Replacing Stocky on Shopify: A Community-Driven Guide to Inventory Apps

Hey everyone,

It’s been a hot topic in the Shopify community lately, and honestly, a bit of a headache for many of you: finding the right replacement for Stocky. We recently saw a fantastic discussion kicked off by Jason from REB Records, who laid out exactly what they needed in a new inventory solution. It’s a common scenario, and the community really stepped up with some excellent insights. So, let’s dive into what we learned and help you weed through those suggestions!

Jason’s needs were pretty clear, and they resonate with a lot of store owners:

1. PO Generation: They needed to generate Purchase Orders based on sales trends and current inventory, often adding up to 40 new SKUs weekly.
2. Receiving POs: Partial receiving was a must, as shipments rarely arrive complete, sometimes involving 3-6 POs at once. Barcode scanning for receiving would be a welcome addition.
3. Printing Barcode Labels: An efficient way to print labels for received items, especially for large portions of POs, ideally integrating with Dymo or similar, and replacing their current Retail Barcode Labels setup for individual prints.

It’s a comprehensive list, and thankfully, the community offered some really solid contenders.

Navigating Your Stocky Replacement Options

When it comes to replacing a core tool like Stocky, it’s not just about finding an app, but finding the right app that fits your workflow. Here’s a breakdown of what the community suggested:

For Comprehensive Inventory & PO Management: FyreTrail & Stock&Buy Shine

Right off the bat, two apps really stood out for addressing most, if not all, of Jason’s requirements: FyreTrail and Stock&Buy.

DougInOr, the developer behind FyreTrail, gave us a super detailed breakdown of their app, and it sounds like a strong contender. For PO Generation, FyreTrail allows you to create POs based on sales trends, factoring in seasonality and even holiday pressure for various time horizons (30, 60, 90, 180 days). This is exactly what Jason needed! Plus, they’ve streamlined the SKU adding process, which is huge for businesses bringing in many new products weekly.

When it comes to Receiving POs, FyreTrail handles partial receiving really well. You can have multiple receipts for a single order, and yes, barcode scanning is built right in for receiving. This is a big win for efficiency. They even mentioned a POS Delivery Tile Extension, allowing you to receive POs directly from your point-of-sale system – talk about convenience!

And for Printing Barcode Labels, FyreTrail lets you print labels only for what has actually been delivered, whether it’s a full or partial order. You can even create custom label templates, and Doug mentioned he’d personally help if you couldn’t quite get the design you wanted. That’s fantastic support!

A massive bonus for anyone moving from Stocky? FyreTrail has a dedicated Stocky Migration Tool to help bring your existing data over, making the transition as smooth as possible. That alone could save you hours of headaches.

Then there’s Stock&Buy, mentioned by SectionKit as a more affordable option compared to the often-pricy Inventory Planner. Stock&Buy directly offers PO generation, partial shipment receiving, and barcode labels. This means it hits all three of Jason’s core needs, making it another strong, potentially more budget-friendly, all-in-one solution to investigate. SectionKit also wisely advised to keep your current Retail Barcode Labels setup regardless of which app you choose, suggesting that specialized label apps might still be useful.

Specialized for Labels: LabelCraft

If your main inventory app doesn’t quite nail the label printing, or you want a dedicated, robust solution just for that, LabelCraft came up. Clement_Foltzer, the developer, openly shared that it only covers the label printing aspect, so it’s not a full Stocky replacement. However, for that specific need, it sounds incredibly powerful.

LabelCraft can point at a received Transfer or take an uploaded SKU list and bulk-print exact-size Dymo labels. It defaults quantities to zero so you don’t accidentally waste rolls, and it can even generate valid GS1/EAN-13 barcodes for items missing one – super handy! It also has a free tier for up to 200 labels a month, which is great for smaller operations or just for trying it out.

Clement also dropped a critical reminder: export your Stocky data before August 31st! LabelCraft doesn’t auto-migrate, and neither will other apps for all your historical data, so make sure you secure that information.

Considering Stockful & Inventory Planner

Stockful was also mentioned by lspoor94 as a potential fit, especially because it’s built directly into the Shopify admin. It offers AI inventory assistance, demand forecasts, and various reports, which are all super valuable. The main thing missing for Jason’s specific needs, however, was direct PO generation. While Shopify connecting POs to Inventory Transfers helps, and Stockful reads off these transfers, it might not offer the proactive, trend-based PO creation Jason was looking for. It’s definitely worth a look for its integrated approach and forecasting capabilities, but be aware of that PO workflow difference.

Finally, Inventory Planner was flagged as the "best fit" by SectionKit, but with a note that "its pricy." This suggests it’s a very robust solution, likely handling all the complex inventory needs, but you’d need to weigh its features against its cost to see if it makes sense for your budget.

Making Your Decision

So, what’s the takeaway? It really boils down to your specific priorities and budget.

If you’re looking for a comprehensive, all-in-one replacement that tackles PO generation based on trends, partial receiving with barcode scanning, and flexible label printing, FyreTrail seems to tick all the boxes, especially with its Stocky migration tool. Stock&Buy offers a similar feature set, potentially at a more accessible price point.

If your current setup handles POs and receiving adequately, but you need a powerful, dedicated label printing solution, LabelCraft is definitely worth exploring, especially if you use Dymo printers.

For those prioritizing deep integration into the Shopify admin and advanced forecasting, Stockful is excellent, but you’ll need to adapt your PO generation workflow to Shopify’s native Inventory Transfers. And if budget isn’t the primary concern, Inventory Planner might offer the most advanced feature set.

The best advice, as always, is to take advantage of free trials where available. Test out the apps with your actual products and workflows. See how they handle your weekly SKU additions, those tricky partial PO receipts, and your label printing needs. Remember, a smooth inventory system is crucial for a thriving online store, so investing time in this decision will pay dividends.

It’s great to see the community rally to help each other out with these real-world challenges. Big thanks to REBRecords for asking the question and to everyone who jumped in with their valuable insights!