reader or terminal to take cards |
| Loyverse POS | Free POS app with essential inventory | POS free; add-ons: Advanced inventory $25 per store per month, employee management $5 per employee per month, unlimited sales history $5 per store per month (prices in US dollars, excl. tax) | Through card-payment integrations listed on its site (e.g. SumUp, Zettle) | Essential inventory free: stock tracking and low-stock alerts; purchase orders and stock transfers in Advanced inventory | A phone or tablet you already own; works with receipt printers, barcode scanners and cash drawers |
| Epos Now | Full EPOS for convenience stores: till hardware, payments and stock | Quote-based; on 12 Oct 2026 a convenience-store bundle was advertised from £299 (promotional, was £849), requiring a 12-month payments, care and support subscription from £54 a month | Yes — Epos Now Payments (card, contactless, Apple Pay, Google Pay) | Inventory with stock alerts, automated purchase orders, own barcode generation | Bundle includes Countertop 2 till, card terminal and thermal receipt printer |
| Lightspeed Retail (UK) | Cloud retail EPOS with inventory, payments and eCommerce | Basic 75 GBP, Core 149 GBP, Plus 189 GBP a month as shown on the UK pricing page (billing period and Lightspeed Payments options change the price) | Yes — integrated payments | Inventory management on all plans; Mobile Scanner app to count products on iOS/Android | One register included per plan; extra registers and locations cost more |
| Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) or a paper book | A list of products and quantities | Google Sheets and a paper book are free | No | No barcode scanning, no low-stock alerts | A computer, or a pen |
The options in detail
Ofisx Inventory Management
Add products with price, VAT, photo and several barcodes — or import your whole range from Excel — then book sales, deliveries (purchases) and returns by scanning with the phone camera. Stock updates straight away and you get a notification when a line falls below its minimum level. Stock counts and a full stock movement history help when the shelf and the numbers disagree.
For the regulars who settle up at the end of the week or month, keep customer accounts with payments received and due-date reminders. You can also create quotes, record expenses, share receipts as PDF or print them on 58/80 mm receipt printers, and see profit, sales, VAT, cash and sales per employee in the reports. An e-catalogue lets customers order via WhatsApp.
Staff get their own logins, and the same account works on several phones and on the web, with data in the cloud — so it needs internet. It does not take card payments: shops that use it at the counter keep a separate card reader, or use it as a back-office stock tool next to an existing till. Which features are Premium is shown in the Google Play and App Store listings.
Ofisx Offline Inventory
For a back room or cellar with no signal, or an owner who does not want an account or data on a server: add products (or import them from Excel), scan barcodes with the camera, record stock in, sales, purchases, returns and expenses, and get low-stock warnings — all on the device.
Manual backup to Google Drive or iCloud is free; Pro removes the limits and adds automatic daily backup. 100 items is enough to try it, rarely enough for a full corner shop range. More in our offline inventory apps comparison.
Square for Retail (UK)
Square is a till and card payments first. On the UK Free plan you can add unlimited items (including by scanning a GTIN barcode), set low-stock alerts and export stock counts to CSV or Excel. The inventory counting tool, bulk inventory intake when a delivery arrives, purchase orders, vendor management and barcode label printing are Plus features.
A strong fit for a shop where most customers pay by card: you pay through the card fees rather than a subscription until you need Plus.
Loyverse POS
Loyverse runs the till on your own phone or tablet with a browser back office, free. Free sales analytics cover the last 31 days; longer history, staff permissions and purchase orders are paid add-ons, each with a 14-day free trial.
A good free starting point for a small shop that wants a till with basic stock; the pricing page is international and billed in US dollars.
Epos Now
Epos Now has a dedicated UK convenience-store page: the bundle combines a countertop till, an Air card terminal and a receipt printer, with cloud back office, stock control for thousands of items, margin reports and staff permissions to limit refunds, voids and discounts.
This is the "proper till" route — more set-up and a contract-style monthly subscription, in exchange for a counter system built for high transaction volume. Get a written quote: the headline bundle price is a time-limited offer.
Lightspeed Retail (UK)
Lightspeed Retail is a full EPOS aimed at independent retailers, with a "Wine and liquor" business type among its UK retail pages. All plans include one register, integrated payments and inventory management; forecasting, landed costs and custom reporting come on higher plans.
More than most corner shops need, and the most expensive option here — worth it if you also sell online or run several shops.
Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets) or a paper book
Fine for a first count of a small range. But nothing updates when you sell, no one is warned when the crisps run out, and copies of the file soon disagree. Many shops start here and later import the same file into an app — see spreadsheet or app?.
