10 Best Inventory Apps for Contractors in 2024

1. ServiceTitan

ServiceTitan is an all-in-one platform designed to help contractors manage operations from end to end. With inventory software, you can use real-time inventory tracking to check and manage inventory from anywhere, even on mobile devices.

Michael Takemura, director of technology and supply chain for Barron Heating, AC, Electrical, and Plumbing in Washington State, says his inventory processes moved from a ‘just in time’ approach to a ‘just in case’ one as supply chains shifted—and now, he’s using ServiceTitan to help scale his multi-warehouse business.

“The way ServiceTitan allows us to create efficiencies in the supply chain is that we can track quantities on hand at different inventory locations. We can ensure techs have the parts they need,” he says.

ServiceTitan Key Features

• Inventory Management: Manage inventory across all your trucks, warehouses, and job sites.

• Inventory Mobile App: Let warehouse workers receive purchase orders, pick products, and more from their mobile devices.

• Mobile Barcode Scanning: Scan barcodes on mobile for inventory audits and picking.

• Requisitions/Replenishment: Automatically replenish inventory when levels dip below your preferred threshold.

• Material Tracking: Know exactly what inventory you have at each location, with low stock alerts and custom notifications.

Inventory Management

ServiceTitan’s Inventory Management software helps you maintain optimal stock levels at each location, including trucks and warehouses. As part of an all-in-one platform, it’s connected to all your project management data, including invoices, pricebooks, and reporting.

You’ll get real-time information on all your inventory levels, with inventory numbers connected to POs, bills, receipts, and more. ServiceTitan’s supplier catalogs can also automatically update the price of specific items based on the latest supplier information.

Inventory Mobile App

ServiceTitan’s inventory app lets warehouse employees update inventory lists from their mobile devices. They can mark items as ‘arrived,’ pick items from the transfer list, conduct inventory counts, and receive purchase orders.

This cuts down on the amount of time warehouse workers spend transferring data from clipboards to spreadsheets. Instead, techs can update inventory in real time as they’re working.

Mobile Barcode Scanning

Conducting inventory audits is much faster with ServiceTitan’s barcode scanning features. Instead of counting each item by hand, warehouse employees can scan barcodes on mobile to instantly identify each item.

When they do, they’ll also get instant descriptions, serial numbers, and warranty information.

Requisitions/Replenishment

With ServiceTitan, you can set templates for ideal inventory ranges in each truck and warehouse. Once inventory falls below your preferred levels, ServiceTitan automatically sends out purchase orders.

The software will also automatically note quantities on order and on hand, and update as your techs scan inventory in.

Material Tracking

ServiceTitan also lets you track each inventory item's location, quantity, and type on hand and order. Your techs and CSRs can look up every item you have in stock and its location.

This is handy when techs need to pick up more supplies for a job. They’ll know exactly where to get it or when to place an order.

ServiceTitan Pros

• Inventory management tied to pricebooks, proposals, invoices, and project info for a single source of truth.

• Purpose-built for the trades, with features designed specifically for contractors.

• Use custom fields in inventory reporting to track inventory your way.

ServiceTitan Cons

• If you already have project management software, ServiceTitan’s features may overlap.

• Users who aren’t in the trades might not get as much value out of some features.

• If you’re still a one-person company, you may not need some features such as multi-location tracking.

Why is ServiceTitan the Top Inventory App Pick?

ServiceTitan is one of the most comprehensive inventory apps for contractors. It’s purpose-built for the trades, easy to use, and has everything you need to get started for end-to-end inventory management.

2. QuickBooks

QuickBooks is one of the most popular accounting platforms on the market. You can connect it to your business bank account and track income, expenses, and inventory in one place—but it doesn’t really have many specific features geared toward contractors.

It had a separate inventory app called QuickBooks Commerce, which was discontinued in 2023. Now, its inventory features come with QuickBooks Online Plus and Advanced subscriptions, which include many other accounting features.

