Best free stock control app for a small shop in the UK: free inventory apps and software compared (2026)
Ofisx Inventory Management ("Inventory Management: Barcode" on Google Play and the App Store) is a stock control app for shops and small businesses — on Android, iPhone and the web with one account: stock, sales and purchases by scanning barcodes with the phone camera, low-stock alerts, customer and supplier accounts and profit reports. Download and sign-up are free and the basic features are free to use; advanced features are Premium by subscription. If you work on one device with no internet, Ofisx Offline Inventory is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions. Below we show honestly what each free stock control option actually allows — items, orders, users, locations — and when you start paying.
Short answer: which free option fits
- Start free, run the shop from your phone, with staff or on several devices: Ofisx Inventory Management — free download and sign-up, basic features free; barcode sales with the phone camera, low-stock alerts, customer accounts, multi-user access and a web version. Advanced features are Premium by subscription.
- Free, no internet, no account, one device: Ofisx Offline Inventory (App Store) — every feature free up to 100 items and 300 transactions, data stays on the phone; Pro is a monthly or yearly subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase — a subscription is not required.
- A small inventory of items, tools or supplies with photos: Sortly Free (100 unique items, 1 user) or BoxHero Free (100 items, 1 member, 1 location).
- You need a free till (EPOS) that also tracks stock: Square for Retail Free (UK, no item limit, card fees apply) or Loyverse POS (free, essential inventory included).
- Online orders across a couple of locations, low volume: Zoho Inventory Free (50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations).
- A free ERP with unlimited users and time to set it up: Odoo "One App Free" — one single app only, such as Inventory.
Free stock control apps and software compared
| Option | Free (limits) | On the phone | Barcode | Without internet | Multi-user / web |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofisx Inventory Management | Free download and sign-up, basic features free; advanced features Premium by subscription | Yes — app for Android and iPhone | Yes, with the camera; multiple barcodes per product | No — cloud-based, needs internet | Yes — staff accounts, phone, tablet and web version |
| Ofisx Offline Inventory | Every feature free up to 100 items and 300 transactions; Pro as monthly or yearly subscription or one-time lifetime purchase — subscription not required | Yes — Android and iPhone | Yes, with the camera, even with no connection | Yes, 100% — data on the device, no account | No — one device, no multi-user, no web version |
| Sortly | Free plan: 100 unique items, 1 user, 1 custom field, 2 active jobs, 1 month of activity history | Yes — iOS and Android apps, plus web | Barcode and QR scanning in the app; whether included on Free: check current plan | Offline mode in the mobile apps; whether on Free: check current plan | Multiple users on paid plans only |
| Zoho Inventory | Free plan: 50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations; Standard £25 per organisation per month (billed annually) | Yes — iOS and Android apps, plus web | Barcode generation only in the Premium plan | Check current plan | Multiple users on paid plans only |
| BoxHero | Free Personal plan: 100 items, 1 member, 1 location, 30 days of activity history | Yes — iOS and Android apps, plus web | Yes, with the phone camera or a scanner (custom barcode printing on Business) | Check current plan | Multiple members only on Business ($24 per team per month, 3 members, 1,000 items) |
| Square for Retail (Free plan, UK) | Free plan: no limit on items, stock tracking and low-stock alerts included; card fees apply (1.75% in person); Plus £49 per month per location | Yes — Square POS app plus online dashboard | Yes, GTIN/SKU barcodes; barcode label printing on Plus | Check current plan | Yes, stock synced across locations; some tools on Plus |
| Loyverse | Loyverse POS free, essential inventory included (stock tracking, low-stock alerts); Advanced Inventory $25 per store per month (or $250 a year) | Yes — POS app for Android and iOS; back office in the browser | Yes, at the till | Check current plan | Several stores yes; employee management is a paid add-on ($5 per employee per month) |
| Odoo ("One App Free") | One single app free forever, unlimited users, hosted on Odoo Online; any other app moves you to the paid Standard plan | Yes, in the browser and via the app | Depends on the module; check current plan | No — Odoo Online needs internet | Yes, unlimited users for the chosen app |
| Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc | Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc are free | Limited | No | Yes, as a file on the computer | Shared file, with the risk of conflicting versions |
The free options in detail
Ofisx Inventory Management
One app for shopkeepers: add products with price, VAT, photo and several barcodes (or import them in bulk from Excel), then record sales, purchases and returns by scanning with the camera. Stock updates straight away and you get a notification when an item falls below its minimum level. Stock count and a full stock movement history are included.
