# Sortly or LightInventory for team inventory tracking

> A mobile-first inventory app or a ready inventory system on your own Google Sheet? Approvals, roles, history, export and price, compared with sources.

Source: https://www.lightinventory.com/compare/sortly · Last updated: 2026-10-30

Sortly is a mobile-first inventory app that organises stock in folders, with barcode scanning and photos. LightInventory is a ready-made inventory system that keeps your stock data in a Google Sheet you own, with approvals and a verifiable history built in. This page compares the two as of 30 October 2026, with a link to the source for every claim about Sortly.

> **Note:** LightInventory is in development and not yet generally available. Where this page describes LightInventory, it describes the product as designed.

## The short answer

- **Choose Sortly** if your team works mainly on phones, needs offline scanning and label printing, or tracks equipment with check-in and check-out.
- **Choose LightInventory** if you want approvals before stock changes, a full history on every plan, and your data in your own Sheet, priced per user with no item tiers.

## Side by side

| | Sortly | LightInventory |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A mobile-first inventory app organised by folders, with barcode and QR scanning, label printing and offline use ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)) | A finished inventory system that uses your Sheet as its data layer |
| Setup | Self-serve: a Free plan, and a 14-day trial on paid plans that needs a card and starts the subscription unless cancelled ([Sortly pricing](https://www.sortly.com/pricing/)) | Connect a Sheet; items, locations, movements and history tabs are created for you |
| Approvals | Not listed on the features page; Jobs track what goes out, what is used and what comes back ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)) | Built in: receipts, transfers and count adjustments can wait for an approver |
| Roles | Owner, Admin and Team Member on all plans, with Team Members limited to assigned folders with Edit or View-only rights; one Custom Role on Premium and Enterprise ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/41707256858523-Understanding-User-Roles-Licenses-in-Sortly)) | Owner, Admin, Approver, Editor and Viewer, each limited to the locations you choose, on every paid plan |
| History | Activity History reports, kept 1 month on Free, 1 year on Advanced, 3 years on Ultra and without limit on Premium and Enterprise ([Sortly pricing](https://www.sortly.com/pricing/)) | Every change with who, what, when and why, kept in your Sheet on every plan, tamper-evident, and any change can be reverted |
| Locations | Modelled as custom folders ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)) | Locations you define, with transfers between them and roles scoped to them |
| Your data | Export to CSV or Excel, a PDF report with photos, or Dropbox with image files ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/40924079209371-Backing-Up-Your-Data)); after termination, you can request your content within 14 days ([Sortly terms](https://www.sortly.com/terms-of-service/)) | In a Google Sheet in your own account, open to you at any time |
| Price | Free (1 user, 100 items). Billed yearly in the first year: Advanced $288 (2 users, 500 items), Ultra $888 (5 users, 2,000 items), Premium $1,788 (8 users, 5,000 items). The first-year price includes a 50% discount for new customers; after that, yearly plans are 20% off list ([Sortly pricing](https://www.sortly.com/pricing/)) | Free for 1 person and 1 Sheet; Team $2.49 per user per month billed annually ($2.99 monthly) |

**Comparing the price.** Each Sortly plan has a set price that includes a number of users and unique items. LightInventory charges per user. For 2 people on yearly billing, Sortly Advanced is $288 in the first year ([Sortly pricing](https://www.sortly.com/pricing/)). From the second year, our own arithmetic from the listed $49 monthly price and the 20% yearly discount gives about $470 a year. LightInventory Team for 2 people is 2 × $2.49 × 12 = $59.76 a year. Google Sheets' own size limits apply to LightInventory.

## Where Sortly is better

- **Built for phones.** Mobile apps for iOS and Android work offline, scan barcodes and QR codes, and print labels ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)).
- **Visual inventory.** You can export a PDF report that includes item photos ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/40924079209371-Backing-Up-Your-Data)).
- **Equipment and jobs.** Check-in and check-out, Jobs and purchase orders suit tools and project work ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)).
- **Folder-level access on every plan.** Team Members can be limited to folders with Edit or View-only rights ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/41707256858523-Understanding-User-Roles-Licenses-in-Sortly)), comparable to LightInventory's location-scoped roles.
- **Integrations,** including QuickBooks Online, Slack, Microsoft Teams, webhooks and an API ([Sortly features](https://www.sortly.com/features/)).
- **It is available now.** LightInventory is still in development.

## Where LightInventory is better

- **Approvals before stock changes.** Receipts, transfers and count adjustments can wait for an approver.
- **No item tiers.** The price depends on the number of users, not on how many items you track.
- **Full history on every plan.** Every change is kept in your Sheet with who, what, when and why, and any change can be reverted. If someone types into the Sheet instead of using the app, the change is detected and recorded.
- **Your data is your Sheet.** It stays in your Google account whether or not you keep a subscription.
- **Security on every plan.** Passkeys and multi-factor sign-in are included, not an add-on.

## Questions

### Can I limit a Sortly user to one folder?
Yes. A Team Member works only in the folders assigned to them, with Edit or View-only rights, on all plans ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/41707256858523-Understanding-User-Roles-Licenses-in-Sortly)).

### What happens to the Sortly price after the first year?
The 50% discount applies only to the first year of a new subscription; after that, yearly plans get a 20% discount on the list price ([Sortly pricing](https://www.sortly.com/pricing/)). Subscriptions renew automatically, and Sortly can change fees with at least 30 days' notice for period-based plans ([Sortly terms](https://www.sortly.com/terms-of-service/)).

### How do I export everything from Sortly, including photos?
Export item data to CSV or Excel, and use the Dropbox export for the image files ([Sortly help](https://help.sortly.com/hc/en-us/articles/40924079209371-Backing-Up-Your-Data)).

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Facts about Sortly were checked on 30 October 2026 on the pages linked above and are reviewed every quarter. Sortly is a trademark of Sortly, Inc. LightInventory is not affiliated with or endorsed by Sortly. If anything here is out of date, write to support@lightinventory.com and we will correct it.