QuickBooks Key Features

• Auto-updates for inventory: Automatically updates inventory on hand and removes inventory when included in an invoice.

• Reordering and shipping: Notifies you when inventory is low, with in-app order management options.

• Reporting features: You can see what inventory sells the most, the cost of goods, inventory on hand, and more.

QuickBooks Pros

• If you already use QuickBooks for accounting, its inventory features will be familiar.

• The Plus and Advanced plans are relatively inexpensive, so you won’t have to spend much extra money.

• You can choose to ship inventory to yourself or directly to a customer.

QuickBooks Cons

• Despite some automations, you’ll still have to do a lot of data entry to set up suppliers and make orders manually.

• SKU numbers are the only way to track inventory location in the app.

• QuickBooks’ inventory features are set up for smaller retail and dropshipping companies, so they may not be fit for the trades.

How Does QuickBooks Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to QuickBooks, ServiceTitan offers:

• Inventory management that is connected to the rest of your project management and field service tools.

• Warehouse management features like barcode scanning and tracking movement of inventory between locations.

• Automated updates from supplier catalogs to keep inventory reporting and pricebooks accurate.

While QuickBooks is a step up from spreadsheets, it’s still primarily an accounting tool. Its features don’t support inventory management at scale for large businesses or inventory on the move in contractors’ trucks.

3. Zoho Inventory

Zoho is a business suite that has existed since 1996. Its inventory product includes personalized workflows to trigger custom actions, notifications, and integrations with various business software.

It has separate business management products that you can add as you go, including CRM, marketing, sales, and project management tools—so your inventory management tool can be integrated into other processes as well. However, like many other inventory tools, it has a retail focus.

Zoho Key Features

• Shipping and supplier integrations with suppliers like Amazon, Shopify, and eBay, as well as shippers like DHL and FedEx.

• Real-time dashboard and reporting for inventory management insights across multiple locations.

• Barcode scanning and RFID system for inventory scanning and audits, as well as the ability to print shipping labels. 

Zoho Pros

• It’s a comprehensive inventory management tool with lots of integrations and flexibility.

• Like QuickBooks, it has tools for dropshipping to customers so you can deliver inventory directly to them.

• You can track shipments by individual courier and see which items have been delivered.

Zoho Cons

• Zoho’s suite of products is a generalized business management tool, so trades might not use all the features.

• Zoho has a lot of features, but it’s notoriously complicated, so will require extensive onboarding.

• It doesn’t have pricebook features, so you’ll have to compile pricebooks manually.

How Does Zoho Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Zoho, ServiceTitan offers:

• A user-friendly suite of inventory management tools that’s easy to get started with.

• Complete project management features that are automatically connected to inventory.

• More flexibility to adjust inventory status, with custom reporting fields.

Zoho is comprehensive, but designed for retail—so contractors will likely find that many of its features aren’t necessary for trades.

4. Square for Retail

Square is a point-of-sale product that lets customers pay via credit and debit from anywhere—but it also has inventory features that let you track inventory and manage order fulfillment.

It offers a combination of software and point-of-sale hardware that includes some unique features if you sell things out of your shop. But you may not need all of the features if your focus is home services.

Square for Retail Key Features

• Track inventory numbers across multiple locations with smart reporting tools that tell you when it’s time to reorder.

• Inventory scanning features that let you scan barcodes and QR codes via mobile or handheld scanners.

• Gives customers the option to have items shipped or to pick them up in-store.

Square for Retail Pros

• Has a freemium option with basic inventory management features.

• It’s connected to point-of-sale payments for instant inventory updates.

• Based on how fast something sells, smart stock forecasts predict when you’ll run out of stock.

Square for Retail Cons

• Like QuickBooks, its reporting tools are relatively simple but may be too simple for larger contractors.

• It doesn’t include automated replenishment options, so you’ll have to re-order manually.