In the same app you keep customer accounts with payments received and due-date reminders, create quotes, record expenses, share receipts and invoices as PDF or print them on 58/80 mm receipt printers. Reports show profit, sales, VAT, cash and sales per employee. An e-catalogue lets customers order via WhatsApp. Data is in the cloud — the same account works on several devices and on the web.
You start free; which features are Premium is shown in the Google Play and App Store listings. This app has no offline mode.
Ofisx Offline Inventory
Built for a stockroom, market stall or shop without signal: no sign-up and no data on a server. You 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.
Manual backup to Google Drive or iCloud is free; Pro removes the limits and adds automatic daily backup. According to the UK App Store (10 October 2026), Pro costs £3.99 a month, £12.99 a year or £22.99 once (lifetime). More in our offline inventory apps comparison.
Sortly
Cloud inventory with photos, folders and labels. The free plan is enough to try it or for a very small inventory; for a shop, 100 unique items runs out quickly. The first paid plan, Advanced (500 items, 2 users), was listed at $49 a month with a 50% first-year discount — billed in US dollars.
Strong at showing what is where; counter sales, receipts and customer accounts are not its focus.
Zoho Inventory
Cloud order and inventory management with sales and purchase orders, composite items, dropshipping and online store integrations. The free plan has plenty of features but little volume: 50 orders is enough to start, not for a shop that sells every day.
More powerful for e-commerce and wholesale, but it needs more setup than a shop app.
BoxHero
Simple cloud inventory with barcode scanning, stock in and out and a stock overview. On the free plan you only see 30 days of movements back — too short for a year-end stock take.
Good for a small stockroom run by one person; customer accounts and counter sales with receipts are not its focus.
Square for Retail (Free plan, UK)
Square is a till (EPOS) and card payments first, with stock control built in. On the UK Free plan, stock counting tools, bulk stock intake, purchase orders, vendor management and barcode label printing are Plus features.
A strong free option if you also want Square to take card payments; you pay through the card processing fees rather than a subscription.
Loyverse
Loyverse is a cloud POS first: the till app, dashboard and essential stock control are free. Purchase orders and stock transfers are part of the paid Advanced Inventory add-on, and free sales analytics cover the last 31 days.
Good for taking payments for free with basic stock; prices are in US dollars.
Odoo ("One App Free")
Odoo is a modular ERP: you can use the Inventory app alone for free, with any number of users. Apps it depends on come included; once you install another app (Sales, Point of Sale, Accounting…), you move to the paid Standard plan (priced per user per month, in euros on the international page).
Very complete, but setup takes time — often more than a small shop that only wants to keep an eye on stock wants to invest.
Excel, Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc
A sheet with one row per stock movement and a SUMIFS balance costs nothing. But it does not read barcodes at the counter, does not warn you about low stock, and with several copies of the file the numbers soon drift apart. Many shops start here and later import the same file into an app.
How to choose a free stock control app
- Which limit will you hit first? — Look at the number that stops you first: items, orders a month, users, locations or days of history. 100 items is enough to try an app, rarely enough for a corner shop or hardware store.
- What the next step costs — Compare the price of the first paid plan, the currency (pounds or US dollars), and whether you pay per month, per year, per user, per location, through card fees — or once.
- Barcode scanning with the phone camera — An app that scans with the camera saves buying a handheld scanner and makes sales, goods in and stock takes much faster than a spreadsheet.
