How-to

How to Create a Searchable Online Art Catalog in WordPress

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026

An art collection becomes hard to manage long before it becomes large. The moment you have works in storage, on display, sold, loaned or spread across different locations, a spreadsheet starts turning into a liability.

For a small gallery, private collection, studio or cultural organisation, the problem is usually not storing the data. It is keeping the inventory useful.

You need to know where each work is, who created it, whether it is available, which collection it belongs to and which details should appear publicly. Ideally, the same records your team maintains internally should also power the catalogue visitors browse on your website.

If your site already runs on WordPress, you can do both without maintaining a separate gallery database.

This guide walks through how to create a searchable online art catalogue using WP Inventory Manager.

Start with one inventory record per artwork

The basic principle is simple: each artwork becomes one inventory item.

In your WordPress admin, go to WP Inventory > Inventory Items and create a record for each work.

A useful starting structure looks like this:

  • Inventory number: Your internal reference or accession number.
  • Name: The title of the artwork.
  • Description: Notes, provenance, exhibition history or public description.
  • Manufacturer: This can be renamed to Artist if you prefer.
  • Year: The year the work was created.
  • Size: Dimensions of the piece.
  • Price: Useful for commercial galleries, even if you do not display it publicly.
  • Inventory status: Available, Sold, On Loan, In Storage or another status that matches your workflow.

WP Inventory Manager lets you rename the default field labels under WP Inventory > Labels, so the terminology can match the way your gallery already works.

Example: A small contemporary gallery has 420 works from 34 artists. Instead of forcing the collection into generic product fields, it renames Manufacturer to Artist, Size to Dimensions and Inventory Number to Artwork ID. The underlying inventory system stays the same, but the admin interface now matches the language the team already uses.

Create fields that describe the artwork properly

The default inventory fields cover the basics, but art catalogues usually need more context.

You might want to record:

  • Artist
  • Medium
  • Dimensions
  • Year created
  • Edition number
  • Collection
  • Condition
  • Frame status
  • Provenance
  • Acquisition date
  • Insurance value
  • Current location

For more structured catalogues, the Advanced Item Manager add-on lets you define custom item types and fields rather than forcing every collection into the same template.

That becomes especially useful if you manage different kinds of objects.

A gallery might have paintings, sculptures and prints, while a museum might also have furniture, documents or archival material. Each type can carry the fields that actually matter to it.

Organise artworks into categories and collections

Categories give visitors and staff a simple way to move through a large catalogue.

You can use them for:

  • Painting
  • Sculpture
  • Photography
  • Works on Paper
  • Limited Editions
  • Current Exhibition
  • Permanent Collection

Go to WP Inventory > Categories to create the groups you need, then assign each artwork to the relevant category.

You can also create dedicated catalogue pages for specific collections rather than putting every work on one enormous page.

For example:

[wpinventory category=”Photography”]

That page now displays only photography.

Another page could show paintings:

[wpinventory category=”Painting”]

This is useful for visitors, but it also gives you cleaner pages that can rank independently for specific parts of your collection.

Track where every artwork actually is

Location becomes one of the most important fields once a collection stops living in a single room.

A work might currently be:

  • In Gallery A
  • In storage
  • At an external exhibition
  • With a collector on approval
  • On loan to another institution
  • At a restoration studio

The Locations Manager add-on lets you associate inventory with specific locations rather than writing the location into a free-text note.

That makes the data easier to search and update.

Example: A gallery operates one public space and two storage rooms. A sculpture moves from Storage B to the main exhibition floor. Instead of editing a description and hoping everyone sees it, the team updates the location attached to the inventory record. Anyone checking the item now sees the current location.

Add images to every artwork record

An art catalogue without images is not much of a catalogue.

Each inventory record can include artwork images, so the same record used internally can also appear as a visual item on the public side of the site.

For consistency, photograph works using the same basic setup where possible:

  • Use a neutral background.
  • Keep the main artwork centred.
  • Use similar image proportions across the catalogue.
  • Keep filenames descriptive rather than using camera-generated names.
  • Include detail shots when condition or texture matters.

The inventory page can then function more like an online collection than a spreadsheet.

Publish the collection on your WordPress site

Once the records are in place, the catalogue can be displayed on the front end with the standard inventory shortcode:

[wpinventory]

This is where WordPress becomes particularly useful for galleries.

You are not maintaining one internal inventory system and then manually recreating selected works on your website.

The inventory itself can power the public catalogue.

You can decide which fields appear, how the item pages are laid out and whether visitors see everything or only a selected collection.

For a broader overview of this setup, see our inventory management solution for galleries.

Add search and filters for larger collections

Once a catalogue reaches a few hundred works, browsing category by category is usually not enough.

Visitors may want to narrow the collection by:

  • Artist
  • Medium
  • Year
  • Collection
  • Availability
  • Condition

The free version of WP Inventory Manager includes a filter bar for keyword search, category, status and sorting.

For more advanced filtering, the Advanced Search Filter add-on lets you expose fields as checkbox or dropdown filters.

That gives you the familiar catalogue experience where visitors can select several criteria and narrow the results without manually opening dozens of artwork pages.

If you want the full setup, see our guide on adding search and filters to a WordPress inventory list.

Keep internal information off the public catalogue

Not every field belongs on the website.

A commercial gallery might want visitors to see:

  • Artist
  • Title
  • Year
  • Medium
  • Dimensions
  • Availability

But internally you might also track:

  • Acquisition cost
  • Insurance value
  • Owner details
  • Storage location
  • Condition notes
  • Internal reference numbers

Those do not all need to appear on the front end.

The important point is that you can maintain one structured inventory without treating every field as public website content.

The Advanced User Control add-on also lets you control which WordPress users can view, add or edit inventory records.

Import an existing art inventory from a spreadsheet

Most galleries do not start from zero.

The collection is usually sitting in Excel, Google Sheets or a CSV file already.

Re-entering hundreds or thousands of records manually would defeat the point of moving systems.

The Import Export add-on lets you upload a CSV and map the spreadsheet columns to your inventory fields.

A typical spreadsheet might contain:

Spreadsheet column Inventory field
Artwork ID Inventory Number
Title Name
Artist Artist / custom field
Medium Custom field
Dimensions Size
Year Year
Availability Status

Once the columns are mapped, the importer creates the records for you instead of requiring each artwork to be entered individually.

Full instructions are available in the user documentation.

Use statuses to track the lifecycle of a work

A catalogue gets much more useful when status means more than simply “in stock.”

For artwork, you might create statuses such as:

  • Available
  • Reserved
  • Sold
  • On Loan
  • On Exhibition
  • In Storage
  • Under Restoration

That gives the team a quick operational view of the collection without needing to interpret notes.

It also lets you filter the inventory by status.

For a commercial gallery, for example, you can keep sold works in the database for historical records while excluding them from the public list of currently available pieces.

One catalogue, two jobs

This is the main reason WordPress works well for smaller galleries and collections.

A conventional inventory database is mostly internal.

A conventional website is mostly public.

Using an inventory plugin means one structured set of records can do both jobs.

Your team manages the artwork in WordPress. Visitors browse the same underlying catalogue from the front end.

That reduces duplicate data, reduces manual updates and makes it much less likely that the website says a piece is available when the internal spreadsheet says it sold three weeks ago.

Frequently asked questions

Can WordPress be used as an art inventory system?

Yes. With an inventory plugin, WordPress can store structured records for artwork including titles, artists, dimensions, dates, images, statuses, locations and custom fields. The same records can also be displayed as a public catalogue on the website.

Can I create a searchable art catalogue in WordPress?

Yes. WP Inventory Manager can display inventory on any WordPress page and includes keyword, category, status and sorting controls. The Advanced Search Filter add-on adds faceted filtering by additional fields such as artist, medium or condition.

Can I keep some artwork information private?

Yes. You control which inventory fields appear on the public-facing catalogue. Internal information such as insurance values, storage notes or acquisition details does not need to be displayed publicly.