• It doesn’t come with any project management features that integrate with inventory management.

How Does Square for Retail Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Square for Retail, ServiceTitan offers:

• A full suite of pricebook, project management, and field service tools connected to inventory management.

• Automatic replenishment based on customizable settings for stock levels.

• Point-of-sale features integrated into a field service app.

Square is simple to use, but its inventory features are limited by comparison and focused on retail.

5. Cin7

Cin7 is a comprehensive inventory app that lets you manage sales channels, track products across warehouse locations and trucks, match inventory to demand with reporting, and connect to e-commerce platforms.

It can help streamline receiving and fulfillment with a B2B portal for customers and sales reps, generative AI integrations, and reporting with machine learning to help optimize your inventory strategy.

Cin7 Key Features

• Like Square for Retail, it has foresight options to predict demand and point-of-sale tools for mobile.

• Its Connected Inventory Performance feature visualizes the entire inventory lifecycle.

• It offers sophisticated fulfillment tools like guided walk paths to help make warehouse pickers more efficient.

Cin7 Pros

• Complete end-to-end inventory management tool that offers all the inventory features a large warehouse needs.

• Streamlines operations across multiple e-commerce channels.

• Includes an API so you can create custom integrations with your own internal tools.

Cin7 Cons

• It’s a standalone inventory app, so you’ll need separate software for other business processes.

• A significant number of its features are priced as add-ons.

• Several reviewers on G2 have claimed that Cin7 has poor customer support.

How Does Cin7 Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Cin7, ServiceTitan offers:

• All-in-one field service and project management tools connected to your inventory management software.

• Simple, effective dashboards that techs can get started with right away.

• On-demand access to technical support and customer success experts.

Cin7 is comprehensive and user-friendly, but it may be a better fit for larger retail warehouses.

6. Lightspeed

Lightspeed is a point-of-sale product with inventory management features that include built-in supplier catalogs, inventory tracking, counting tools, and more.

All plans come with a point-of-sale terminal and integrated inventory management tools. Contractors can use it, but it specializes in retail, restaurant, and golf verticals.

Lightspeed Key Features

• Track inventory online, in your store, on social media, or on marketplace platforms from one app.

• Create SKUs for product variants and manage bulk pricing changes.

• Mobile inventory scanning for retail checkout and inventory audits.

Lightspeed Pros

• Plus plans include 24/7 phone and chat support, plus onboarding and professional services.

• You can manage discounts and seasonal promotions in advance across sales channels.

• It lets you add product information from thousands of suppliers, including UPCs and descriptions.

Lightspeed Cons

• Since it’s built for retail, trades won’t find many of the integrations useful.

• There’s no way to opt out of a static point-of-sale terminal—so if you don’t need one, you’ll end up getting one anyway.

• It doesn’t have sophisticated tools for tracking inventory movement.

How Does Lightspeed Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Lightspeed, ServiceTitan offers:

• Custom integrations with common trades suppliers that connect to inventory management and pricebook features.

• Comprehensive tracking tools for full visibility of how products move between warehouses and trucks.

• Field service app with mobile payment options.

Lightspeed is simple and easy to use, but many of its features might not benefit you unless your business has a retail store.

7. inFlow Inventory

inFlow is an inventory app for small and midsize businesses of up to 50 people. It has three products: an inventory app, a manufacturing app, and a smart scanner.

One of its main differentiators is that it’s easy to use for receiving and tracking, so techs won’t have a hard time picking it up. It also has reporting features and integrations with accounting apps and couriers.

inFlow Key Features

• Integration with QuickBooks and Xero to include inventory information in accounting processes.

• Online payment portals with showrooms for business customers.

• Profit tracking on each sales order with inFlow’s reporting tools.

inFlow Pros

• inFlow has a user-friendly interface with all the basic features for tracking inventory numbers.

• It has excellent support for printing and scanning barcodes and QR codes from a scanner or mobile device.

