InventorysHub vs inFlow Inventory: Cloud-First vs Desktop-First
inFlow built its reputation on a desktop-first workflow that a lot of small manufacturers and wholesalers still rely on. InventorysHub takes a fully cloud-based approach from the ground up. Here's how they actually compare.
inFlow Inventory has been around a long time, and it's earned a loyal following among small manufacturers, wholesalers, and distributors. They like its straightforward approach to stock, purchase orders, and B2B sales through its Showroom feature.
It started as desktop software and has since added cloud and mobile options, which means its architecture still carries some of that desktop-first thinking.
InventorysHub was built the other way around — cloud-native from day one, with warehouse and asset management built in rather than treated as separate concerns. That difference shapes almost everything else in this comparison, from how quickly a new team member gets access to how support is delivered.
Below, we go through the areas that matter most when you're deciding between the two, including where inFlow's maturity genuinely works in its favour.
InventorysHub vs. inFlow Inventory at a Glance
A snapshot before we go section by section.
In short: InventorysHub is a fully cloud-based inventory, warehouse, and asset platform with a free plan and 24/7 support. inFlow Inventory is a mature desktop-and-cloud hybrid known for its B2B Showroom ordering portal, popular with small manufacturers and wholesalers.
| Feature | InventorysHub | inFlow Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Fully cloud-based (no desktop install needed) | Cloud & desktop options | |
| Real-time stock tracking | ||
| Multi-warehouse management included | Higher tiers only | |
| Physical asset management included | ||
| Barcode & QR scanning | ||
| B2B sales portal / showroom | Not a dedicated module | |
| Custom fields & workflows without scripting | Limited customisation | |
| Free plan available | ||
| 24/7 live support | Business hours, email/chat | |
| Best suited for | Any business wanting one cloud inventory system | Small manufacturers/wholesalers wanting a mature, desktop-friendly tool |
Feature availability changes as vendors update their plans — confirm current details on inFlow's own pricing page before deciding.
Who Each Platform Is Actually Built For
InventorysHub fits you if...
- You want everyone on the team working from the same cloud system, with no desktop install to manage.
- You need warehouse and physical asset tracking alongside stock, in one platform.
- You'd rather configure custom fields yourself than pay for customisation work.
- You want support available outside standard business hours.
inFlow Inventory fits you if...
- You're a small manufacturer or wholesaler that wants a mature, well-tested tool with a long track record.
- You sell B2B and want a dedicated online showroom for wholesale customers to order from directly.
- You prefer a desktop-based workflow for certain team members, alongside cloud access for others.
- Your business runs relatively simple inventory operations without needing deep customisation.
Inventory Management
Both cover the fundamentals reliably.
InventorysHub
Real-time stock tracking, low-stock alerts, and a custom field builder that lets teams adapt product data without developer involvement.
inFlow Inventory
Solid, dependable stock tracking with reorder points and kitting/BOM support that manufacturers rely on. It's a mature feature set, refined over many years.
Barcode Scanning
Both support scanning for receiving, picking, and counts.
InventorysHub
Barcode and QR scanning included at the core plan level, with mobile camera scanning for teams without dedicated hardware.
inFlow Inventory
Barcode scanning is a long-standing, well-supported feature, including label generation — one of the areas where inFlow's experience shows.
Warehouse Management
This is one of the clearer differences between the two.
InventorysHub
Multi-warehouse management is included at every plan level, with transfers and location-level visibility built in from the start.
inFlow Inventory
Multi-warehouse support exists but is generally reserved for higher-tier plans — worth checking against your expected location count before choosing a plan.
Purchase Order Management
Both automate the reorder cycle well.
InventorysHub
Automated purchase order creation from low-stock triggers, with supplier tracking and partial-receipt handling.
inFlow Inventory
Purchase orders are handled cleanly, with manufacturers able to tie POs directly into bill-of-materials and work order workflows.
Sales Order Management
inFlow's B2B Showroom is a genuine standout feature here.
InventorysHub
Sales orders sync against live stock with clear fulfilment tracking — solid for direct order management, without a dedicated wholesale ordering portal.
inFlow Inventory
The Showroom feature lets B2B customers browse and order directly from a branded catalogue — a strong fit for wholesalers who take repeat orders from the same buyers.
Reporting
Both cover the essentials most small businesses need.
InventorysHub
Stock valuation, movement history, and reorder reports, with straightforward exports for further analysis.
inFlow Inventory
Established reporting covering sales, inventory value, and purchasing — reliable, if not the most modern-looking presentation.
Multi-Location Inventory
Both support it, with different plan structures.
InventorysHub
Location-level stock and transfers are part of the core platform regardless of plan.
inFlow Inventory
Multi-location works well once available on your plan, though it's another feature to check against inFlow's tier structure before signing up.
Ease of Use
Different, not necessarily better or worse — depends on your team.
InventorysHub
Built cloud-first, so onboarding is consistent regardless of device — log in from a browser and get to work, no installation required for any team member.
inFlow Inventory
Familiar and dependable once learned, though the interface still reflects its desktop-software roots in places, which some users find comforting and others find dated.
Integrations
Both connect to the common accounting and ecommerce tools.
InventorysHub
A growing integration set covering key accounting and ecommerce connections, expanding over time.
inFlow Inventory
Established integrations with QuickBooks, Xero, Shopify, and Amazon, built up over a long product history.
Pricing Overview
Pricing structures differ meaningfully between the two.
InventorysHub
Published plans including a genuine free tier, with warehouse and asset inventory management included rather than gated. See our pricing page for current details.
inFlow Inventory
Tiered plans generally based on the number of team members and feature access, with no free plan — only a trial period. Confirm current pricing on inFlow's site, as tiers and limits are updated periodically.
