Managing inventory on Shopify doesn’t have to cost a fortune. If you’re looking for affordable tools to streamline your inventory without paying $99/month, here are three options to consider:
- Forthcast ($19.99/month): AI-powered demand forecasting with 80–95% accuracy, unlimited SKUs, and features like safety stock calculations and reorder alerts.
- Zoho Inventory (Free–$79/month): Multi-channel support, AI-based demand insights, and tools like batch tracking and mobile barcode scanning.
- Stocky by Shopify (Free with POS Pro): Basic inventory tracking, though it’s being discontinued on August 31, 2026.
Quick Comparison
| Tool | Price | AI Features | Shopify Integration | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forthcast | $19.99/month | Advanced demand forecasting (80–95% accuracy) | Seamless, real-time sync | Requires 6–12 months of order history |
| Zoho Inventory | Free–$79/month | AI insights for demand and trends | Syncs every 15 minutes | Steep learning curve |
| Stocky | Free with POS Pro | No AI features | Deep integration | Discontinued in August 2026 |
For Shopify merchants, Forthcast is the top pick for its low cost and powerful AI tools. If you sell on multiple platforms, Zoho Inventory offers more flexibility. Avoid Stocky, as it’s being phased out this year.
Shopify Inventory Management Tools Comparison: Pricing, Features & AI Capabilities
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1. Forthcast
Forthcast is an AI-driven inventory forecasting tool designed for Shopify merchants who want advanced demand planning without breaking the bank. And at just $19.99/month, it delivers enterprise-level features at a fraction of the cost.
Pricing
For $19.99/month, Forthcast's Professional Plan offers a 14-day free trial (no credit card required) and includes a robust set of features: 6-month forecasts, safety stock calculations, reorder alerts, purchase order management, bundle tracking, and anomaly detection. Unlike other inventory tools that charge per SKU or use tiered pricing plans, Forthcast keeps it simple with unlimited SKUs at a flat rate.
Now, let’s dive into how Forthcast’s AI capabilities take these features to the next level.
AI Features
Forthcast uses Holt-Winters exponential smoothing to analyze sales trends and seasonality, ensuring your forecasts are always on point. It goes a step further by identifying stockout periods and adjusting predictions to reflect potential sales if inventory had been available, rather than relying solely on past sales data.
Its anomaly detection feature flags unusual sales patterns - whether spikes or drops - so you can fine-tune future planning. The tool also offers New Product Pairing, which predicts demand for new items based on similar products. For merchants managing bundles or kits, Forthcast tracks demand at the component level, while features like low stock alerts and lost sales reports help you stay proactive.
Demand Forecasting Accuracy
When it comes to accuracy, Forthcast delivers. It achieves 80% to 95% forecasting accuracy over a 6-month horizon, which translates to tangible results: up to 40% fewer stockouts and a 25% reduction in excess inventory. By keeping carrying costs low and ensuring product availability, Forthcast helps merchants optimize their inventory management.
The app boasts a 5.0-star rating on the Shopify App Store, with users raving about its ability to account for promotional impacts and improve cash flow.
"Forthcast has been a great support for our inventory control with precise forecasting capturing promotional impacts. A compact solution that's delivered significant cash flow improvements." – vybey UK & EU, Shopify App Store Reviewer
Integration with Shopify
Forthcast integrates seamlessly with Shopify, making setup quick and painless. The app pulls in your products, current inventory levels, and at least 12 months of historical order data to build accurate forecasting models. While it can work with just 6 months of data, having 12 months or more improves seasonal inventory planning precision. Plus, real-time synchronization through webhooks ensures your forecasts stay up-to-date as new orders roll in.
2. Zoho Inventory
Zoho Inventory is an inventory management tool designed to cater to Shopify merchants at different stages of growth. With pricing plans ranging from free to $79 per month (billed annually), it’s a budget-friendly option for businesses aiming to keep costs below the $99/month mark.
Pricing
Zoho Inventory offers a Forever Free plan for up to 50 orders per month, making it a great choice for small-scale operations. For larger businesses, the Professional plan costs $79 per month (with annual billing) and supports up to 3,000 orders and two stores, all while staying below the $99/month threshold.
AI Features
Zoho Inventory uses AI to enhance forecasting and decision-making. By analyzing historical sales data alongside external factors like weather patterns, competitor pricing, and social media trends, it uncovers demand patterns that conventional methods might overlook. The platform also employs Natural Language Processing (NLP) to analyze social media sentiment and evolving market trends, giving you a head start on anticipating shifts in demand.
Key automation features include:
- Reorder alerts to notify you when stock levels are running low.
- Batch tracking to ensure perishable items are sold before expiration.
- A mobile app with barcode and QR scanning for instant stock updates on the go.
These tools integrate smoothly with Shopify, ensuring consistent data flow and streamlined operations.
Integration with Shopify
Zoho Inventory’s Shopify integration is simple and efficient. Once set up, data syncs within 15 minutes and refreshes every four hours, with the option for manual updates as needed. It synchronizes items, orders, and stock levels by SKU or name, ensuring real-time updates to avoid overselling.
"Zoho Inventory is one of the most easy-to-implement inventory management solutions we have come across. It helps us so much with our Shopify sales management." – Ashish Verma, Operations & Logistics Manager, BOHECO
A few setup details to keep in mind: your base currency in Zoho Inventory must align with your Shopify account’s currency, and you’ll need to enable "track inventory" for items in Shopify to ensure proper stock updates. The platform supports multiple Shopify stores and boasts ratings of 4.5/5 to 4.7/5 on major review sites.
3. Stocky by Shopify
Important note: Stocky was removed from the Shopify App Store in February 2026 and is set to shut down on August 31, 2026. New installations are no longer possible, and existing users must transition to another solution before the shutdown date.
