Softwr

E-Commerce · head to head

Inventory Lab vs OpenCart

Inventory Lab logo

Inventory Lab

E-Commerce

FBA inventory management made simple

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
OpenCart logo

OpenCart

E-Commerce

Self-hosted open source shopping cart written in PHP, released under the MIT licence

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Inventory Lab inventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier; OpenCart extensions modify core behaviour through an XML patching system, so two modules that patch the same file conflict in ways that surface as broken checkout rather than as an installation error, and resolving that requires a developer reading both patches.
  • They diverge on capability: Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking, OpenCart covers MIT licensed source.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 30 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Inventory Lab and OpenCart actually diverge.

Attributes where Inventory Lab and OpenCart differ
AttributeInventory LabOpenCart
Pricing modelsubscriptionopen-source
Founded20112009

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), platforms (Web), user rating (Not yet rated), category (E-Commerce).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Inventory Lab

  • FBA inventory tracking
  • Repricing automation
  • Price monitoring
  • Sales analytics
  • Profit calculations
  • Supplier management
  • Alerts and notifications
  • Forecasting tools

Only in OpenCart

  • MIT licensed source
  • Self-hosted PHP and MySQL
  • No transaction fees
  • Multi-store
  • Extension marketplace
  • Multi-currency and multi-language
  • OCMod modification system
  • Full data access

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Inventory Lab

  • Amazon seller managementnot OpenCart
  • multi-channel resellingnot OpenCart
  • inventory trackingnot OpenCart

OpenCart

  • A merchant with volume high enough that a percentage transaction fee costs more than a developernot Inventory Lab
  • An agency building client stores where the client must own the code and the data outrightnot Inventory Lab
  • A store with unusual catalogue or pricing logic that a hosted platform will not permitnot Inventory Lab
  • Selling in a market where the local payment gateway is not supported by the mainstream SaaS platformsnot Inventory Lab

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Inventory Lab

  • InventoryLab is no longer sold standalone and is now bundled into Three Colts' Seller 365 plans starting at $69 per month for a single user, rising to $199 per month for the Pro tier
  • Multichannel listing requires the separate UniCon add-on, priced from $49 to $449 per month depending on tier

OpenCart

  • Extensions modify core behaviour through an XML patching system, so two modules that patch the same file conflict in ways that surface as broken checkout rather than as an installation error, and resolving that requires a developer reading both patches.
  • Major version upgrades have broken third party extension compatibility, so moving between them means re-purchasing or re-commissioning modules and effectively rebuilding parts of the store rather than clicking update.
  • Hosting, patching, backups and PCI scope are all your responsibility, so a security update you postpone is a breach you own, and there is no vendor obligation to notify or protect you.
  • Extension quality on the marketplace is uneven and modules are sold as one-off purchases with no guaranteed maintenance, so a module central to your store can simply stop being updated and leave you holding the code.
  • The core project is maintained by a very small team relative to the platforms it competes with, so security fixes, compatibility with new PHP versions and feature work all arrive at a pace you cannot influence or pay to accelerate.

Pricing, plan by plan

Inventory Lab

Free
  • Standard$69/month
    • access to 10 tools
    • 1 user account
    • designed for independent resellers
  • Teams$129/month
    • all 10 tools
    • up to 10 users
    • shared workflows and collaboration
  • Pro$199/month
    • all pro versions of 10 tools
    • up to 10 users
    • premium support under 30-minute response time
  • Enterprise$null/custom
    • more than 10 users
    • custom terms

OpenCart

Free
  • Open SourceFree
    • Core ecommerce features
    • Free support
    • Extensions available

Which should you pick?

Choose Inventory Lab if

  • You need fba inventory tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want repricing automation.
Inventory Lab review

Choose OpenCart if

  • You need mit licensed source.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You also want self-hosted php and mysql.
OpenCart review

Questions people ask

Is Inventory Lab or OpenCart better?
Neither clearly leads. Inventory Lab starts at Free and OpenCart at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Inventory Lab or OpenCart?
Inventory Lab starts at Free and OpenCart at Free.
Does Inventory Lab or OpenCart run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Inventory Lab for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Inventory Lab best used for?
Inventory Lab is most often used for amazon seller management, multi-channel reselling, inventory tracking. Of those, amazon seller management and multi-channel reselling are not what OpenCart is typically brought in for.
What can Inventory Lab do that OpenCart cannot?
Inventory Lab covers FBA inventory tracking, Repricing automation, Price monitoring, Sales analytics. OpenCart covers MIT licensed source, Self-hosted PHP and MySQL, No transaction fees, Multi-store.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Inventory Lab: What is the free trial period for Inventory Lab?

Inventory Lab offers a 14-day free trial, with bonus days awarded when connecting Amazon accounts.

Source
OpenCart: Is OpenCart really free?

The software is MIT licensed with no paid edition. The costs are hosting, extensions, and a developer, and for a low volume store those can exceed a SaaS subscription.

Inventory Lab: Can I save money on Inventory Lab with annual billing?

Yes, annual billing saves money: Standard saves $48/year, Teams saves $120/year, and Pro saves $192/year compared to monthly billing.

Source
OpenCart: Does it charge transaction fees?

No. There is no platform cut and no surcharge for using your own payment gateway, which is the main financial argument for self-hosting at volume.

Inventory Lab: Is there an add-on to use Inventory Lab on channels beyond Amazon?

Yes, the UniCon multichannel add-on is available starting at $49/month for expanding beyond Amazon.

Source
OpenCart: How hard is customisation?

Theme changes are ordinary PHP templates and are approachable. Changing behaviour means the OCMod patching system, which conflicts between extensions and needs a developer.

OpenCart: What is the biggest hidden cost?

Upgrades. Version transitions have broken extension compatibility before, so budget for a partial rebuild rather than assuming updates are routine maintenance.

Share

Related pages

More on Inventory Lab

More on OpenCart

Keep looking

Other head to heads