Stock control app with no subscription: pay-once inventory apps for a small UK shop (2026)
Ofisx Offline Inventory ("Inventory Management" on Google Play and "Inventory Manager Offline" on the App Store) is a stock control app for small shops that you can own with a one-off lifetime purchase — no subscription required — at £22.99 on the UK App Store (checked 12 October 2026); every feature is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions, and data stays on your phone with no account. It runs on one device, without multi-user access or a web version. Below we compare honestly which stock and inventory apps you can actually buy outright in the UK, which only look free, and when a monthly subscription is the better deal.
Short answer: which pay-once option fits
- One shop, one phone, pay once for stock, barcode sales and customer accounts: Ofisx Offline Inventory — free up to 100 items and 300 transactions; Pro is £22.99 once (lifetime) on the UK App Store, or £3.99 a month / £12.99 a year if you prefer. No account, works with no internet, Android and iPhone; one device only.
- Stocktakes for a bar, café or small shop on an iPad, pay once: Inventario App — free download, one-off in-app unlocks (unlimited items £44.99; extra locations £8.99–£34.99), "Pay once — use forever" per its App Store listing. iPhone and iPad only.
- A very cheap offline item list on iPhone or iPad: StockM8 — free download, one in-app purchase at £1.99, "No Subscriptions" per its listing; aimed at general inventory rather than counter sales.
- Parts, components or a workshop store, and someone who can run a server: InvenTree — open-source and free to self-host; the companion app is £7.99 once on the App Store and Google Play.
- You mainly need a free till that also counts stock: Loyverse POS — free with essential inventory; purchase orders and stock transfers are a paid add-on ($25 per store per month).
- Several staff, several devices or a web login on one shared stock: a subscription is the honest answer — for example Ofisx Inventory Management (online; basic features free, advanced features by monthly or yearly subscription, no lifetime option), Zoho Inventory or Sortly.
Stock control apps with no subscription compared
| Option | How you pay | UK price (checked 12 Oct 2026) | Free to start | Without internet | Devices and users |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ofisx Offline Inventory | One-off lifetime purchase or monthly / yearly subscription — your choice; subscription not required | UK App Store: Lifetime Access £22.99; £3.99 a month; £12.99 a year (Google Play price: see the listing) | Yes — every feature free up to 100 items and 300 transactions | Yes, 100% — data on the device, no account | Android and iPhone; one device, no multi-user, no web version |
| Ofisx Inventory Management (online) | Basic features free; advanced features by subscription only (monthly or yearly) — no lifetime option | UK App Store: £6.99 a month or £39.99 a year; Premium £12.99 a month or £59.99 a year | Yes — free download and sign-up, basic features free | No — cloud-based, needs internet | Android, iPhone and web; staff accounts on several devices |
| Inventario App | Free download; one-off in-app unlocks, no subscription | Unlimited items £44.99; 2 locations £8.99, 5 locations £17.99, 10 locations £24.99, 20 locations £34.99 | Yes — free download; the size of the free item allowance is not stated on the listing | Yes — "Offline capable", data stored locally on the device | iPhone and iPad (designed for iPad); no Android version listed |
| StockM8 Inventory Made Simple | Free download; one in-app purchase; "No Subscriptions" per the listing | In-app purchase "StockM8" £1.99 | Yes — free download (the listing does not say what the £1.99 purchase unlocks) | Yes — "100% Offline", no cloud or login | iPhone and iPad; one device |
| InvenTree (open source + app) | Server software free (open source); the mobile app is a one-off paid download | App £7.99 once on the UK App Store and Google Play; hosting is your own cost | Yes — the server software is free to self-host | Only on your own network, if you host the server locally | iPhone, Android and browser; multi-user |
| Loyverse POS | Free POS; optional add-ons by monthly or yearly subscription | Advanced Inventory $25 per store per month or $250 a year; employee management and unlimited sales history are further paid add-ons | Yes — till with essential inventory and low-stock alerts | Check current plan | Android and iOS till app; back office in the browser; several stores |
| Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc) | Google Sheets and LibreOffice Calc free; Excel by subscription (Microsoft 365) or one-off purchase (Office 2024) | £0 with Google Sheets or LibreOffice; Microsoft 365 Personal £84.99 a year or £8.49 a month; Office Home & Business 2024 is a one-time purchase for 1 PC or Mac | Yes | Yes, as a file on the computer (Google Sheets also has an offline mode) | Computer first; shared files work but versions drift |
| For contrast: Sortly, BoxHero, Zoho Inventory | Free plan, then subscription only — no lifetime licence | Sortly Advanced $49 a month ($24 a month in the first year when paid yearly); BoxHero Business $24 per team per month billed yearly; Zoho Inventory Standard £25 per organisation per month billed yearly | Sortly: 100 unique items, 1 user; BoxHero: 100 items, 1 member, 1 location; Zoho: 50 orders, 1 user, 2 locations | Cloud apps; Sortly's mobile apps have an offline mode that syncs later | iOS, Android and web; multi-user on paid plans |
The options in detail
Ofisx Offline Inventory
Pro can be bought once: the UK App Store lists "Lifetime Access" at £22.99 next to a £3.99 monthly and £12.99 annual subscription, and the Google Play listing states that Pro "is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase — no subscription required". Pro removes the 100-item and 300-transaction limits and adds automatic daily backup; manual backup to Google Drive or iCloud is free on the free version too.