• Plans come with free onboarding and technical support.

inFlow Cons

• Even its largest plan is limited to 25 team members—so if you’re a larger company, not all of your techs will have access.

• Like some of the other tools, its integrations are mostly e-commerce-focused.

• It doesn’t include automations for inventory reordering.

How Does inFlow Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to inFlow, ServiceTitan offers:

• Automatic replenishment based on the minimum preferred stock levels you set for each location.

• Integrations with popular trade apps and platforms.

• Reporting connected to the rest of your business and project management information.

inFlow is a solid app for inventory, but like many apps on this list, it doesn’t have the all-in-one features ServiceTitan offers—but like ServiceTitan, inFlow is designed to be easy to use from the start.

8. Katana

Katana is an inventory management tool that has features similar to many of the other tools we’ve covered. It includes inventory and PO management, shipping, reporting, and accounting integrations to help you manage the entire procurement cycle.

It also has some unique manufacturing features like a shop floor app to help track the progress of any jobs you complete in your warehouse, with manufacturing cost calculations on built goods.

Katana Key Features

• Predictive forecasting features that use historical data to help you plan purchase orders.

• Warehouse management with bin locations and traceability to pinpoint exactly where items are located.

• Sales order management that includes partial shipping and invoicing for larger jobs.

Katana Pros

• Extra project management features for contractors who build items on-site and ship to customers.

• API for custom integrations with other software.

• Guided onboarding with custom setup and data migration available.

Katana Cons

• Many basic features like barcode scanning, traceability, and multiple locations aren’t available in the Starter plan.

• Guided onboarding costs extra, and isn’t available on Starter plans.

• Like many standard inventory apps, it’s designed for e-commerce rather than services.

How Does Katana Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Katana, ServiceTitan offers:

• Multi-location tracking and barcode scanning as standard features.

• Dynamic job-costing tools linked directly to project reporting across your entire business.

• Automated replenishment that eliminates the need for detailed forecasting.

Katana has some excellent features for managing production if you’re working from a shop, but to track everything across your trucks, you’ll need a premium plan.

9. Fishbowl Inventory

Fishbowl is an AI-enabled inventory app that includes tracking capabilities, task assignments, and reporting. It automatically updates landed cost, COGS, and cash flow in QuickBooks and Xero to streamline financial reporting.

It also has warehousing and manufacturing management features, barcode scanning, and payment and shipping features. 

Fishbowl Key Features

• AI assistant for inventory management that can answer questions conversationally.

• Customizable workflows for manufacturing tasks to ensure quality.

• Comprehensive enterprise resource forecasting to plan purchasing and resources in complex production environments.

Fishbowl Pros

• Its reporting features are highly customizable, with a MySQL database for writing queries.

• Comprehensive features for complex manufacturing processes.

• AI-enabled chat lets you create new reports without using code or searching.

Fishbowl Cons

• Some users report that certain features don’t work as smoothly as they should.

• Many core features and additional support cost extra on top of premium pricing.

• May be too manufacturing-focused for contractors who don’t produce work in a shop.

How Does Fishbowl Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Fishbowl, ServiceTitan offers:

• Inventory tracking that’s specialized for service businesses that complete work outside of a shop.

• Reporting that includes clear processes for transferring inventory to trucks.

• Fast implementation with user-friendly processes in place.

Like Katana, Fishbowl offers lots of excellent features for manufacturing—but many of these features won’t be helpful for contractors.

10. Odoo

Odoo is an open core suite of business management software, with a core suite of apps and a marketplace of modules developed by external businesses and freelancers.

It includes comprehensive inventory management apps that you can connect to IoT devices (like scanners and POS terminals) plus manufacturing, reporting, and other tools.

Odoo Key Features

• Inventory dashboard to manage purchase orders, receiving, and transfers.

• All-in-one software with fully customizable modules for most business processes.

• Expert support and professional setup available via Enterprise plans.