Can I import my existing gallery spreadsheet?

Yes. Export the spreadsheet as a CSV, then use the Import Export add-on to map each column to an inventory field. This is much faster than recreating every artwork record manually.

Can I track artwork across different locations?

Yes. The Locations Manager add-on can associate inventory with different galleries, storage rooms or other locations, making it easier to keep track of where each work currently sits.

Do I need WooCommerce?

No. WP Inventory Manager works independently of WooCommerce. You can build a searchable public catalogue without adding ecommerce, a shopping cart or checkout functionality.

Build your art catalogue in WordPress

If your gallery already runs on WordPress, you do not need a second system just to turn your artwork records into a searchable online catalogue.

Start with the free core plugin, add a few real artworks and see how the catalogue fits your workflow before moving the full collection across.

Download Free → See Gallery Inventory Features →

Categories: How-to, Tutorials, Use cases
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How to Add Search and Filters to Your WordPress Inventory List

Thursday, August 20th, 2026

A WordPress inventory list works fine at 20 items. At 200, visitors need a way to search and narrow it down.

A WordPress inventory list works fine at 20 items. Visitors scroll, they find what they want, everyone is happy. At 200 items it stops working. People land on the page, scroll for four seconds, see no way to narrow anything down and leave. You never hear about it because nobody emails you to say your catalog was hard to browse.

The fix is already sitting in your plugin. WP Inventory Manager ships with a filter bar in the free version and most sites have simply never switched it on.

Search and filtering are one part of a larger inventory setup. For the full workflow, see our guide to managing inventory in WordPress without WooCommerce.

This guide covers how to enable it, how to control it from the shortcode and when to move up to faceted filtering.

Step 1: Turn on the built-in filter bar

The free version of WP Inventory Manager includes a filter form that renders above your item listing. It is controlled by a single setting.

In your WordPress admin, go to WP Inventory > Settings and find the option labelled Display Filter at Top of Item Listing. Set it to Yes and save.

That is the whole step. Reload any page that carries your [wpinventory] shortcode and the filter bar appears above the list.

Example: A tool rental shop in Portland lists 180 items on one page. Before switching the filter on, visitors had to scroll through concrete mixers to reach ladders. After switching it on, a visitor types “ladder” in the search box, picks the Access Equipment category and lands on eight items instead of 180.

What you get for free

The built-in filter bar gives visitors four controls without any extra plugin:

  • Keyword search. A text box that matches against your item fields.
  • Status dropdown. Filters by the statuses you have configured, for example Available, On Loan or Sold.
  • Sort dropdown. Lets visitors reorder the list by any field you have marked as sortable.
  • Category dropdown. Narrows the list to a single category.

All four submit together with one button. It is a plain form, so it works with caching, works without JavaScript and adds no measurable weight to the page.

Step 2: Control the starting view from the shortcode

The filter bar handles what visitors do. The shortcode handles where they start.

The [wpinventory] shortcode accepts parameters that pre-filter the list before anyone touches a control. The useful ones are category, category_id, inventory_status, inventory_search, order and page_size.

This matters more than it sounds. Instead of one enormous list with a filter bar on top, you can build several focused pages and let the filter bar refine each one.

A practical pattern

Say you rent equipment in three broad groups. Rather than a single page, create three:

  • A Power Tools page using [wpinventory category="Power Tools" page_size="25"]
  • An Access Equipment page using [wpinventory category="Access Equipment" page_size="25"]
  • A full catalog page using plain [wpinventory] for anyone who wants to browse everything

Each page now ranks for its own keyword, each one loads faster and the filter bar still lets visitors narrow further.

If you have not set up your listing pages yet, our guide on displaying inventory with the shortcode covers the parameters in detail and the full list lives in the user documentation.

Step 3: Know when the free filter runs out

The built-in bar covers keyword, status, sort and category. That is enough for most catalogs.

You have outgrown it when one of these is true:

  • You need to filter by custom fields. Manufacturer, size, colour, condition or model year. The free bar filters by category and status only.
  • Visitors need to combine filters. Red and size large and in stock, all at once, rather than one dropdown at a time.
  • A page reload each time is too slow. The free bar submits a form. Every refinement is a full page load.
  • You want filters in your sidebar. The free bar sits above the listing. It cannot move into a theme widget area.

Step 4: Add faceted filters with Advanced Search

The Advanced Search Filter add-on replaces the single-row bar with a checkbox sidebar that re-queries the list over AJAX.

Visitors tick boxes and the results update without a page reload.

Once the add-on is active, a new Advanced Search screen appears under the WP Inventory menu. The setup screen has two halves.

Choosing which fields become filters

The left column lists every field on your items with a checkbox beside each one. Tick a field to make it appear in the filter.

Drag the rows up and down to set the order they appear in on the front end.

Ordering the values inside each field

Click the folder icon next to a field and its distinct values load in the right-hand panel. Drag them into the order you want.

The panel also holds a More separator: values above it are visible immediately, values below it stay hidden until a visitor clicks View More.

This is the part most people skip and it is the part that does the work. A manufacturer filter with 40 brands is unusable as a wall of checkboxes. Put your top six above the More tag and the rest below it and the same filter becomes readable.

Example: A bike shop tracks 340 frames. They expose three filters: Frame Size, Brand and Condition. Brand has 22 values, so the four brands they actually stock in volume sit above the More separator. Average time to find a specific frame drops from open-ended scrolling to three clicks.

Placing the filter on your site

You have two options. Drop the shortcode onto the same page as your listing:

[wpinventory_advanced_search title=”Filter” display_as=”checkboxes” disable_ajax=”0″]

Set display_as="dropdowns" if checkboxes take too much vertical space.

Leave disable_ajax="0" to keep live updating, or set it to 1 if your theme conflicts with the AJAX call.

Alternatively use the bundled widget. Drag WP Inventory Advanced Search Filter into any theme widget area and it renders the same sidebar in your existing layout.

The add-on is included in the All Access plan alongside Pro, Locations Manager, Reserve Cart and Advanced User Control.

If the filter does not appear

Three causes account for almost every support ticket on this:

  • The setting is off. Check WP Inventory > Settings for Display Filter at Top of Item Listing and confirm it reads Yes.
  • Caching. Your host or CDN is serving the pre-change version of the page. Purge both layers, not just one.
  • Custom field facets are empty. Advanced Search can only expose custom fields when the Advanced Item Manager add-on is active and a field type is configured. Without a type, the values cannot be resolved and the facet stays blank.

One more worth knowing: the Advanced Search admin screen respects a role setting. If a staff member cannot see the screen, check which role you set as the minimum for managing Advanced Search.

Frequently asked questions

Does WP Inventory Manager include search in the free version?

Yes. The free version includes a filter bar with a keyword search box, a status dropdown, a sort dropdown and a category dropdown.

It is controlled by the Display Filter at Top of Item Listing setting under WP Inventory > Settings and is switched on by default.

Can visitors filter my inventory by custom fields like brand or size?

Not with the free filter bar, which covers category and status.

Custom field filtering requires the Advanced Search Filter add-on and the fields themselves come from the Advanced Item Manager add-on. Both are included in the All Access plan.

Do the filters update without reloading the page?

The free filter bar submits a standard form, so it reloads the page.

Advanced Search uses AJAX and updates the listing in place. You can turn the AJAX behaviour off with disable_ajax="1" if your theme interferes with it.

Can I put the inventory filter in my sidebar?

Yes, with Advanced Search. The add-on registers a widget that you can drag into any theme widget area, so the filter sits in your existing sidebar rather than above the listing.

Does any of this require WooCommerce?

No. WP Inventory Manager and all of its add-ons run independently of WooCommerce.

The search and filter features work on any WordPress site, including sites with no ecommerce functionality at all.

Set up your filters in ten minutes

Every parameter, setting and shortcode in this guide is documented with examples. Work through the listing and filter sections and your catalog becomes searchable this afternoon.

