Softwr

Inventory · head to head

Quartzy vs Sortly

Quartzy logo

Quartzy

Inventory

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

From
$50/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Sortly logo

Sortly

Inventory

Visual inventory management with photo tracking

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Sortly has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • 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.; Sortly mobile app performance is slow with occasional crashes on both iOS and Android
  • They diverge on capability: Quartzy covers Inventory tracking, Sortly covers Photo-based inventory.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Quartzy and Sortly actually diverge.

Attributes where Quartzy and Sortly differ
AttributeQuartzySortly
Starting price$50/monthFree
Pricing modelPer month by user tierUnknown
Free tierNoYes
FoundedUnknown2013

Identical on both: 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 Sortly

  • Photo-based inventory
  • Multi-location support
  • Custom categories
  • Low stock notifications
  • CSV export
  • API access
  • Zapier
  • Mobile app (iOS/Android) 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 Sortly
  • A small biotech that wants requests approved by a lab manager before any money is committednot Sortly
  • A principal investigator tracking consumable spend against separate grant codes for reportingnot Sortly
  • A growing company standardising ordering across two lab sites so duplicate reagent purchases stopnot Sortly

Sortly

  • Visual inventory trackingnot Quartzy
  • Asset managementnot Quartzy
  • Photo documentationnot Quartzy
  • Mobile inventorynot 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.

Sortly

  • Mobile app performance is slow with occasional crashes on both iOS and Android
  • Minimal advanced reporting features lacking depth and customization options
  • No native serial number tracking capability, limiting asset management functionality
  • Synchronization problems occur when reconnecting from offline mode

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

Sortly

Free

No published plan breakdown. See the Sortly 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 Sortly if

  • You need photo-based inventory.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want multi-location support.
Sortly review

Questions people ask

Is Quartzy or Sortly better?
Neither clearly leads. Quartzy starts at $50/month and Sortly at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Quartzy or Sortly?
Sortly has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at $50/month for Quartzy and Free for Sortly.
Does Quartzy or Sortly run on more platforms?
Both run on Web, iOS, Android, so platform support will not decide this one for you.
Can I use Sortly for free?
Yes. Sortly has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. Quartzy starts at $50/month.
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 Sortly is typically brought in for.
What can Quartzy do that Sortly cannot?
Quartzy covers Inventory tracking, Request and approval, Quartzy Shop, Order tracking. Sortly covers Photo-based inventory, Multi-location support, Custom categories, Low stock notifications. 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.

Sortly: What is included in Sortly's free plan?

Sortly's free plan includes 100 unique items and 1 user license, sufficient for testing or very small inventories, with permanent access.

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.

Sortly: What are Sortly's paid tier pricing and item limits?

Sortly offers Advanced ($49/month, 500 items), Ultra ($149/month, 2,000 items), Premium ($299/month, 5,000 items), and Enterprise with custom pricing for 10,000+ items. All paid plans include a 14-day free trial.

Source
Quartzy: Is Quartzy a LIMS?

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

Sortly: Does Sortly offer offline functionality?

Sortly has offline mode on mobile apps, though with potential synchronization issues when reconnecting. Offline mode is not available on the free plan.

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.

Sortly: Does Sortly have a mobile app?

Yes, Sortly offers mobile apps for iOS and Android. However, users report slow performance and occasional crashes, plus lack of bulk actions available on the web platform.

Source
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