Shopify Native Inventory vs Stocky: What's Still Missing in 2026
With Stocky shutting down on August 31, 2026, many merchants are asking: has Shopify improved its native inventory tools enough to fill the gap? The short answer is no, not for most merchants who actively used Stocky. The longer answer requires a feature-by-feature examination of where Shopify has caught up and where it still falls short.
This article provides that comparison so you can make an informed decision about whether Shopify’s built-in tools are sufficient for your operation or whether you need a dedicated inventory management app.
What Shopify Now Offers Natively
Shopify has made steady improvements to its inventory capabilities over the past few years. Here is what is available as of early 2026 without any third-party apps.
Inventory Tracking and Quantities
Shopify tracks inventory quantities per variant per location. You can enable inventory tracking on any product and see current stock levels across all your locations from the admin dashboard.
Inventory Adjustments
You can manually adjust inventory quantities with a reason code (received, correction, damage, etc.). These adjustments are logged in the variant’s inventory history, providing an audit trail.
Transfers
Shopify supports inventory transfers between locations. You can create a transfer, specify quantities, and mark items as in transit, then received at the destination. This is useful for multi-location retailers moving stock between stores or from a warehouse to a retail location.
Cost Per Item
Each variant has a “cost per item” field. This feeds into Shopify’s profit reports and margin calculations. However, it is a manually maintained static value. It does not automatically update.
Low Stock Alerts
Shopify can show you which products are low in stock via filters and saved views. The inventory page can be filtered to show items below a certain quantity threshold.
Barcode Support
Shopify stores barcode values on product variants and supports barcode scanning for basic operations like finding products at the POS.
What Is Still Missing vs Stocky
Here is where the gaps become clear. Each of the following capabilities was available in Stocky but does not exist in Shopify’s native toolset.
Purchase Orders
Stocky: Full PO workflow. Create purchase orders, assign them to suppliers, set expected costs and quantities, email POs to suppliers, receive inventory against POs (full or partial), and automatically adjust Shopify inventory on receipt.
Shopify native: No purchase order functionality whatsoever. There is no way to create, track, or receive a PO within Shopify’s admin. If you need to order from suppliers, you are back to spreadsheets, email, and manual inventory adjustments when stock arrives.
This is the single largest gap and the most commonly cited reason merchants used Stocky in the first place.
Barcode Stocktakes (Inventory Counts)
Stocky: Guided inventory count workflow. Select products or a location to count, scan barcodes to record quantities, review discrepancies between expected and counted quantities, and apply adjustments in bulk.
Shopify native: No dedicated stocktake workflow. You can adjust individual variant quantities, but there is no process for conducting a structured count, no scan-to-count interface, and no discrepancy review screen. Counting inventory in Shopify’s native tools means editing quantities one variant at a time or via CSV import.
For any merchant with more than a few dozen SKUs, this makes physical inventory counts significantly more time-consuming and error-prone.
Weighted Average Cost Tracking
Stocky: Automatic weighted average cost recalculation on every PO receipt. Maintains a running cost basis that reflects actual purchasing history.
Shopify native: A static “cost per item” field that you update manually. It does not recalculate. It does not account for varying purchase prices across multiple orders. If your costs fluctuate, this field becomes inaccurate unless you remember to update it every time you receive stock.
For a deep dive on this topic, see Average Unit Cost in Stocky: How It Works.
Demand Forecasting and Replenishment
Stocky: Analyzes sales velocity and current stock levels to suggest what to reorder, when, and how much. Flags items at risk of stocking out. Generates suggested PO quantities based on lead times and sales trends.
Shopify native: No demand forecasting. No reorder suggestions. No lead-time-aware replenishment calculations. You can filter for low-stock items, but determining how much to order and when requires manual analysis of sales reports and supplier lead times.
Supplier Management
Stocky: Centralized supplier database with contact details, lead times, currency, and product associations. Suppliers are linked to products and POs, creating a complete procurement workflow.
Shopify native: No supplier management. Shopify products have no supplier field. There is nowhere in the admin to store supplier contact details, lead times, or associate suppliers with products.