Read the Documentation → Browse Add-Ons →

Categories: How-to, Tutorials
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Sortly Alternative for WordPress: App vs Your Own Site (2026)

Monday, August 10th, 2026

You hit 100 items and the free plan stops. That is usually the moment people start comparing inventory tools seriously.

If you have searched for inventory software recently, Sortly probably came up first. Clean mobile app, photo-based items, QR labels and a free tier.

Then the caps arrive. Item caps, seat caps, custom field caps. The real choice is between a hosted app that charges by how much you track and how many people track it, or an inventory system that lives inside the WordPress site you already run.

Both are reasonable. They are reasonable for different businesses. This post is about telling which one you are.

Two different bets

Sortly is software as a service. You rent access, your data sits on Sortly’s servers and your bill scales with your catalogue and your team.

A WordPress inventory plugin is the opposite bet. The software runs on hosting you already pay for, your data sits in your own database and the cost does not move when your catalogue grows.

Neither model wins in the abstract. What matters is which set of constraints you can live with.

Where Sortly’s limits bite

Sortly’s pricing is built around caps. Here is what each plan allowed as of August 2026, taken from Sortly’s own pricing page.

Plan Per month Items Users Custom fields
Free $0 100 1 1
Advanced $49 500 2 5
Ultra $149 2,000 5 10
Premium $299 5,000 8 20
Enterprise Quote 10,000+ 12+ Unlimited

A 50% first-year discount applies to yearly plans for new customers, dropping to 20% after year one. Sortly’s help centre states there are no school or non-profit discounts.

Three caps cause most of the friction:

  • The item cap. Growth forces an upgrade, whether or not anything else about your operation changed.
  • The seat cap. Adding a part-time volunteer costs real money.
  • The custom field cap. The quiet one. Track five attributes today, need a sixth next year, change plans to add a text box.

Example: A community theatre catalogues costumes, props and lighting gear. It passes 500 items during its second season and needs six people updating stock during production week. On Sortly that combination pushes it to Ultra. On the WordPress site it already runs, the item count and the six staff logins cost nothing extra.

What Sortly does better

Being fair here matters, because picking the wrong tool wastes more than it saves.

  • Native mobile apps with offline access. If your team counts stock in a basement, a job site or a storage unit with no signal, WordPress does not match this.
  • In-app barcode and QR scanning. Phone camera, straight into the record.
  • Real-time sync across devices. Several people updating at once, everywhere, instantly.
  • Integrations. QuickBooks Online, Slack and Microsoft Teams on higher plans.

If your inventory work happens on a phone away from a desk, Sortly is built for that and a WordPress admin screen is not.

What WordPress does better

No item cap

WP Inventory Manager has no ceiling on item count. There is no row limit anywhere in the plugin. Catalogue size is a hosting question rather than a billing question.

Your existing users are your seats

Anyone with a WordPress login can be given inventory access. Ten staff cost the same as one. The Advanced User Control add-on narrows it further, setting each user’s view, edit and add rights to none, own items only or everything.

A public catalogue, not just a private database

This is the difference most comparisons miss. Sortly is an internal tool. WP Inventory Manager renders your inventory on the front end of your site with a shortcode, so the records your team manages can also be the catalogue your customers browse.

For a gallery, a rental yard or a parts supplier that removes an entire duplicate system. See how it plays out for equipment rental businesses.

Your data stays yours

Items live in your own database tables. Back them up, query them, export them to CSV and take them with you. Nothing goes read-only because a card expired.

Fields that match your business

Core ships with fields for number, name, description, size, manufacturer, make, model, year, serial and price. You rename or hide any of them under WP Inventory > Labels. When you need more, the Advanced Item add-on defines item types with their own text, number, dropdown and radio fields, with no cap on how many.

The three-year cost picture

Take a small organisation with 800 items and five people who need access. On Sortly that is the Ultra plan, which runs $888 for the first promotional year then renews near the standard yearly rate. Across three years you are looking at several thousand dollars. The number climbs again past 2,000 items.

The WordPress route uses hosting you already pay for. The core plugin is free. If you want the paid pieces, the All Access Pass bundles the add-on library for $199 a year. Item count and staff count do not change that figure.

The trade is real. You take on hosting, backups and updates yourself and you give up the mobile app.

Which one are you?

Five questions usually settle it:

  • Do you already run a WordPress site? If yes, the marginal cost of adding inventory to it is close to zero.
  • Does anyone need to see your inventory publicly? Customers browsing a catalogue or requesting a hold points hard toward WordPress.
  • Where does the work happen? Warehouse aisle with poor signal favours Sortly. Back office on a laptop favours WordPress.
  • How fast is your catalogue growing? Steady growth past a few hundred items makes per-item pricing expensive over time.
  • How many people touch it? Volunteers and seasonal staff get costly under seat licensing. WordPress accounts carry no per-seat fee.

Example: A construction firm tracking tools across three job sites should probably pay for Sortly. Crews scan items on their phones, often without signal. Nobody outside the company needs to see the list. The mobile app is the whole product for them.

Trying the WordPress route

Install WP Inventory Manager from the plugin repository and activate it. A WP Inventory menu appears in your admin sidebar with submenus for Status, Inventory Items, Categories, Labels, Display, Statuses, Add Ons, Settings and Support.

Go to WP Inventory > Inventory Items to add records, then WP Inventory > Categories to group them. Rename fields under WP Inventory > Labels. Then drop the shortcode on any page to publish the catalogue:

[wpinventory]

If your stock already lives in a spreadsheet, the Import Export add-on walks a CSV through a three-step upload, mapping and import wizard, so you are not retyping anything. Full steps are in the user documentation. Our roundup of the best WordPress inventory plugins covers the other options in this space.

If you’re still comparing inventory tools, see our guide to the best WordPress inventory plugins and how the main options differ by use case.

Frequently asked questions

Is WP Inventory Manager a direct Sortly replacement?

Not feature for feature. There is no native mobile app and no offline mode, so if your team works from phones in low-signal locations, Sortly still fits better. What WP Inventory Manager replaces is the item cap, the seat cap and the monthly bill. It also publishes your catalogue on the front end of your website, which Sortly does not do.

How many items can WP Inventory Manager handle?

There is no item limit in the plugin. Practical scale depends on your hosting rather than your plan. Catalogues in the thousands run fine on ordinary shared hosting.

Can I move my Sortly data across?

Yes. Export your Sortly inventory to CSV, then use the Import Export add-on to map those columns onto WP Inventory Manager fields. The importer can create categories automatically as it runs, so your existing grouping carries over.

Do I need WooCommerce for any of this?

No. WP Inventory Manager runs independently on any WordPress site, including sites with no ecommerce at all. There is no cart and no checkout unless you add a payment add-on deliberately.

What does it cost to run inventory on WordPress?

The core plugin is free from the WordPress repository with no item or user limits. Paid add-ons cover multi-location stock, reservations, advanced search, QR codes and import or export. The All Access Pass bundles the library for $199 a year. That figure does not change as your catalogue or team grows.

Load your real catalogue and see

The core plugin is free with no item cap and no seat cap, so you can import your actual inventory and judge it against your current tool before spending anything.

Download Free →  Browse Add-Ons →

Categories: How-to
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How to Track Physical Assets in WordPress

Sunday, July 26th, 2026

 

 

Inventory is what you sell. Assets are what you keep. The laptop your bookkeeper uses, the projector in the meeting room, the mowers in the shed, the folding chairs in the church basement. Nobody buys these from you, but losing track of them costs real money.

Most asset tracking software is priced for enterprises: per user, per month, forever. Spreadsheets are free but go stale the day someone forgets to update them.

There is a middle path. If your organization runs a WordPress site, you already own the platform your asset register can live on. This guide shows you how to build it, what the free version covers and where the paid add-ons earn their keep.