- Stock app or till (EPOS) — If you need a till that takes card payments, a free EPOS with stock (Square, Loyverse) may suit you. If you mainly want stock, customer accounts and reports, a stock control app is simpler.
- One device or a team — If several people sell or book stock, you need separate logins and synced data — many free plans allow only one user.
- Online or offline — A cloud app gives you teamwork and web access; an offline app works in a stockroom with no signal, but on one device only. Choose by how your day actually runs.
- Taking your data with you — Check that you can import and export products with Excel — if the free version stops being enough, you will not have to retype everything.
What Ofisx Inventory Management does not do
- Ofisx Inventory Management is not an EPOS till system and not MTD-compatible VAT software: it does not submit VAT returns and has no link to HMRC. For Making Tax Digital use your bookkeeping or accounting software; ask your accountant if in doubt.
- It has no sync with online shops or marketplaces such as Amazon or eBay.
- It does not manage multi-warehouse stock: there is no separate stock per warehouse, per branch or per van.
- Advanced features are Premium by subscription: the free version is enough to get started, not necessarily for everything.
- It is cloud-based and needs internet; without a connection use Ofisx Offline Inventory — which runs on one device, without multi-user access or a web version, and is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best free stock control app for a small shop in the UK?
It depends on how you work. For a shop that sells from the phone, scans barcodes and keeps customer accounts, Ofisx Inventory Management is free to download and its basic features are free (advanced features are Premium), on Android, iPhone and the web, with staff accounts. If you need a free till that takes card payments, Square for Retail Free (UK) or Loyverse POS include stock control. For a small inventory of items with photos, Sortly Free or BoxHero Free, both limited to 100 items.
Is there a free inventory app in the UK?
Yes, several — with different limits. According to their pricing pages on 10 October 2026: Sortly Free — 100 unique items, 1 user; BoxHero — 100 items, 1 member, 1 location; Zoho Inventory — 50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations; Square for Retail Free — no item limit, card fees apply; Loyverse — free POS with essential inventory; Odoo — one single app, unlimited users. Ofisx Inventory Management is free to download with free basic features, and Ofisx Offline Inventory is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions.
What free stock control software is good for a small business?
For a shop that sells at the counter and wants stock, barcode sales, low-stock alerts and customer accounts in one place: Ofisx Inventory Management (start free, multi-user and web version). For a free ERP if you have time to set it up: Odoo "One App Free". For low-volume online orders: Zoho Inventory Free. For tracking items and equipment: Sortly or BoxHero.
Is there a free stock control app that works without internet?
Yes: Ofisx Offline Inventory (Google Play, App Store) stores all data on the device, needs no account and scans barcodes with no connection. It is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions; backup to Google Drive or iCloud is free. It runs on one device, without multi-user access or a web version.
Do I need a subscription for Ofisx Offline Inventory?
No, a subscription is not required. It is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions; Pro is available as a monthly or yearly subscription or as a one-time lifetime purchase. According to the UK App Store (10 October 2026): £3.99 a month, £12.99 a year or £22.99 once.
Is there free stock control software for several users?
Yes, but it is rare. Odoo "One App Free" allows unlimited users; Ofisx Inventory Management has staff accounts with their own permissions and shows sales per employee. Sortly, BoxHero and Zoho Inventory allow only one user on their free plans, and Loyverse charges for employee management.
Can a free stock control app replace my till or VAT software?
Not automatically. Ofisx Inventory Management prints receipts and shows VAT in reports, but it is not an EPOS till and not MTD-compatible software — it does not submit VAT returns to HMRC. Keep stock and customer accounts in the app and use your till and bookkeeping software for card payments and Making Tax Digital.
How do I move from a free Excel stock sheet to an app?
Prepare a file with product code, name, price, VAT and quantity and import it: both Ofisx apps import and export products with Excel. Then do a stock take to correct the opening quantities.