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Inventory · head to head

Quartzy vs Shopify Inventory

Quartzy logo

Quartzy

Inventory

Lab inventory and ordering software funded by the supply marketplace attached to it

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Shopify Inventory logo

Shopify Inventory

Inventory

Inventory management built into Shopify

From
$24/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Quartzy the vendor earns margin on supplies bought through its own Shop, so the recommended purchasing path is not necessarily the cheapest one for a university that already holds negotiated supplier contracts.; Shopify Inventory inventory management is integrated into Shopify plans, not a standalone product
  • They diverge on capability: Quartzy covers Inventory tracking, Shopify Inventory covers Stock tracking.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Quartzy and Shopify Inventory actually diverge.

Attributes where Quartzy and Shopify Inventory differ
AttributeQuartzyShopify Inventory
Starting price$50/month$24/month
Pricing modelPer month by user tierUnknown
FoundedUnknown2006

Identical on both: free tier (No), platforms (Web, iOS, Android), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Inventory).

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 Quartzy

  • Inventory tracking
  • Request and approval
  • Quartzy Shop
  • Order tracking
  • Spend reporting
  • PunchOut
  • Vendor catalogues

Only in Shopify Inventory

  • Stock tracking
  • Multi-location inventory
  • Real-time sync
  • Inventory forecasting
  • CSV imports/exports
  • App ecosystem
  • POS
  • Web support

Both cover

  • Barcode scanning

What people use each for

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

Quartzy

  • An academic lab of three postdocs replacing a shared freezer spreadsheet that nobody updates after a reagent runs outnot Shopify Inventory
  • A small biotech that wants requests approved by a lab manager before any money is committednot Shopify Inventory
  • A principal investigator tracking consumable spend against separate grant codes for reportingnot Shopify Inventory
  • A growing company standardising ordering across two lab sites so duplicate reagent purchases stopnot Shopify Inventory

Shopify Inventory

  • Multi-location inventory tracking and managementnot Quartzy
  • Real-time inventory sync across online and physical storesnot Quartzy
  • Order management and fulfillmentnot Quartzy
  • Integration with Shopify's point-of-sale systemnot Quartzy

Where each one falls short

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

Quartzy

  • The vendor earns margin on supplies bought through its own Shop, so the recommended purchasing path is not necessarily the cheapest one for a university that already holds negotiated supplier contracts.
  • Seat limits are tight, at three users on Academia and five on Industry, and exceeding them pushes you into a quoted Enterprise contract rather than a predictable per seat increment.
  • It is not a LIMS: there is no sample workflow, instrument integration, electronic lab notebook or 21 CFR Part 11 audit trail, so a lab moving toward regulated work will need a second system.
  • Prices are billed annually, so the USD 250 Industry plan is a USD 3,000 upfront commitment for a five-person team, which is significant for an early-stage company.
  • Supplier catalogue coverage and pricing accuracy vary by region, and labs outside the United States frequently find their usual distributors missing or their contract pricing not reflected.

Shopify Inventory

  • Inventory management is integrated into Shopify plans, not a standalone product
  • POS Pro for advanced retail features costs additional $89/month per location
  • Payment processing fees vary by tier: ranges from 2.9% to 2.5% plus per-transaction fees

Pricing, plan by plan

Quartzy

$50/month
  • Academia$50/month
    • Billed annually
    • Up to 3 users
    • Inventory tracking and request workflow
  • Industry$250/month
    • Billed annually
    • Up to 5 users
    • Everything in Academia
  • Enterprise$undefined/month
    • Quoted pricing
    • Unlimited users
    • PunchOut integration with institutional procurement

Shopify Inventory

$24/month

No published plan breakdown. See the Shopify Inventory review.

Which should you pick?

Choose Quartzy if

  • You need inventory tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want request and approval.
Quartzy review

Choose Shopify Inventory if

  • You need stock tracking.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-location inventory.
Shopify Inventory review

Questions people ask

Is Quartzy or Shopify Inventory better?
Neither clearly leads. Quartzy starts at $50/month and Shopify Inventory at $24/month, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Quartzy or Shopify Inventory?
Quartzy starts at $50/month and Shopify Inventory at $24/month.
Does Quartzy or Shopify Inventory run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
What is Quartzy best used for?
Quartzy is most often used for an academic lab of three postdocs replacing a shared freezer spreadsheet that nobody updates after a reagent runs out, a small biotech that wants requests approved by a lab manager before any money is committed, a principal investigator tracking consumable spend against separate grant codes for reporting, a growing company standardising ordering across two lab sites so duplicate reagent purchases stop. Of those, an academic lab of three postdocs replacing a shared freezer spreadsheet that nobody updates after a reagent runs out and a small biotech that wants requests approved by a lab manager before any money is committed are not what Shopify Inventory is typically brought in for.
What can Quartzy do that Shopify Inventory cannot?
Quartzy covers Inventory tracking, Request and approval, Quartzy Shop, Order tracking. Shopify Inventory covers Stock tracking, Multi-location inventory, Real-time sync, Inventory forecasting. Both handle Barcode scanning.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Quartzy: How much does Quartzy cost?

USD 50 per month billed annually for up to three users on Academia, USD 250 per month for up to five users on Industry, and quoted pricing for unlimited users on Enterprise.

Shopify Inventory: What are Shopify's main pricing tiers and monthly costs?

Shopify offers Basic ($32/month USD), Grow ($92/month), Advanced ($399/month), and Plus (from $2,300/month). Annual billing offers 25% discount on Basic, Grow, and Advanced tiers.

Source
Quartzy: Do I have to buy supplies through Quartzy?

No, you can record orders placed elsewhere. But the Shop is how Quartzy earns beyond the subscription, and supplier credits are tied to it.

Shopify Inventory: Does Shopify offer a free trial or introductory pricing?

Yes. New customers get a 3-day free trial with no credit card required. After the trial, the first 3 months cost $1/month before regular pricing applies.

Source
Quartzy: Is Quartzy a LIMS?

No. It handles inventory and purchasing. It does not do sample workflow, instrument data or regulated electronic records.

Shopify Inventory: What payment processing fees does Shopify charge, and do they vary by plan?

Basic plan charges 2.9% plus AED 1.00 per transaction. Grow charges 2.8% plus AED 1.00. Advanced charges 2.7% plus AED 1.00. Plus plan offers the most competitive rates.

Source
Quartzy: What happens when we exceed the user limit?

You move to Enterprise, which is quoted rather than listed, so budget for a step change rather than an extra seat charge.

Shopify Inventory: How many inventory locations can I create on each Shopify plan?

Basic, Grow, and Advanced plans support 10 inventory locations. Plus plan supports 200 inventory locations for complex, multi-location operations.

Source
Shopify Inventory: What staff account limits apply to each Shopify plan?

Basic plan includes no additional staff accounts. Grow allows up to 5 staff accounts. Advanced allows up to 15 staff accounts. Plus plan offers unlimited staff accounts.

Source
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