You can use WordPress for physical asset tracking by creating a central record for each piece of equipment, including its asset number, serial number, status and location. WP Inventory Manager adds this inventory structure directly to WordPress, while optional add-ons extend it with QR labels, multiple locations, history and user access controls.

Asset tracking vs inventory management

The two get lumped together, but they answer different questions:

  • Inventory management asks “how many do we have left?” It cares about quantities, reorder points and stock that flows in and out.
  • Asset tracking asks “where is it, what condition is it in and who has it?” It cares about individual items with serial numbers, locations and history.

A coffee shop tracks bags of beans as inventory and its espresso machines as assets. The beans get consumed. The machines get maintained, moved and eventually retired.

WP Inventory Manager handles both, because an asset register is really an inventory of things with a quantity of one and a lot of identifying detail. The item record already carries the fields asset tracking needs.

What a real asset register needs

A working asset register handles five things:

  • Identity: name, asset number, make, model, year and serial number. If it walked out the door, you could describe it to an insurer.
  • Status: in use, in repair, in storage, retired. Status tells you what portion of your equipment is actually working for you.
  • Location: which building, which room, which vehicle. Multi-site organizations need per-location counts and a record of transfers.
  • History: who changed what and when. An audit trail turns “I think we had three” into a number you can defend.
  • Access: staff need to look assets up fast while you keep control over who can see or edit which records.

Looking for the product setup rather than the broader methodology? See how WP Inventory Manager supports internal asset tracking in WordPress.

Building the register: free setup

Add your assets as items

Go to WP Inventory > Add Inventory. The item record includes fields built for asset work: item number, make, model, year and serial number, alongside name, description, quantity and an image. For most assets the quantity is simply 1.

Rename fields with Labels

Not every field name will match your vocabulary. The WP Inventory > Labels screen lets you rename any field across the whole system. “FOB” can become “Assigned To” and “Size” can become “Condition.” You shape the register around your organization without touching code.

Use categories and statuses

Build a category tree under WP Inventory > Categories (IT Equipment, Vehicles, Furniture, AV Gear). Then use WP Inventory > Statuses to define lifecycle states like In Use, In Repair and Retired. Together they answer the two most common questions: what kind of thing is it and can we use it right now.

Example: A community college media department registers 40 cameras, 25 tripods and 60 microphones. Each camera record carries its serial number, purchase year and a status. When a student reports a broken zoom ring, the tech sets that camera to In Repair. The checkout desk sees 39 available cameras instead of 40 and stops promising gear that is sitting on a workbench.

Put the register where people can see it

Add the shortcode to any page to display the register on the front end:

[wpinventory]

Show it publicly, or place it behind a login for staff only. The user documentation covers the display options in detail.

Custom fields for different asset types

A vehicle needs different fields than a laptop. The Advanced Inventory Manager add-on lets you define item types, each with its own custom fields: text, number, dropdown and more.

Define a “Vehicle” type with fields for license plate, VIN and next service date. Define a “Computer” type with fields for warranty expiry and assigned user. Each asset only shows the fields that belong to its type, which keeps data entry clean and your reports meaningful.

Locations and transfers

Once assets live in more than one place, “where is it” becomes the hard question. The Locations Manager add-on tracks quantities per location and records transfers when assets move, with an activity log that shows what went where.

  • See at a glance which office, warehouse or campus holds each asset.
  • Move assets between locations and keep the paper trail automatically.
  • Review location activity when something goes missing.

Example: A nonprofit with three offices tracks 25 donated laptops. When two laptops move from the downtown office to the shelter site for a job training program, the coordinator records the transfer. Six months later, during the grant audit, the activity log shows exactly when they moved and the auditor gets an answer in thirty seconds instead of thirty emails.

QR Code Asset Tracking in WordPress

QR code asset tracking connects each physical asset to its corresponding WordPress record. The QR Code add-on generates a QR code for each asset that points to its detail page and can bulk-print labels for your whole register in one pass.

Stick a label on each asset. Anyone with a phone camera scans it and lands on the record: what it is, what status it is in and where it belongs. No app to install, no scanner hardware to buy.

History and accountability

Knowing an asset’s current status is useful, but some organizations also need a record of how inventory changes over time.

For workflows that need a more detailed audit trail, the Inventory Ledger can help record inventory changes and associated cost information.

If different people manage different sites or inventory records, the Advanced User Control add-on provides more granular control over which inventory records users can access and manage.

Who tracks assets in WordPress

This approach fits any organization that owns more equipment than one person can remember. We have written specific playbooks for several of them: schools tracking Chromebooks and textbooks, nonprofits managing donated goods, churches and ministries and gyms tracking equipment.

The pattern is the same in each: WordPress is already there, the budget does not stretch to enterprise software and the register has to work for volunteers or part-time staff, not just IT.

Getting the full toolkit

The add-ons mentioned above are available individually on the WP Inventory Manager add-ons page. All Access combines the Pro license with all paid WP Inventory Manager add-ons.

Start with the core plugin, then add functionality such as locations, QR codes, inventory history or user controls when your asset tracking workflow requires it. See the current plans and pricing for details.

Start free, prove the register works for your team and upgrade when a specific gap shows up. That is the order that wastes the least money.

Frequently asked questions

Can WordPress really replace dedicated asset tracking software?

For small and mid-sized organizations, yes. WP Inventory Manager records identity, status, location and history for each asset, which is the core of what dedicated platforms sell. You give up telematics-style automation and gain a register with no per-user monthly fees on a site you already maintain.

Do I need WooCommerce for asset tracking in WordPress?

No. WP Inventory Manager runs independently of WooCommerce and does not require any ecommerce functionality at all.

How do I track which employee has a piece of equipment?

You can use a custom field or rename an existing field with Labels to record the employee, department or team responsible for an asset. WP Inventory Manager does not currently provide a dedicated employee check-in/check-out workflow, so organizations that require automated issue-and-return tracking may need a more specialized asset management system.

Can I print asset labels from WordPress?

Yes. The QR Code add-on generates a code per asset that links to its record and supports bulk printing, so you can label an entire room of equipment in one session.

Is there a free version I can start with?

Yes. The free version of WP Inventory Manager is on the WordPress plugin repository and covers asset records, categories, statuses and front-end display. Add locations, QR labels or history tracking later if you need them.

Start building your asset register in WordPress

If your organization already uses WordPress, you can start with a simple asset register and add capabilities such as locations, QR labels and inventory history as your requirements grow.

Download Free →  Compare Plans →

Categories: How-to
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How to Display Inventory on Any WordPress Page (Shortcode Tutorial)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2026

You have entered your inventory into WordPress. Items, categories, quantities, images. Now you want people to actually see it: customers browsing your catalog, staff checking what is on the shelf, or members viewing available equipment.

In WP Inventory Manager that takes exactly one step: paste a shortcode on a page. Everything else in this tutorial is refinement, showing a single category, changing the sort order, limiting the page size or displaying one featured item.

If you search for how to do this, almost every tutorial assumes WooCommerce and a full store. You do not need either. This works on any WordPress site with the free WP Inventory Manager plugin.

If you’re setting up your inventory for the first time, start with our complete guide to managing inventory in WordPress without WooCommerce, then use the shortcode options below to control how it appears on your site.

Step 1: Put your inventory on a page

Create or edit any page, then add the shortcode:

[wpinventory]

In the block editor, use a Shortcode block (type /shortcode). In the Classic editor, paste it straight into the content. Publish the page and your full inventory appears as a browsable list, with each item linking to its own detail view.

That is the whole core tutorial. The rest is control.

Step 2: Choose what each item shows

The listing pulls its columns from your Display settings, not from the shortcode. Go to WP Inventory > Display to control which fields appear in the list view. By default the listing shows the item image, name, manufacturer, make, model and price.

