Best Shopify Inventory Management Apps

Shopify gives store owners a clean way to manage products, but inventory is usually where things start to slip. Stock goes missing, products run out without warning, and spreadsheets become a daily burden. Once you grow past a handful of SKUs, the basic tools inside Shopify don’t keep up anymore. That’s when a reliable Shopify inventory management app becomes the backbone of your store instead of just another add-on.

Why Shopify’s built-in inventory tools fall short

The platform is great for beginners but not built for deeper control. You don’t get strong forecasting, advanced reporting, supplier workflows, or multi-warehouse intelligence. As soon as you start selling on more than one channel or storing items in different locations, things get messy. You might oversell, or worse, tie up money in stock that barely moves. That’s why most growing stores end up using a Shopify inventory app to fill the gaps.

What a proper Shopify inventory management app does

These apps take over the parts of inventory that are easy to mess up manually. They sync stock across every channel instantly, predict demand using your sales history, automate purchase orders, and track inventory movements in real time. A good tool reduces errors, gives clearer insight, and frees you from the daily job of making sure your numbers match.

Key features you actually need

Real-time stock tracking

Your stock levels should update the moment something sells anywhere – Shopify, Amazon, POS, all of it.

Multi-location support

If you keep stock in more than one place, your system should know how much sits in every warehouse or store.

Low-stock alerts and automated reorders

You shouldn’t discover low stock when a customer complains. Alerts and auto-generated POs solve that.

Forecasting

This keeps you from over-ordering or running out during busy seasons by using past data to guess future demand.

Bundle/kitting management

Essential for stores selling sets, multipacks, or bundles where multiple SKUs affect each other.

Supplier and shipping integrations

The fewer disconnected spreadsheets you keep, the fewer mistakes you’ll make.

Best Shopify inventory management apps

Stocky by Shopify

Great if you’re using Shopify POS Pro. Includes forecasting, purchase orders, and demand planning.
Install: https://apps.shopify.com/stocky

Inventory Planner by Sage

One of the best for forecasting and smart purchasing decisions. Works well for medium and large stores.
Install: https://apps.shopify.com/inventoryplanner

Extensiv Order Manager (formerly Skubana)

A full operations suite with deep inventory control for high-volume brands.
Learn more: https://www.extensiv.com/multichannel-inventory-management-software

QuickBooks Commerce / QuickBooks Shopify Integration

More accounting-focused but still useful for stores needing financial + inventory workflows together.
Info: https://quickbooks.intuit.com/partners/shopify/

How Portfolytics completes your inventory setup

Most inventory apps focus on operations: tracking stock, generating POs, forecasting, syncing channels. But they don’t tell you which categories drain cash, which products should be phased out, or how your assortment performs as a whole. That strategic view is where Portfolytics steps in.

Portfolytics gives you an overview of how each collection or segment performs by comparing sales velocity against actual stock levels. It highlights slow movers, categories with too many products, and products tying up cash while barely selling. You get a clear picture of where you’re losing efficiency so you can adjust your purchasing and assortment before problems pile up.

Picking the right mix for your store

Smaller stores often start with Inventory Planner for forecasting or Stocky if they use Shopify POS. Larger stores or multi-channel brands might need Extensiv for deeper automation. And no matter which operational app you choose, pairing it with Portfolytics fills in the analytics gap so you understand not only how much to reorder but which products deserve the investment at all. Portfolytics compliments all those needs.

Final thoughts

Inventory is easy to ignore until it becomes the thing holding your business back. Once you upgrade from Shopify’s basic stock tools, your day-to-day becomes calmer and far more predictable. A strong Shopify inventory management app handles the operational side, while Portfolytics helps you make smarter choices about what stays in your catalog and what should go. Together, they give you a cleaner, more profitable inventory system without the usual chaos.