Customer Support
Support hours are one of the more concrete differences.
InventorysHub
24/7 support on every plan, including free accounts.
inFlow Inventory
Support via email and chat during business hours — well regarded by users, but not around-the-clock.
Offline Capability
Matters if your warehouse has patchy internet, or you just don't want a lost connection to stop staff from working.
InventorysHub
Fully cloud-based, so it needs an internet connection to work. In practice most warehouses and offices have reliable connectivity, but it's a genuine trade-off against a true offline mode.
inFlow Inventory
The desktop application can work offline and sync later, which is a real advantage for warehouses in areas with unreliable internet, or teams who want a local copy of their data as a backup.
Training & Onboarding Resources
Worth factoring in if your team learns best from documentation and video rather than figuring things out live.
InventorysHub
Support-led onboarding, with the interface designed to be self-explanatory enough that most teams don't need extensive documentation to get started.
inFlow Inventory
A long product history means a deep library of help articles, video tutorials, and community knowledge — useful if you prefer to learn a system at your own pace before asking support directly.
Strengths and Trade-Offs of Each Platform
InventorysHub — Pros
- Fully cloud-based, no desktop install needed for anyone on the team
- Warehouse and asset management included as standard
- Genuine free plan available
- 24/7 support on every plan
InventorysHub — Cons
- No dedicated B2B ordering portal like inFlow's Showroom
- Shorter track record than a tool that's been refined for well over a decade
inFlow Inventory — Pros
- Mature, well-tested feature set with a loyal user base
- Strong B2B Showroom for wholesale ordering
- Flexible desktop and cloud/mobile access options
inFlow Inventory — Cons
- No free plan, only a limited trial
- No native asset management or multi-warehouse on entry plans
- Support limited to business hours
When to Choose Which
InventorysHub is the better choice if...
You want a fully cloud-based system with warehouse and asset management software built in, a genuine free plan to start with, and support available around the clock.
inFlow Inventory is the better choice if...
You're a small manufacturer or wholesaler who values a long-established, dependable tool — particularly if a B2B ordering portal for wholesale customers is a core part of how you sell.
Migrating From inFlow Inventory to InventorysHub
What actually happens if you decide to switch.
- Export your product list, stock levels, and supplier records from inFlow as CSV files.
- Review any bill-of-materials or kitting structures — these will need to be rebuilt manually, as BOM data doesn't transfer automatically between platforms.
- Import your cleaned data into InventorysHub using the CSV import tool.
- Set up warehouse locations in InventorysHub if you were previously managing multiple sites manually in inFlow.
- Run a short overlap period with both systems before fully retiring inFlow, particularly if you have open purchase orders.
If you rely heavily on inFlow's Showroom for wholesale orders, plan how you'll handle B2B ordering going forward before switching — this is the one feature that doesn't have a direct equivalent yet. Our team can help via contact us.
Move to a fully cloud-based system.
Try InventorysHub free — no card required.
InventorysHub vs. inFlow Inventory — Frequently Asked Questions
InventorysHub offers a genuine free plan, while inFlow typically offers a free trial rather than an ongoing free tier. Beyond that, pricing depends on your team size and feature needs on both platforms — check current published pricing before comparing directly.
Not necessarily — inFlow now offers cloud and mobile access alongside its original desktop application. Some teams still prefer the desktop option for certain workflows, which is part of what gives inFlow its hybrid feel compared to a fully cloud-based platform.
Not currently as a dedicated module. If a branded wholesale ordering portal is central to how you sell, this is one area where inFlow has a clear, established advantage.
Yes. Multi-warehouse management is included at every plan level, rather than reserved for higher tiers as it is with inFlow.
Yes, inFlow has solid bill-of-materials and work order support that's well suited to small manufacturers producing finished goods from component parts.
Not natively — inFlow focuses on inventory and order management rather than fixed asset tracking. InventorysHub includes asset management in the same platform as stock and warehouse tracking.
InventorysHub offers 24/7 support on every plan. inFlow's support is available via email and chat, generally during business hours.
Yes. You can export products, stock levels, and supplier data from inFlow as CSV files and import them into InventorysHub. Bill-of-materials structures will need to be rebuilt manually.
Yes, barcode scanning and label generation are well-established features in inFlow. InventorysHub also includes barcode and QR scanning as part of its core plan.
Since InventorysHub is fully cloud-based, onboarding is consistent — a new hire just logs in from a browser. inFlow's hybrid desktop/cloud setup can mean an extra step depending on which version your team uses.
InventorysHub's integration library is growing and covers key accounting connections, but inFlow has a longer track record with QuickBooks and Xero specifically. Check current integrations on both platforms before deciding.
Yes, the desktop version of inFlow can work offline and sync changes once you're back online — useful for warehouses with unreliable internet. InventorysHub is fully cloud-based and requires an internet connection to use.
inFlow has built up a large library of help articles and video tutorials over its long history. InventorysHub focuses on a simpler interface plus direct 24/7 support, so most teams lean on support rather than self-serve documentation to get unstuck.
inFlow's plans are generally structured around team member count, so costs can climb as you add users — check current tiers on their pricing page. Compare that against InventorysHub's current plans on our pricing page for your expected team size.
The Bottom Line
inFlow Inventory has earned its reputation with small manufacturers and wholesalers, particularly through its B2B Showroom and its long history of steady, dependable updates. If wholesale ordering is core to your business, that's a real point in its favour.
InventorysHub is the stronger fit if you want a fully cloud-based platform from the start, with warehouse and asset management included rather than bolted on, a genuine free plan to try first, and support that doesn't stop outside business hours. Both are worth testing directly before you commit — try InventorysHub's free plan alongside inFlow's trial and see which one your team actually prefers using day to day.