  • Show quantity in the listing so visitors see availability at a glance.
  • Listing image size (thumbnail by default) controls load speed on large catalogs.
  • Field names come from WP Inventory > Labels. Rename “Make” or “FOB” to whatever fits your business and the listing updates everywhere.

Step 3: Show only one category

Most sites want more than one inventory page: a rentals page, a sale items page, a parts page. Point the shortcode at a category:

[wpinventory category_id=”3″]

Find the ID in WP Inventory > Categories. You can also use the category name with the category attribute. Build one page per category and add each to your menu, and visitors experience separate catalogs while you manage one inventory.

Example: A tool rental shop keeps three pages: Power Tools, Trailers and Lawn Care. Each page holds one shortcode with a different category_id. When a new chainsaw is added to Power Tools in the admin, it appears on the right page instantly with no page edits.

Step 4: Control sorting and page size

[wpinventory order=”inventory_name” page_size=”10″]

  • The order attribute sorts by any field: inventory_name, inventory_number (the default), inventory_price and so on.
  • The page_size attribute sets items per page. The site-wide default is 20, set in Settings.
  • Pagination appears automatically when your inventory exceeds the page size.

Step 5: Feature a single item

To spotlight one item on a landing page, pass its ID:

[wpinventory inventory_id=”42″]

This renders that item’s detail view. The backlink=”0″ attribute removes the back-to-list link when you want the item to stand alone.

Step 6: Make an internal inventory page (staff only)

Not every inventory belongs on the public site. Internal asset lists, staff equipment or member-only catalogs work the same way with one difference: the page’s visibility.

The simplest route is built into WordPress. Edit the page holding the shortcode and set its visibility to Private (visible only to logged-in editors and admins) or Password Protected (anyone with the password). For a proper members-or-staff area, any membership plugin that restricts pages will restrict your inventory page along with it, because the inventory is just page content.

This is the pattern our own internal asset tracking users rely on: full inventory in the admin, one protected page for staff lookups and nothing exposed to the public.

If the shortcode shows nothing

Three checks solve nearly every blank-listing report:

  • Items exist and are published. The listing only shows items with a status that allows display. Check WP Inventory > Inventory Items.
  • The shortcode is plain text. Page builders sometimes wrap pasted text in formatting that breaks shortcode parsing. Re-type the brackets by hand in a Shortcode block.
  • A category filter matches nothing. If you passed category_id, confirm the ID against WP Inventory > Categories. A typo returns an empty list, not an error.

Two more shortcodes worth knowing

  • [wpinventory_categories] outputs your category list, each linking to its items. Useful as a catalog landing page.
  • [wpinventory_latest_items] shows your most recently added items. Useful on a homepage to surface new stock.

Read the Documentation →  Compare Plans →

Both also exist as widgets for sidebars and footers. The full shortcode attribute reference is available in the shortcode options documentation.

When the shortcode is not enough

The built-in listing covers browsing. Two situations call for more:

  • Large catalogs need search. The Advanced Search add-on adds keyword search and field filters to your front-end display, so visitors narrow hundreds of items without paging through them.
  • Reservations need a cart. The Reserve Cart add-on lets visitors request items from the listing, without payments or WooCommerce.

Both are included in the All Access pass alongside Locations Manager and Pro.

Shortcode questions, answered

Where do I put the [wpinventory] shortcode?

On any page or post. Use a Shortcode block in the block editor or paste it directly in the Classic editor. The inventory listing renders where the shortcode sits.

Can I show different categories on different pages?

Yes. Use [wpinventory category_id=”X”] with a different ID on each page. Category IDs are listed under WP Inventory > Categories in your admin.

How do I change which fields show in the list?

Field visibility is controlled in WP Inventory > Display, not in the shortcode. Choose the fields for list and detail views there; the shortcode picks up the settings automatically.

Does the shortcode work with any theme?

Yes. The listing uses your theme’s page width and typography. If you need deeper styling control, the plugin supports custom templates through its theming system.

Can visitors search the inventory on the page?

Basic category browsing is built in. Keyword search and field filters on the front end come with the Advanced Search add-on, available separately or in the All Access pass.

Everything the shortcode can do, in one reference

The user documentation covers every attribute, display setting and template option, with examples you can copy straight into your pages.

Read the Documentation →  Compare Plans →

Categories: How-to

How to Import Your Inventory into WordPress from a Spreadsheet

Thursday, June 25th, 2026

 

If your inventory already lives in a spreadsheet, you do not need to retype it into WordPress one item at a time. WP Inventory Manager reads a CSV file and turns each row into a full inventory record, complete with categories and images. A list that would take a whole afternoon to enter by hand goes in within minutes.

This tutorial walks through the entire process: preparing your file, exporting it to CSV and running the three-step import wizard. By the end you will have your catalog inside WordPress and a repeatable way to update it later.

If you’re building your inventory system from scratch rather than just migrating existing data, see our complete guide to managing inventory in WordPress without WooCommerce.

Why move off the spreadsheet

Spreadsheets are fine for a first list. They stop being fine once more than one person needs the data, once you want it on your website, or once a serial number matters for insurance.

Importing into WP Inventory Manager keeps the convenience of working in a spreadsheet while giving you a real system on top: a searchable admin, a front-end display through the [wpinventory] shortcode and per-item fields for quantity, category and serial number. You edit in bulk when it suits you, then import the changes.

What you need before you start

Importing is handled by the Import / Export add-on, which is included in the All Access Pass. Make sure it is installed and active, then check that your file is ready. A clean import file has four things.

  1. A heading row. The first row names each column: Name, Quantity, Category, Price, Serial Number. Clear headings let the importer match columns automatically.
  2. One item per row. Every row is a single inventory record. Avoid merged cells and blank separator rows, which confuse the parser.
  3. Consistent categories. Spell each category the same way every time. “Power Tools” and “power tools” become two separate categories on import.
  4. Image URLs, if you have them. Put a public link to each photo in an image column. The importer fetches the file and attaches it to the item for you.

Step 1: prepare your spreadsheet

Open your file in Excel, Google Sheets, or any spreadsheet tool. Put each piece of data in its own column and give every column a plain heading. Match your headings to the fields WP Inventory Manager uses so the next steps go faster.

Example: A hardware shop sets up four columns: Name, Quantity, Category, Price. The first data row reads “18V Cordless Drill, 12, Power Tools, 129.00.” Forty rows later the file holds the whole shop, ready to import.

Step 2: save the file as CSV

The importer reads CSV files, which almost every spreadsheet tool can produce. In Excel choose File > Save As and pick “CSV (Comma delimited).” In Google Sheets choose File > Download > Comma-separated values.

Keep the original spreadsheet as your working copy. The CSV is just the version you hand to WordPress.

Step 3: upload the CSV

In your WordPress admin go to WP Inventory > Import / Export and choose the import option. Upload your CSV file. The importer reads the first few rows and shows you a short preview so you can confirm it found your columns.

Tick the box for “File contains heading row” if your first row holds column names, which it should after Step 1.

Step 4: Map your columns

This is the part that saves you from manual entry. The importer tries to match each column in your file to a field in WP Inventory Manager, so a column named “Quantity” lines up with the quantity field on its own.

Review the suggested matches and fix any that landed wrong using the dropdown next to each column. If a column does not belong in your inventory, you can leave it unmapped and the importer skips it.

Example: A column titled “Cost” auto-maps to a custom field instead of Price. You open the dropdown, point it at Price and the rest of the mapping stays as detected. One fix and you are ready to run.

Step 5: Run the import

With your columns mapped, start the import. WP Inventory Manager creates one item per row and reports how many records it added. Open WP Inventory > Manage Inventory to see your catalog populated.

If something looks off, the add-on supports rolling back an import, so a test run on a few rows carries no risk. Import five rows first, check the result, then run the full file with confidence.

Categories and images on import

Two settings make the first import do more of the work for you.

  • Create categories automatically. Turn this on and any category in your file that does not exist yet is created during the import, so you do not have to build the list by hand first.
  • Fetch images from URLs. Give each row a public image link and the importer downloads the photo and attaches it to the item.

