Honest comparison
Spreadsheet or app?
Most shops start counting in a spreadsheet, and for a while that is the right call. This is where the two part ways, and where they do not.
| Task | Spreadsheet | Inventory Now |
|---|---|---|
| Adding an item | Type every field by hand | Scan the barcode; name, photo and prices fill in |
| Selling | Edit a cell, remember to save | Cart, tax, card payment; stock adjusts on checkout |
| Two people at once | Conflicting copies, or one shared file everyone breaks | One account, every device live; permissions per person |
| Counting the shelf | Print it, walk it, retype it | Scan the shelf; discrepancies previewed; report kept |
| Cost and profit | Formulas that drift as columns move | Cost recorded on purchase; profit and margin per item and order, expenses subtracted |
| Sizes and colors | A row per variant, totals by formula | Variant groups with one-line totals and drag-to-move stock |
| Shopify, eBay, QuickBooks | Export, reformat, upload, repeat | Two-way sync; receipts post to QuickBooks |
| When you run low | You notice, eventually | Push notification at your threshold, in units or days |
| History | Whatever was in the last backup | Every movement logged; refunds sit beside the sale; undo on counts |
| Cost | Free | Free for 10 items; $10/month for unlimited |
Stay on the spreadsheet if
- You have fewer than a few dozen items and one pair of hands.
- Nothing has a barcode and you never sell at a counter.
- You mostly need a list, not counts that move.
Move when
- Two people need to update stock on the same day.
- You are retyping barcodes or counting with a printout.
- You want to know profit per item without maintaining formulas.
- You sell on Shopify or eBay and quantities keep drifting.
Start with the free spreadsheet template; it imports directly when you are ready.
Questions
Fair questions
Under a few dozen items, one person, no barcodes and no need to sell from it. A spreadsheet is fast to start and you already know it. Keep it until one of those four things stops being true.
Ship to: your shopFrom: Charleston, SCContents: inventory app
Import the spreadsheet you already have.
Every row becomes a scannable item. Free for the first ten, no card.
Free · no cardinventorynow.com