What you get without an account or internet: products (also imported from Excel), barcode scanning with the phone camera, sales, purchases, returns and expenses, low-stock alerts, stocktakes, profit, VAT and cash reports, customer and supplier accounts with due dates, and receipts or invoices as PDF or on 58/80 mm thermal printers.
Honest limits: it is built for one person on one phone or tablet. There are no staff logins, no web version and no sync between devices, it is not an EPOS till and it does not submit VAT returns to HMRC. More in our offline inventory apps comparison.
Ofisx Inventory Management (online)
The same maker's cloud app, listed as "Inventory Management: Barcode" on Google Play and "Inventory Management - Ofisx" on the App Store. We include it because it is the right choice when one shop has several people selling or booking stock: one account works on phones, tablets and the web, with staff logins and permissions, camera barcode sales, low-stock alerts and customer accounts.
It cannot be bought outright — the paid tiers are subscriptions. If you want to pay once and work on one phone, use the offline app instead.
Inventario App
A stocktaking app aimed at bars, restaurants, cafés, kiosks and small shops: items with quantities, purchase price and SKU, suppliers, search and filters, and a view of what needs reordering. Its UK App Store listing promises "Pay once — use forever: No subscriptions, no hidden fees", and every in-app purchase on the listing is a one-off unlock rather than a subscription.
Good for counting stock and planning reorders. The listing does not describe counter sales, receipts or customer accounts; it was last updated in October 2026 and has no UK ratings yet.
StockM8 Inventory Made Simple
A small offline inventory app from an independent developer: barcode and QR scanning with the camera, minimum-stock alerts, multiple locations and transfers, suppliers, photos, FIFO/LIFO/weighted-average costing, label printing and CSV import and export. The listing says "Unlimited Items, No Subscriptions".
Designed for general inventory (shops, warehouses, service businesses, home use) rather than recording sales at the counter. It has very few ratings on the UK App Store, so try it with your own data before relying on it.
InvenTree (open source + app)
InvenTree describes itself as "an open-source inventory management system" for parts management and stock control. The phone app connects to an InvenTree server and adds fast barcode scanning; the app itself costs £7.99 once on both stores.
The catch is the server: you install, update and back it up yourself (or pay someone to). It suits workshops, makers and small manufacturers tracking parts; for a corner shop it is usually more setup than it is worth.
Loyverse POS
Not a pay-once app, but often what people mean by "no monthly fee": the till, essential stock tracking, low-stock alerts and multi-store management are free. Purchase orders, stock transfers and deeper inventory reports are in the paid Advanced Inventory add-on, and free sales reports cover the last 31 days. Prices are in US dollars.
Spreadsheet (Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc)
The oldest stock control with no subscription: one row per stock movement and a SUMIFS balance. But a sheet does not read barcodes at the counter, does not warn you when stock runs low, and copies of the file soon disagree. Both Ofisx apps import a product list from Excel, so many shops start with a sheet and move later — see spreadsheet or app?.
For contrast: Sortly, BoxHero, Zoho Inventory
These are the subscriptions many shopkeepers are trying to avoid. They earn their fee when you need a team, photos and folders across sites (Sortly, BoxHero) or online orders and e-commerce integrations (Zoho). None offers a one-off purchase on its pricing page. Free-plan limits are compared in our free stock control app guide.
How to choose a stock app without a monthly fee
- Is it really a one-off payment? — On the App Store, look at the In-App Purchases list: "Lifetime", "Unlock" or a single unnamed item is usually one-off; "Monthly" or "Annual Subscription" renews automatically. On Google Play, read the description — the price range alone does not tell you.