Odoo Pros

• Free inventory and manufacturing features available via its Community plan.

• As open-source software, it’s highly customizable—so development teams can create new apps as necessary.

• Offers complete, all-in-one software that integrates inventory processes with the rest of your business.

Odoo Cons

• Users of the free plan will need advanced technical skills to set up Odoo.

• Odoo isn’t specifically designed for the trades, so contractors will have to find workarounds for some processes.

• Purchasing an out-of-the-box solution requires a significant up-front investment.

How Does Odoo Compare to ServiceTitan?

When compared to Odoo, ServiceTitan offers:

• Inventory software that’s completely set up for your team right away.

• Features for inventory and fleet tracking along with a host of other management features built for the trades.

• No development skills required—ServiceTitan is designed to be user-friendly and easy to customize.

Odoo is the most flexible of the options we’ve listed, but it has a steep learning curve. It may not be the best fit for non-technical users.

What Features Should I Look for in an Inventory App?

Some inventory apps come with a lot of bells and whistles, but you may not need all of the features they offer.

Instead, make a list of the key features you need for your business. It should include things like:

• Real-time Tracking: You don’t want to quote a customer only to discover that you’re low on inventory. Real-time tracking ensures that your techs always have accurate numbers to work from.

• Barcode & QR Code Scanning: Receiving, audits, and transfers go much faster when techs can just scan barcodes to update information.

• Mobile Access: Mobile access ensures techs can update records on-the-go to keep numbers accurate.

• Integration Capabilities: Standalone software can create information silos. Check that your inventory app integrates with other software like your field service app so you always have accurate information.

• Multi-location Management: Knowing where your inventory is helps ensure that all your trucks and warehouses have sufficient stock levels.

• Reporting & Analytics: Being able to check inventory levels in one centralized location is essential for efficient management. Ensure reporting and analytics tools cover your whole inventory lifecycle and all locations.

• Customization Options: Your software should be flexible enough to map onto your unique business processes. 

Once you’ve got a list of requirements, it’s time to make your final decision.

How Do I Choose the Right Inventory App for My Business?

Making a final decision involves looking beyond individual features to evaluate the overall fit of your inventory app.

That means taking stock of some of the more general ways an app either does or doesn’t support your inventory management strategies:

• Identify Your Business Needs: Make a list of the processes you have in place now and compare those with the functionality of your app. Also, consider whether the price and sales terms match your current budget and expectations.

• Check Compatibility: Do you use any software in your business at the moment? If so, check to see whether the app integrates with it. If not, an all-in-one solution might be a better fit for you.

• Ease of Use: The easier an app is to use, the less time you’ll spend training techs to use it—which will save you money in the long run.

• Scalability: If you’re planning to scale, ensure the app has features like multi-location tracking that can help you grow.

• Read User Reviews & Ratings: Check user reviews on platforms like G2 and Capterra. Read both the positive reviews and the negative ones to get a balanced perspective.

• Free Trials & Demos: This can be an excellent way to compare inventory apps firsthand to see if they meet your needs. 

• Customer Support: When you have an issue, what is support like? Take some time to check what’s included in the plan and note what channels you can access support from.

Purchasing inventory management software is a big decision, so take your time! When you do, you’ll be much more likely to make the choice that best suits your business needs.

Back to You

If you’re not already using an inventory app, you’ll be surprised by how much they can help you streamline operations and stay on top of the entire procurement cycle.

There are a lot of options out there for contractors, but if you don’t know where to start, choose industry-leading software for trades.

ServiceTitan seamlessly incorporates inventory management into the rest of your workflows, so you get all the features you need to keep your whole business running and aligned with purchasing.

ServiceTitan is a comprehensive software solution that helps service companies streamline their asset and inventory management, manage operations, and boost revenue. Our comprehensive, cloud-based platform is used by thousands of electrical, HVAC, plumbing, roofing, and irrigation contractors across the country.