For the full import and export instructions, see the Import/Export documentation.

Exporting and updating Later

The same add-on exports too. From the inventory list you can export everything or just the items that match your current filter, which lands as a dated CSV file.

That gives you a clean update loop: export the current data, edit it in your spreadsheet, then import it back. Bulk price changes, seasonal additions and stock counts all become a quick round trip instead of dozens of edits inside WordPress.

Get started: Read the full walkthrough in the Import/Export documentation, or download the free plugin and build your catalog today.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need WooCommerce to import inventory?

No. WP Inventory Manager and the Import / Export add-on run independently of WooCommerce. The import works on any WordPress site with no store attached.

Can I import from Excel or Google Sheets directly?

You import a CSV file, which both Excel and Google Sheets export in a couple of clicks. Save or download your sheet as CSV, then upload that file.

What happens if I map a column to the wrong field?

You fix it in the mapping step before anything is saved. If a bad mapping slips through, the add-on lets you roll back the import and try again, so mistakes are easy to undo.

Will the import create my categories for me?

Yes, if you enable “Create categories.” Any category name in your file that does not already exist is created during the import and the matching items are assigned to it.

How many rows can I import at once?

There is no fixed limit, though very large files depend on your hosting limits for upload size and run time. For big catalogs, split the file or raise your server limits and always test a small batch first.

Categories: How-to
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Free Asset Tracking for Nonprofits in WordPress (2026)

Friday, June 12th, 2026

Your nonprofit runs on donated laptops, borrowed projectors, a fleet of outreach vehicles, and shelves of supplies spread across three office locations. Someone always knows where the good HDMI cable is. But when a grant auditor asks for a full equipment list or a laptop goes missing. The answer is usually a spreadsheet that hasn’t been updated in eight months.

This is the asset tracking problem every nonprofit eventually hits. And most WordPress solutions don’t solve it, because they’re built for donations, memberships, or ecommerce not physical asset management.

This guide walks through how to set up proper asset tracking for your nonprofit directly inside WordPress, without WooCommerce and without a monthly SaaS fee.

Why most WordPress plugins don’t solve this

Search for “nonprofit WordPress plugin” and you’ll find donation forms, membership management, and event calendars. These are useful but none of them track whether your field team has the projector or whether the van is assigned to Site A or Site B.

The SaaS options (AssetPanda, EZOfficeInventory, RedBeam) do handle physical assets well, but they carry monthly subscription costs that many nonprofits can’t justify for a problem that should be solvable inside the tools they already use.

The gap: Nonprofits need physical asset tracking, not ecommerce, not donations. A WordPress-native solution that’s free to run keeps the data on your own server, requires no new vendor contracts, and works within your existing admin dashboard.

What nonprofits actually need to track

The assets that cause problems at nonprofits tend to fall into a few categories:

  • Technology equipment – laptops, tablets, projectors, cameras, AV gear
  • Vehicles and transport – vans, bikes, trailers assigned to programs or locations
  • Program supplies – kits, uniforms, tools distributed to staff or volunteers
  • Furniture and fixtures – especially relevant for multi-site orgs or temporary locations
  • Grant-funded items – equipment purchased with restricted funds that must be tracked for compliance

The tracking requirements are also specific. You need to know: what you have, where it is, who has it, what condition it’s in, and whether it was grant-funded. A basic spreadsheet breaks down as soon as two people need to update it at the same time.

Setting up asset tracking in WordPress with WP Inventory Manager

WP Inventory Manager is a free WordPress plugin that adds a dedicated inventory module to your dashboard. It works independently of WooCommerce and stores all data on your own server. Here’s how to configure it for nonprofit asset tracking.

Step 1: Create your inventory type

After installing the plugin, go to WP Inventory → Manage Inventory and create your first inventory type. For example, “Technology Equipment.” You can create multiple types (Vehicles, Supplies, Furniture) and manage them separately or together.

Step 2: Add custom fields for your org

This is where WP Inventory earns its value for nonprofits. Under WP Inventory → Settings → Fields, add fields specific to your tracking needs:

Field name Field type Purpose
Serial Number Text Device identification for audits
Assigned To Text Staff member or program currently using the item
Condition Dropdown Good / Fair / Needs Repair / Retired
Grant Funded Dropdown Yes / No – flags items with compliance requirements
Grant Name Text Which grant funded the purchase
Purchase Date Date Useful for depreciation and warranty tracking

Step 3: Add your assets

Once your fields are set up, add assets under WP Inventory → Add New Item. For bulk imports, use the Import/Export add-on to upload a CSV — useful if you’re migrating from a spreadsheet.

Step 4: Set staff access without giving admin rights

One of the most important features for nonprofits: staff can update asset records without needing administrator access to your WordPress site. The Advanced User Control add-on lets you assign inventory-only permissions, so your program coordinator can update “Assigned To” fields without touching anything else in the backend.

The same setup can be used by other organizations that need internal asset tracking in WordPress for equipment, devices, furniture and other physical assets.

Managing assets across multiple locations

If your nonprofit operates from more than one office, shelter, program site, or van, the Location Manager add-on lets you assign each asset to a specific location. Staff can filter the inventory list by location, so Site B’s coordinator only sees Site B’s equipment.

Example: A social services nonprofit with four outreach sites assigns each laptop, tablet, and vehicle to its home location. When an asset moves between sites, the assigned staff member updates the location field. The operations manager sees the full picture from the backend at any time.

Exporting for audits and grant reporting

Grant auditors often require a complete asset list for items purchased with restricted funds. With WP Inventory’s Import/Export add-on, you can export your full inventory or a filtered subset to CSV at any time. Filter by the “Grant Funded: Yes” field to produce a grant-specific equipment list in minutes.

This replaces the quarterly scramble to reconcile spreadsheets across departments before a compliance review.

Displaying your asset list publicly or internally

Not every nonprofit wants a public-facing inventory but some do. A food bank might display available supply quantities. A tool lending library might show what’s available for checkout. A church might list AV equipment available for room bookings.

WP Inventory displays inventory on any WordPress page using a simple shortcode: [wpinventory]. Visitors can search, filter, and sort the list without any coding. If you want the list private, simply place it on a password-protected page or members-only area.

Frequently asked questions

Does this work without WooCommerce?
Yes. WP Inventory Manager is completely independent of WooCommerce. You do not need an ecommerce setup of any kind.
Is it free?
The core plugin is free with no item limits. Optional add-ons (Location Manager, Advanced User Control, Import/Export) are available as paid extensions starting at $39.99/year each, or bundled in the All Access pass at $199/year.
Where is the data stored?
All asset data is stored in your own WordPress database — on your server or hosting account. Nothing is sent to a third-party platform.
Can volunteers update the inventory?
Yes, with the Advanced User Control add-on you can give specific users inventory-edit access without granting them full admin rights.
Can I track check-out and check-in of equipment?
The Reserve Cart add-on handles reservation requests — a visitor requests an item, you receive an email notification, and you confirm. It’s a workflow-based system rather than an automated check-out system.

Get started

WP Inventory Manager installs in minutes from the WordPress plugin directory. The core plugin is free. If your nonprofit needs multi-location tracking, staff access controls, or CSV export for grant reporting, the add-ons are available individually or as part of the All Access bundle.

Learn more →

Categories: How-to
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5 Best WordPress Inventory Management Plugins in 2026 (Compared)

Thursday, June 11th, 2026

Search “best WordPress inventory plugin” and you’ll find the same list repeated everywhere: ATUM, Smart Manager, WooCommerce Stock Manager. All solid tools. All built for online stores.