Stocky once provided basic inventory management, but its upcoming deprecation and lack of advanced features highlight the urgency of finding better alternatives.
Pricing
Stocky is listed as "free to install", but it requires a Shopify POS Pro subscription to function. This subscription costs approximately $89/month per location, meeting the sub-$99 threshold. However, with the app being phased out, investing in it is no longer practical.
Its limited functionality, even before deprecation, further reduces its appeal.
AI Features
Stocky does not include AI-based forecasting. Its forecasting relies solely on basic historical sales data and does not consider factors like seasonality, marketing efforts, or other demand signals. As Nic Dunn, CEO of Charle Agency, explains:
"Stocky's forecasting uses basic historical data without accounting for seasonality or marketing influences."
In addition, features such as inventory transfers and min/max forecasting were discontinued in mid-2025.
Integration with Shopify
Stocky was once deeply integrated with Shopify. After its acquisition in 2018, it worked seamlessly with Shopify POS Pro, offering tools like barcode scanning for inventory management and stocktakes. However, the app now has a 2.8/5 star rating from 209 reviews, with many users criticizing its reduced functionality during its deprecation phase.
"After 8 years, Stocky's diminishing forecasting accuracy renders it obsolete." – Pomp & Co., Ireland
Shopify has begun moving basic inventory features into the Shopify Admin, but these tools lack the forecasting capabilities that initially set Stocky apart. Merchants still using Stocky should export their data immediately, as supplier information cannot be exported and will be permanently lost after the shutdown.
Pros and Cons
Here's a quick comparison of the key strengths and limitations of each tool:
| Tool | Pros | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| Forthcast | Affordable flat pricing at $19.99/month; advanced AI (Holt-Winters); 6-month forecasts with 80–95% accuracy; automatic bundle and SKU tracking | Limited to Shopify integration; requires 6–12 months of order history for optimal accuracy |
| Zoho Inventory | Handles multiple sales channels and carriers; strong inventory tracking; ideal for businesses operating beyond Shopify | Steep learning curve; less advanced AI forecasting compared to specialized tools |
| Stocky by Shopify | Fully integrated with Shopify; no extra cost for many users; easy to set up | Basic forecasting without AI or seasonal insights; set to be discontinued in 2026 |
Each tool has its own strengths tailored to specific inventory management needs.
For Shopify merchants prioritizing simplicity and cost efficiency, Forthcast stands out with its flat-rate pricing of $19.99/month and unlimited SKU tracking. Its machine learning features help prevent overstocking or understocking. A merchant from Framebuilder Supply shared their positive experience:
"It looks like this app will do more than Shopify's Stocky and will do it better".
If you're managing sales across platforms like Amazon or eBay, Zoho Inventory is a better fit. It excels in multi-channel inventory management and shipping but requires more time to master. Its AI forecasting, while functional, doesn't match the precision of tools like Forthcast.
Stocky, on the other hand, is no longer a recommended option. With its scheduled shutdown on August 31, 2026 and a declining 2.8/5 star rating, current users should plan for a transition. Even before its deprecation, Stocky offered only basic forecasting based on historical data, lacking features like seasonality adjustments or marketing impact analysis.
Conclusion
Each inventory management tool we've discussed addresses specific challenges faced by Shopify merchants. For stores focused on AI-driven forecasting methods, Forthcast stands out. Its flat-rate pricing and support for unlimited SKUs make it an excellent option for businesses with growing product catalogs.
Zoho Inventory, on the other hand, is better suited for merchants managing inventory across multiple sales channels like Amazon or eBay. However, its forecasting capabilities don't match the accuracy of more specialized AI-focused tools.
Some solutions, unfortunately, are being phased out. Stocky, for instance, is no longer available on the Shopify App Store as of February 2026. It will cease functioning entirely on August 31, 2026, leaving existing users with a limited window to transition. After this date, users risk losing essential data if they haven't migrated to a new platform.
For merchants seeking a cost-effective option with advanced AI capabilities, Forthcast remains a top contender. As one merchant from Parenting Unlocked shared:
"Forthcast is super simple to use and has saved us a lot of headache".
Ultimately, selecting the right tool depends on your store's size, needs, and operational complexity. The right choice will help ensure seamless, data-driven inventory management.
FAQs
How much order history do I need for accurate forecasting?
When it comes to determining how much order history you need, it really depends on your sales patterns and the type of forecasting model you're using. For most businesses, having 6 to 12 months of consistent sales data is a solid starting point for reliable predictions. However, if your sales fluctuate significantly or follow seasonal trends, a longer history - say, 12 to 24 months - can provide a clearer picture of those patterns over time.
The key here is clean, well-organized data. The more accurate and complete your sales history is, the better your forecasts will be. This, in turn, helps you manage your inventory more effectively.
Can I forecast demand for new products with no sales data?
Yes, predicting demand for new products without existing sales data is achievable with AI-powered tools. These tools draw insights from related products, current market trends, and similar categories to estimate initial demand. Some platforms even allow you to link new items with comparable products, leveraging their demand patterns to make projections. While these early predictions might not be perfect, they can improve as actual sales data starts rolling in.
How do I migrate off Stocky before August 31, 2026?
To move away from Stocky before it becomes unavailable on August 31, 2026, start by exporting your data. Shopify has officially deprecated Stocky, meaning it will no longer function after that date. Make sure to back up key information like purchase orders, inventory levels, and forecasts.
Next, select a replacement tool that suits your needs and integrate it with Shopify. Once integrated, import your data into the new system. Be sure to thoroughly test the setup to ensure everything is accurate. Keep an eye on its performance to guarantee a seamless transition.