- Work out the break-even — Divide the one-off price by the monthly fee you would otherwise pay. Ofisx Offline Pro lifetime (£22.99) costs about the same as six months of its monthly plan and less than two years of its yearly plan; a £25-a-month cloud plan costs £300 a year.
- One device or a team? — Almost every pay-once app stores data on one device. If two people sell at the same time, or you want to check stock from home on a laptop, you need a cloud app — and cloud apps charge a subscription because they run servers for you.
- Where your data lives and how you back it up — With an offline app the data is yours and works with no signal, but losing the phone means losing the stock unless you back up. Check that backup to Google Drive, iCloud or a file is possible on the version you pay for.
- Stock only, or sales too? — Some pay-once apps only count stock. If you also want barcode sales at the counter, receipts, VAT and profit reports and customer accounts, check that they are in the listing before you pay.
- Updates and the developer behind it — A one-off purchase is only good value if the app keeps being updated. Look at the date of the last update, the number of ratings and whether the developer answers reviews.
- Can you take your data with you? — Make sure you can import and export products with Excel or CSV, so you are not locked in if you later move to a team or cloud app.
What Ofisx Offline Inventory does not do
- Ofisx Offline Inventory runs on one device: no staff logins, no web version and no sync between a phone and a tablet. For a team, use Ofisx Inventory Management (online), which is subscription-only for its advanced features.
- The lifetime purchase is made in the App Store or Google Play and belongs to that store account; we have not verified that it carries over between iPhone and Android.
- It is not an EPOS till and not MTD-compatible VAT software: it shows VAT in reports but does not submit VAT returns to HMRC.
- It has no sync with online shops or marketplaces such as Shopify, Amazon or eBay.
- Data stays on the phone: without a backup (manual to Google Drive or iCloud is free; automatic daily backup is Pro), a lost or broken phone means lost data.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a stock control app with no monthly fee?
Yes. Ofisx Offline Inventory is free up to 100 items and 300 transactions, and Pro can be bought once — £22.99 "Lifetime Access" on the UK App Store (12 October 2026). Inventario (iPhone/iPad) sells one-off unlocks, StockM8 has a single £1.99 in-app purchase, and the InvenTree app is £7.99 once. Loyverse POS is free with basic stock, with paid add-ons only if you need them.
Can I buy a stock app outright in the UK?
Yes, but mostly for one device. Ofisx Offline Inventory (Android and iPhone), Inventario and StockM8 (iPhone/iPad) all offer a one-off purchase and keep your data on the device. The well-known cloud apps — Sortly, BoxHero, Zoho Inventory, and the online Ofisx Inventory Management — have a free plan and then subscriptions only, with no lifetime licence.
Is there an inventory app with a one-time purchase that works on Android?
Yes: Ofisx Offline Inventory on Google Play — its listing says Pro "is available as a one-time Lifetime purchase — no subscription required". The InvenTree app is also a one-off £7.99 on Google Play, but it needs an InvenTree server. Inventario and StockM8 are iPhone/iPad only.
How much is the Ofisx Offline Inventory lifetime licence?
On the UK App Store on 12 October 2026: £22.99 for Lifetime Access, or £3.99 a month or £12.99 a year if you prefer a subscription. The free version includes every feature up to 100 items and 300 transactions; Pro removes the limits and adds automatic daily backup. Check Google Play for its price there.
Is there a stocktake app without a monthly fee?
Yes. Ofisx Offline Inventory includes stocktakes with camera barcode scanning in the free version (up to 100 items) and in the one-off Pro. Inventario is built specifically for stocktakes in bars, cafés and small shops, with one-off unlocks (unlimited items £44.99). A spreadsheet in Google Sheets or LibreOffice is free but has no barcode scanning.
When is a subscription stock app actually better?
When several people need the same stock at the same time — staff on different phones, a manager checking from a laptop, two shops or a warehouse — or when you need online-shop integrations. Pay-once apps keep data on one device; cloud apps charge monthly because they host and sync your data. In that case Ofisx Inventory Management (online, basic features free, advanced features by subscription), Zoho Inventory or Sortly are the honest choice.
Is a free app with a lifetime upgrade better than a free plan?
It depends on the limit you hit. Free plans usually cap items (Sortly and BoxHero: 100), orders (Zoho: 50 a month) or users, and the next step is a subscription. With a lifetime upgrade you pay once when you outgrow the free version. If you will never outgrow the free plan, you need neither.