Quick answer:

  • Best without WooCommerce: WP Inventory Manager. Free, unlimited items, searchable front-end catalog
  • Best for WooCommerce stock control: ATUM. Purchase orders and suppliers in the free tier
  • Best for bulk editing a large WooCommerce catalog: Smart Manager
  • Best for a visual catalog with light inventory needs: Ultimate Product Catalog
  • Good enough for small stores: WooCommerce’s built-in stock management

If you run a WooCommerce store, skip to ATUM and Smart Manager below. They are the right tools for you and we say so. But if you are tracking equipment, managing a parts catalog, running an asset register, or building a browsable inventory without a shopping cart, those tools solve a different problem than the one you have. Coming from a standalone app instead? Read our Sortly alternative for WordPress.

This comparison breaks that down honestly.

There are two completely different jobs here

Before comparing plugins, it helps to name the two distinct things people mean when they say “WordPress inventory management.” They are not the same job, and the plugins built for each are not interchangeable.

Job A: Store Stock Control Job B: Catalog / Asset Inventory
Who Runs a WooCommerce shop Tracks items, may not sell online at all
Need Sync stock to orders, purchase orders, suppliers Display a searchable catalog, track quantity and status
Examples Retailer with 2,000 SKUs, dropshipper, marketplace seller Equipment rental, museum, parts catalog, asset register
Best fit ATUM, Smart Manager WP Inventory Manager

WooCommerce-based tools cannot do Job B without adding a full store engine you don’t need. WP Inventory Manager doesn’t do Job A: there’s no checkout, no order sync, no supplier purchase orders. That’s not a weakness. It’s the design.

Plugin by plugin

WP Inventory Manager: Best inventory management without WooCommerce

Model: Fully standalone. No WooCommerce dependency. Uses its own database tables and displays via the [wpinventory] shortcode on any page.

Free tier: Genuinely unlimited items, custom fields, categories, front-end search and sort, and full admin management. Most small businesses never outgrow the free tier.

Paid add-ons: Pro ($79.99/yr) unlocks support and access to add-ons such as low-stock email alerts, quantity history and min/max quantity fields. Add-ons include Advanced Search ($39.99/yr), Locations Manager ($39.99/yr), Reserve Cart ($29.99/yr), and Import/Export ($59.99/yr) among others. The All Access bundle at $199/yr includes all add-ons, unlimited sites and support.

Best for: Equipment rental, art and museum collections, parts catalogs, internal asset tracking, nonprofits, schools, gyms. Anyone who needs a searchable front-end catalog without an online store.

Honest weaknesses: No payment processing or checkout. Reserve Cart captures reservation requests, not sales. No WooCommerce stock sync. No native supplier or purchase order workflow.

Real-World Fit

A brewery tracks kegs, equipment, and ingredients across two locations. Staff update stock from the WordPress admin. Distributors browse available items on the front end. No store, no cart, no checkout. Just a clean catalog that actually works.

ATUM: Best for advanced WooCommerce inventory management

Model: WooCommerce add-on, requires WooCommerce to function. 10,000+ active installs.

Free tier: Unusually powerful. Stock Central dashboard, purchase orders, suppliers, inventory logs, and statistics are all free. Most stores never need the paid version.

Best for: WooCommerce stores that want serious inventory control without leaving WordPress. If you’re already on Woo and need supplier management or purchase orders, ATUM is the answer.

Honest weaknesses: Completely useless without WooCommerce. Installing Woo just to use ATUM adds significant weight to your site and forces a store architecture you may not need.

Smart Manager (StoreApps): Best for bulk editing large WooCommerce catalogs

Model: WooCommerce add-on. Spreadsheet-style bulk editor for products, orders, and stock. Free lite version; Pro from $149/yr (single site).

Free tier: Smart Manager Lite covers basic bulk editing of products and stock. Advanced columns, order editing and bulk update rules are in the paid version.

Best for: Stores editing hundreds or thousands of SKUs at once. Price updates, stock adjustments, attribute changes in bulk. Solves a specific operational bottleneck, not a catalog display problem.

Honest weaknesses: It is an editing tool, not an inventory system. No front-end display, no locations, no purchase orders, and nothing to offer if your items are not WooCommerce products.

Native WooCommerce Stock Management: Best free WooCommerce stock dashboard

Model: Built into WooCommerce, free. Handles per-product stock, low-stock emails and backorders.

Best for: Stores under roughly 500 SKUs that need stock counts and nothing more.

Honest weaknesses: No suppliers, no purchase orders, no multi-location stock, no bulk editing. Beyond a few hundred products most teams add ATUM or Smart Manager on top.

Ultimate Product Catalog: Best for a visual catalog with light inventory needs

Model: Standalone catalog plugin, no WooCommerce needed. Free version with a paid Premium tier.

Best for: Showcasing items with images and filters where quantity tracking is secondary. Showrooms, restaurants, brochure-style catalogs.

Honest weaknesses: Display first, inventory second. No quantity workflow, no reservations, no locations, no ledger. If you need to know how many you have and where they are, it is the wrong tool.

What about building your own with ACF? Advanced Custom Fields gives you total flexibility, but no inventory logic out of the box, and you need a developer. WP Inventory Manager sits between the two: purpose-built for tracking quantity and status, with a front-end display and no development work.

Side-by-side comparison

Feature WP Inventory Manager ATUM Smart Manager Native Woo
Requires WooCommerce No Yes Yes Yes
Front-end catalog display Yes (shortcode) No No No
Unlimited items (free) Yes Yes Lite limits Yes
Custom fields Yes Product meta only Product meta only Product meta only
Multi-location stock Add-on ($39.99/yr) Add-on (paid) No No
Purchase orders / suppliers No Yes (free) No No
Reservation / request flow Add-on ($29.99/yr) No No No
Free to start Yes Yes Lite only Yes

Is WP Inventory Manager right for you?

Choose WP Inventory Manager if you… Choose ATUM / Smart Manager / Woo if you…
Don’t run (or want) a WooCommerce store Already sell through WooCommerce
Need a browsable, searchable front-end catalog Need stock to decrement automatically on each order
Track equipment, art, vehicles, parts, or assets Manage supplier relationships and purchase orders
Want unlimited items free with custom fields Need multi-warehouse e-commerce stock control
Need reservation requests rather than online sales Take payment and check out on-site
Have stock across multiple physical locations Need to bulk-edit thousands of product SKUs at once

If you’re building an inventory without a shopping cart, ATUM and Smart Manager are the wrong category of tool entirely. You’d be installing a store engine to solve a catalog problem. On the other hand, WP Inventory Manager was built specifically for the catalog and asset tracking use case, and the free tier covers more ground than most businesses need. Still running inventory in a spreadsheet? Read spreadsheet vs inventory management software to decide when it is time to move.

Need inventory management without WooCommerce?

Track equipment, assets, collections, parts and other inventory directly inside WordPress.

Explore WP Inventory Manager

Which WordPress inventory plugin is best for your use case?

The easiest way to choose an inventory plugin is to start with what you are actually trying to track.

Use Case Recommended Solution Why
Internal asset tracking WP Inventory Manager Track equipment, ownership, location, status, serial numbers and custom fields without ecommerce.
Equipment rental WP Inventory Manager Create searchable equipment inventories and handle reservation requests without building a full online store.
Museum or art collection WP Inventory Manager Manage collection metadata and display a searchable public or private catalog without checkout.
Parts or spare-parts catalog WP Inventory Manager Organize parts by category, SKU, compatibility, location, quantity, and custom attributes.
School or nonprofit inventory WP Inventory Manager Maintain an asset register without configuring or maintaining an ecommerce platform.
WooCommerce store with advanced stock control ATUM Add suppliers, purchase orders, inventory logs, and more advanced WooCommerce stock workflows.
Large WooCommerce catalog needing frequent edits Smart Manager Bulk-edit products, prices, and inventory through a spreadsheet-style interface.
Simple WooCommerce stock management Native WooCommerce Built-in stock quantities, backorders, and low-stock alerts may already cover straightforward ecommerce needs.

