Stocky shuts down Aug 31, 2026: how to switch
Looking for a Stocky replacement? Stocky cannot be used to manage inventory after August 31, 2026, and Forthcast offers store-wide demand forecasting at $19.99/mo.
Hylke Reitsma is co-founder of Forthsuite and a supply chain specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience at Shell, Verisure, and Stryker. He holds an MSc in Supply Chain Management from the University of Groningen and writes practical guides to help e-commerce teams run leaner, faster supply chains. Selected by Replit as 1 of 20 founders for the inaugural Race to Revenue Cohort #1 (2026) and certified as a Replit Platform Builder.
Stocky Was Acquired by Shopify (then sunset), is Forthcast the Better Alternative?
Quick answer: Forthcast is a Stocky alternative for Shopify merchants who need demand forecasting and inventory planning. It provides store-wide forecasts, reorder alerts, safety-stock planning, and draft purchase orders that a merchant reviews before sending, at $19.99/month for any catalog size.
Shopify says Stocky can no longer be used to manage inventory after August 31, 2026. Stocky remains read-only for data export for at least 90 days after that date, but historical purchase orders and stocktakes do not move automatically and suppliers cannot be exported.
TL;DR: Forthcast is a $19.99/month Shopify demand-forecasting app with store-wide forecasts, smart reorder alerts, safety-stock planning, and draft purchase orders for merchant review. Stocky cannot be used to manage inventory after August 31, 2026; export supported historical records and manually capture supplier details before the cutoff.
Disclosure: Forthcast publishes this comparison and is one of the products compared.
Last updated: August 25, 2026
If you are considering Sidekick as a Stocky replacement, see our dedicated guide: Shopify Sidekick Inventory Management: What It Can (and Can't) Do in 2026 — including a full capability comparison table.
Forthcast is a Stocky alternative for Shopify demand forecasting and inventory planning. It offers store-wide forecasts, reorder alerts, safety-stock planning, and merchant-reviewed draft purchase orders for $19.99/month at any catalog size. Stocky cannot be used to manage inventory after August 31, 2026; merchants should export supported historical records, manually capture supplier details, and validate their replacement workflow before the cutoff.
Before relying on any replacement forecast, check imported history, supplier settings, reorder assumptions, and high-priority SKUs against your operating records.
⚠️ Stocky transition: verified dates and limits
- February 2, 2026: Stocky was delisted from the Shopify App Store and cannot be reinstalled.
- August 31, 2026: Stocky can no longer be used to manage inventory, and Stocky APIs stop working.
- After August 31: Shopify says read-only export access remains for at least 90 days.
Export the historical records you need before the cutoff. Suppliers cannot be exported, so capture supplier names, contacts, lead times, minimum order quantities, case packs, and other operating details manually. Read Shopify's migration guidance.
When Shopify announced Stocky's shutdown, merchants had to separate Stocky's jobs from the features they actually need next. Forthcast provides store-wide demand forecasts up to 12 months ahead, reorder alerts, bundle and kit support, draft purchase orders for merchant review, and flat $19.99/month pricing for any catalog size.
Here's why Forthcast stands out:
- Pricing: Flat $19.99/month with no per-SKU fees.
- Forecasting: AI-based, 12-month demand predictions vs. Stocky's discontinued features.
- Workflow: Shopify-native inventory planning; validate imported history and settings before relying on a forecast.
- Scalability: Unlimited SKUs and consistent pricing for growing businesses.
- Billing: A 14-day free trial. No card details are given to Forthcast — billing runs through Shopify, and nothing is charged for the first 14 days.
After August 31, 2026, Stocky cannot be used to manage inventory and its APIs stop working. Finish the operational cutover before then; keep exported historical records and a manually captured supplier register for reference.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Forthcast | Stocky (Discontinued) |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | $19.99/month (flat rate) | Variable (based on Shopify plan) |
| Forecasting | AI-driven, 12-month horizon | Removed (July 2025) |
| Ease of Use | Simple, quick setup | Outdated, complex UI |
| Bundle Support | Automatic tracking | Manual workarounds |
| Status | Active | Shutdown (August 31, 2026) |
Forthcast is a practical and cost-effective choice for Shopify merchants looking to replace Stocky with a reliable, user-friendly tool.
Stocky Transition Timeline — the Official Dates
- February 2, 2026 — Stocky was removed from the Shopify App Store and cannot be reinstalled.
- August 31, 2026 — Stocky can no longer be used to manage inventory, and Stocky APIs stop working.
- After August 31, 2026 — Shopify says read-only access for exporting data remains for at least 90 days. Historical purchase orders and stocktakes do not move automatically, and suppliers cannot be exported.
Source: Shopify Help Center — Migrating from Stocky to Shopify inventory management.
How to Switch from Stocky Before August 31
- Export supported Stocky records — completed purchase-order reports, stocktake history, and historical cost data — before August 31. Suppliers cannot be exported; capture their details manually.
- Connect and validate a Stocky alternative such as Forthcast; do not treat installation alone as a completed migration.
- Verify your Shopify sales history imports correctly after the replacement system finishes syncing; check high-priority SKUs before relying on forecasts.