How to choose stock control for a corner shop
- How do most customers pay? — If most sales go through a card machine and the queue matters, you need a till that rings up and takes payment in one go (EPOS). If you already have a standalone card reader and mainly want to know what is on the shelf and what you make, a stock app on the phone is simpler and cheaper.
- How many lines do you carry? — A corner shop or off-licence easily carries hundreds of lines. Check the item limit of any free plan, and whether you can import your range from Excel instead of typing it in.
- Scanning the barcodes already on the packs — Most products in a convenience store already carry a barcode. An app that scans with the phone camera — and lets one product have more than one barcode for multipacks or changed packaging — saves buying a handheld scanner.
- Customer tabs and regulars — Newsagents and corner shops often let regulars pay at the end of the week. Look for customer accounts that show what each person owes and when it is due.
- Staff and more than one shop — If staff sell or book deliveries, they need their own logins, and you want to see sales per employee. With more than one shop, check per-location pricing.
- The real monthly cost — Add up subscription, card fees, hardware and contract length. A "free" EPOS is paid through card fees; a full EPOS bundle often comes with a fixed-term subscription.
- Signal in the stockroom — Cloud apps need internet. If the cellar or back room has no signal, an offline app on one phone works there, but without staff logins or a web version.
What Ofisx Inventory Management does not do
- Ofisx Inventory Management is not an EPOS till: it does not take card payments and is not a card terminal. Keep your card reader or till for payments.
- It is not MTD-compatible VAT software: it shows VAT in reports but does not submit VAT returns and has no link to HMRC. Use your bookkeeping software for Making Tax Digital.
- It has no integration with wholesalers or cash-and-carry ordering systems and no sync with online shops or marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay.
- Advanced features are Premium by subscription: the free version is enough to start, not necessarily for everything.
- It is cloud-based and needs internet; without a connection use Ofisx Offline Inventory — one device, no multi-user access or web version, free up to 100 items and 300 transactions.
Frequently asked questions
What stock system do corner shops use?
Usually one of three: an EPOS till with stock control built in (for example Square for Retail, Loyverse, Epos Now or Lightspeed), a stock app on the phone next to a standalone card reader (for example Ofisx Inventory Management), or a spreadsheet or paper book. Busy shops that take most payments by card at the counter tend to use an EPOS; smaller shops that want stock, customer tabs and profit without till hardware often use a phone app.
What is the best stock app for a corner shop in the UK?
It depends on the counter. If you want a free till with card payments, Square for Retail Free (UK, no monthly fee, 1.75% per in-person card payment) or Loyverse POS. If you want a full installed EPOS, Epos Now or Lightspeed Retail. If you want stock control, barcode scanning, low-stock alerts, customer accounts and profit reports on your phone without buying a till, Ofisx Inventory Management — free to download with free basic features, Premium by subscription.
Can I do stock control for my shop on my phone?
Yes. Ofisx Inventory Management scans barcodes with the phone camera to book sales, deliveries and returns, warns you when a line runs low and supports stock counts, on Android, iPhone and the web with staff logins. If you have no signal in the stockroom, Ofisx Offline Inventory works with no internet on one phone, free up to 100 items and 300 transactions. Square's and Loyverse's POS apps also run on a phone or tablet.
Do I need an EPOS for a convenience store?
Not necessarily. You need an EPOS if you want the till itself to scan, take the card payment and book the sale in one step — which matters with queues. If you take cards on a standalone reader, a stock app can keep stock, deliveries, customer accounts and profit without EPOS hardware. Many shops start with an app and move to an EPOS when volume grows.
Is there a stock control app for an off-licence?
Yes — an off-licence needs the same basics as any small shop: barcode scanning, stock counts, low-stock alerts and margin per product. Ofisx Inventory Management covers these on the phone and shows profit and VAT in reports. If you want card payments built into the till, look at an EPOS such as Square for Retail, Loyverse, Epos Now or Lightspeed (which lists wine and liquor among its UK retail business types).
Can I keep customer tabs for regulars in a newsagent or corner shop app?
In Ofisx Inventory Management, yes: customer accounts record payments received and due dates, with due-date reminders. It is not newspaper delivery-round software.
How do I get my shop's products into a stock app?
Prepare a spreadsheet with barcode, name, price, VAT and quantity and import it — both Ofisx apps import and export products with Excel — or scan each product with the camera as you go. Then do a stock count to set the opening quantities. See also our barcode stock take app comparison.