Inventory Valuation Reporting
Stocky: Reports showing total inventory value (quantity on hand multiplied by average cost), cost of goods sold, and margin analysis by product, supplier, or time period.
Shopify native: Shopify offers profit reports based on the static cost-per-item field, but no dedicated inventory valuation report. You cannot easily answer “What is my total inventory worth right now?” without exporting data and calculating it yourself.
Feature Comparison Table
| Feature | Shopify Native | Stocky |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory quantity tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-location support | Yes | Yes |
| Inventory adjustments with reasons | Yes | Yes |
| Transfers between locations | Yes | Yes |
| Cost per item field | Yes (static) | Yes (weighted average) |
| Low stock filtering | Yes (basic) | Yes (with forecasting) |
| Purchase orders | No | Yes |
| Barcode stocktake workflow | No | Yes |
| Weighted average cost calculation | No | Yes |
| Demand forecasting | No | Yes |
| Replenishment suggestions | No | Yes |
| Supplier management | No | Yes |
| Inventory valuation reports | No | Yes |
| COGS reporting | Limited | Yes |
The bolded rows represent functionality gaps. These are things Stocky users had and will not have if they rely solely on Shopify’s native tools.
When Shopify Native Is Enough
For some merchants, Shopify’s built-in tools may genuinely be sufficient. You might not need a Stocky replacement if:
- You have a very small catalog (under 20-30 SKUs) and can manage ordering and counts manually.
- You do not create formal purchase orders. If you order from suppliers via a quick text or phone call and track nothing formally, you were probably not using Stocky’s PO feature anyway.
- Your costs are stable. If you buy every product at the same price every time, a static cost field is fine. Weighted average tracking matters when costs fluctuate.
- You do not conduct physical inventory counts. If you rely entirely on Shopify’s running totals and never count physical stock, you do not need a stocktake workflow.
- You operate a single location with a simple supply chain and no need for demand forecasting.
Realistically, this describes a small subset of the merchants who actively used Stocky. Most Stocky users adopted it specifically because they needed PO functionality, stocktake tools, or cost tracking that Shopify did not provide natively.
When You Need a Dedicated App
You almost certainly need a third-party inventory management app if any of the following apply:
- You create purchase orders. Even one PO per month means you need a system to create, track, and receive orders.
- You conduct inventory counts. Any kind of structured stocktake with barcode scanning requires a dedicated tool.
- Your purchase costs vary. Seasonal pricing changes, supplier price increases, or multi-supplier sourcing all demand weighted average cost tracking.
- You have more than one location. While Shopify handles multi-location basics, managing replenishment across locations benefits from demand-based suggestions.
- You need COGS or inventory valuation reports. If your accountant or tax preparer asks for these, you need a tool that generates them.
- You manage relationships with multiple suppliers. Tracking lead times, payment terms, and product associations across suppliers requires a supplier management system.
If you are in this category, the question is not whether to get a replacement app but which one. For a broader look at options and how to evaluate them, see the alternatives section in our Stocky Shutdown Checklist. If you are a smaller operation looking for something lightweight, our analysis of lightweight alternatives for small retail may also be useful.
The Gap Will Not Close on Its Own
It is worth noting that Shopify has not announced plans to add purchase order management, stocktake workflows, or weighted average cost tracking to its native toolset. While Shopify continues to improve its platform, inventory management has been an area where Shopify has historically relied on its app ecosystem rather than building first-party solutions.
The delisting and shutdown of Stocky reinforces this. Shopify acquired Stocky in 2018 and bundled it with POS Pro, but rather than integrating Stocky’s features into the core platform, they are sunsetting the standalone app. The implicit message is that third-party apps are the intended solution for advanced inventory management on Shopify.
What to Do Next
If this comparison has shown you that Shopify’s native tools leave gaps for your business, start evaluating replacements now. Do not wait for the August deadline.
- Export your Stocky data while you still have access. Our Stocky Shutdown Checklist has detailed export instructions.
- Define your requirements based on the gaps that matter to your operation.
- Test alternatives on a development store or during a free trial.
- Migrate before July 2026 to give yourself time to run parallel systems and train your team.
The sooner you start, the smoother the transition will be.