- Complete the operational cutover before the deadline. Keep exported records and your manually captured supplier register; do not treat post-cutoff read-only access as an operating window.
Full walkthrough: step-by-step Stocky migration guide · printable migration checklist.
Forthcast vs Stocky: Feature Comparison
Forthcast provides demand forecasting and inventory planning for Shopify merchants. Stocky cannot be used to manage inventory after August 31, 2026, so evaluate any replacement against the exact Stocky workflows your team uses and validate the migrated setup before cutover.
Features and Capabilities
Forthcast uses AI to forecast SKU-level demand by analyzing historical sales data and seasonal trends. This ensures accurate predictions, even during busy periods like Black Friday or the holiday season.
One standout feature is Forthcast's bundle inventory tracking, which breaks down demand for product kits into their individual components. For instance, if you sell a "Starter Pack" with several SKUs, Forthcast calculates the required units for each component while avoiding duplicate counts. By contrast, Stocky relied on manual workarounds for managing bundles.
Forthcast also tracks lost sales, estimating revenue lost due to stockouts by analyzing historical demand patterns. Additionally, its purchase order system provides smart reorder suggestions based on supplier lead times and forecasted demand, reducing errors from manual spreadsheets. While Stocky allowed basic purchase order creation, users reported reliability issues with its bulk export feature during its final phase.
"Stocky used basic statistical formulas to suggest reorder quantities. It could not account for seasonality, holiday spikes, or promotional effects."
- Amir Sigari, Monocle
Four capabilities matter specifically to merchants leaving Stocky, because they cover the day-to-day jobs Stocky handled beyond forecasting. Forthcast runs physical stock counts per location: you share a link, warehouse staff count on their phone without needing a Shopify login, and you review the differences before applying them to Shopify. It tracks stock at every Shopify location, lets you raise a purchase order to a chosen warehouse and receive it into that exact location, and flags when one location is below its reorder point while another holds excess — those transfers are suggestions you action yourself, not moves Forthcast makes for you. Suggested order quantities respect your minimum order quantities and case packs, rounding up to full cases and topping the order up until it clears the supplier's minimum order value. And you can forward a supplier invoice or upload the PDF to get it matched line by line against your open POs, flagging quantity mismatches, price changes and missing lines. Amazon sellers can also connect Amazon Seller Central in beta to see FBA stock alongside Shopify in one replenishment view. Two boundaries worth stating plainly: demand forecasts and reorder points are store-wide rather than per-warehouse, and invoice matching warns you about discrepancies rather than adjusting lead times or tracking payments.
Pricing Breakdown
Forthcast costs $19.99 per month with no per-SKU, per-location, per-seat, or usage charge. The first 14 days are not charged; billing runs through Shopify, and the merchant approves the Shopify charge before access.
Stocky, on the other hand, previously used a premium pricing model with variable costs tied to Shopify plans and feature usage. The app was removed from the Shopify App Store on February 2, 2026. After August 31, 2026, it cannot be used to manage inventory; read-only export access remains for at least 90 days.
Forthcast's transparent pricing can save merchants meaningfully compared to variable-cost systems.
Next, let's look at how these platforms handle setup and daily operations.
Setup and User Experience
Forthcast connects to Shopify and uses store history to generate forecasts. Review the imported history, supplier settings, and reorder assumptions before using those outputs in purchasing decisions.
"So far so good! It looks like this app will do more than Shopify's Stocky and will do it better. The support has been amazing. Very responsive and interested in what we need."
- Verified Shopify merchant, 5-star review on the Shopify App Store (March 2
For a side-by-side breakdown, see our Forthcast vs Stocky comparison.
Also worth a look: Inventory Planner by Sage, a demand forecasting and replenishment tool for Shopify stores starting at $119.99/month; Fabrikatör, which pairs forecasting with purchase-order automation on revenue-based pricing from $79/month; and Cogsy, a demand planning and replenishment tool at $199/month after a 14-day trial.
Where Forthcast Fits - and Where It Doesn't
Stocky's shutdown removes the choice, but it does not make Forthcast right for every merchant who used it. Stocky sat inside a Shopify POS Pro retail workflow; Forthcast focuses on Shopify demand forecasting, inventory planning, and merchant-controlled purchasing.
Forthcast is Shopify-specific. Its forecasts and reorder points are store-wide rather than per warehouse, and it does not do per-lot landed-cost accounting or optimise freight. Suggested quantities can respect MOQs, case packs, and minimum order values, but every purchase order remains a draft for the merchant to review and send.
If what you actually lost with Stocky was point-of-sale and retail stock control rather than forecasting, a POS-side replacement is the better move.
About the Author
Hylke Reitsma is co-founder of Forthsuite and a supply chain specialist with 8+ years of hands-on experience at Shell, Verisure, and Stryker. He holds an MSc in Supply Chain Management from the University of Groningen and writes practical guides to help e-commerce teams run leaner, faster supply chains. Selected by Replit as 1 of 20 founders for the inaugural Race to Revenue Cohort #1 (2026) and certified as a Replit Platform Builder.
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