Use case: Internal asset tracking

A company may need to track laptops, monitors, tools, furniture, or other equipment assigned to employees. These items are not products for sale, so creating WooCommerce products for every asset adds unnecessary ecommerce functionality.

WP Inventory Manager can store information such as serial number, location, assigned employee, condition, purchase date, and asset status using custom fields.

See our internal asset tracking example for a more detailed workflow.

Use case: Equipment rental

A rental business might maintain hundreds of cameras, power tools, event supplies, or pieces of industrial equipment. Customers need to browse what is available while staff need to manage quantities and item information internally.

In this case, the requirement is closer to an inventory catalog than a traditional ecommerce store.

Our guide to equipment rental inventory in WordPress explains how this type of system can be structured.

Use case: Art gallery or museum collection

Galleries and museums often need to catalog artworks or objects with fields such as artist, medium, dimensions, acquisition date, location, status, and collection.

They may also want visitors or staff to search the collection without showing prices or offering checkout.

See how to create a searchable online art catalog in WordPress.

Use case: Parts catalog

A manufacturer, repair company, or distributor may need a searchable catalog containing thousands of replacement parts. Customers or staff might search by SKU, category, model, manufacturer, or compatibility rather than purchasing immediately.

A standalone inventory plugin can provide that catalog without forcing every item into an ecommerce workflow.

Display your parts inventory on your website with searchable listings, custom fields, images and inquiry options.

Ready to build your inventory in WordPress?

Start with WP Inventory Manager and add advanced features as your inventory needs grow.

View Plans & Pricing

Frequently Asked Questions

Can WP Inventory Manager replace WooCommerce for inventory?

Only if you don’t need WooCommerce’s core function: processing online sales. WPIM is purpose-built for catalog and asset inventory without a store. If you need customers to check out and pay, you need WooCommerce alongside or instead of WPIM.

Is ATUM really free? What’s the catch?

ATUM’s free tier is genuinely strong – purchase orders, supplier management, stock dashboards, and inventory logs are all included at no cost. However, the catch is that it requires WooCommerce, which means you’re carrying the full weight of an e-commerce platform even if you don’t need it.

What’s the best free WordPress inventory plugin?

For WooCommerce stores: ATUM’s free tier is hard to beat. For non-WooCommerce catalog and asset tracking: WP Inventory Manager gives you unlimited items, categories, custom fields, and front-end display at no cost. Unlimited item, no trial period.

Can I show my inventory on the front end without a store?

Yes – this is exactly what WP Inventory Manager does with its shortcode display. Visitors can browse and search your catalog. You control which fields show, and no one can check out or purchase directly. On top of this, the Reserve Cart add-on handles reservation requests if you need them.

Do I need technical skills to set up WP Inventory Manager?

No. Installation is standard WordPress plugin setup: upload, activate, done. Adding items and categories works through the admin dashboard. The shortcode drops your inventory onto any page. No coding required for core setup or the majority of add-ons.

Categories: How-to
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ATUM vs WP Inventory Manager: Which to Pick in 2026

Wednesday, June 10th, 2026

If you are comparing WP Inventory Manager vs ATUM, the right choice depends on whether your inventory workflow is built around WooCommerce. ATUM is designed for WooCommerce stock management, while WP Inventory Manager is built for WordPress inventory catalogs, asset tracking, equipment rental, parts catalogs and internal inventory workflows that do not need a shopping cart.

Which WordPress inventory plugin is right for your site?

The main difference: ATUM requires WooCommerce

ATUM requires WooCommerce. Its full name is “ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking.” Without WooCommerce installed and active on your site, ATUM will not run. It is a WooCommerce extension, not a standalone inventory tool.

WP Inventory Manager requires nothing but WordPress. It runs on any WordPress site, with WooCommerce installed, without it, or on a site that has never touched an online store. It is completely independent.

If you are not running a WooCommerce store, the decision is simple: WP Inventory Manager is the better fit because it works as a standalone WordPress inventory system.

When ATUM is the better choice

ATUM is the better choice if you already run a WooCommerce store and need deeper stock control for products, orders and suppliers. Its Stock Central dashboard gives store operators a central place to review product quantities, low-stock status, supplier details and stock value.

For example, an online retailer processing many orders each week may need purchase orders, manufacturing workflows and barcode scanning. In that case, ATUM can make sense because the inventory workflow starts inside WooCommerce.

Best for: WooCommerce store operators managing a large product catalog with an order-driven fulfillment workflow.

When WP Inventory Manager is the better choice

WP Inventory Manager is the better choice if you need inventory management in WordPress without building a full WooCommerce store. You can track items, quantities, categories and custom fields, then display a searchable catalog on the front end with a shortcode.

That distinction matters because WooCommerce ties inventory to products, carts, orders and checkout. If your inventory does not revolve around online sales, you may not need that extra ecommerce layer.

For example, a gym might track treadmills, kettlebells and resistance bands for member use. None of those items are for sale, so the site does not need product pages, carts or payments. Instead, WP Inventory Manager lets the gym create item records, organize them into categories and show a browsable front-end catalog.

Best for: Businesses tracking physical inventory outside the context of an online store: equipment, tools, assets, rental items, donated goods, or any inventory that isn’t tied to checkout.

Side-by-Side Feature Comparison

Feature WP Inventory Manager ATUM
Requires WooCommerce No Yes
Works without an online store Yes No
Free core version Yes Yes
Custom inventory fields Yes No (uses WooCommerce product fields)
Front-end inventory display Yes – shortcode No standalone display
Multi-location stock Yes – Locations Manager add-on Yes – Multi-inventory (Premium)
Low-stock email alerts Yes – Pro ($79/yr) Yes – Free tier
Purchase orders No Yes – Premium
Customer reservation system Yes – Reserve Cart add-on No
Paid tier pricing From $79 per year (Pro) or $199 per year (All Access) From ~$14.99 per month (Premium add-ons)

Who Should Choose WP Inventory Manager

  1. You don’t have WooCommerce installed. ATUM will not activate without it. WP Inventory Manager works on any WordPress site.
  2. Your inventory is not tied to online sales. Equipment, tools, assets, rental items, donated goods – if there’s no checkout involved, WPIM is built for this and ATUM is not.
  3. You need a customer-facing display. WPIM renders your catalog on the front end via shortcode. Visitors can browse and filter without a WooCommerce product page.
  4. You need custom fields. WPIM lets you add any data point to an inventory item: serial numbers, condition, supplier, last service date. ATUM uses WooCommerce’s fixed product fields.
  5. You want a lighter setup. WooCommerce adds checkout flows, payment gateways, and shipping zones. If you don’t need any of that, WPIM keeps your site clean and focused.

Who Should Choose ATUM

ATUM is the stronger choice if your primary concern is managing a large WooCommerce product catalog as part of an active ecommerce operation. Its Stock Central dashboard, purchase order support, and supplier management are genuinely valuable for an online retailer managing hundreds of SKUs with an order-driven workflow.

If WooCommerce is already the backbone of your business and you need more visibility into stock movement at the product level, ATUM extends that system well.

Getting Started With WP Inventory Manager

Install the plugin from the WordPress plugin repository or directly from wpinventory.com/downloads. Once active, the WP Inventory menu appears in your WordPress admin. From there:

  • Go to WP Inventory > Inventory Items to add and manage your stock records.
  • Go to WP Inventory > Categories to organise items into groups.
  • Add the inventory shortcode to any page to display your catalog on the front end.
  • Go to WP Inventory > Settings to configure low-stock alerts and user access (Pro required for email alerts).

The free version covers item tracking, categories, custom fields, and front-end display. Upgrade to Pro ($79 per year) for low-stock email alerts and quantity history, or to All Access ($199 per year) for multi-location tracking, a customer reservation system, and advanced search.

Comparing more than these two options? See our complete comparison of the best WordPress inventory management plugins for WooCommerce stores, standalone catalogs and asset inventory.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ATUM work without WooCommerce?

No. If you don’t have WooCommerce, you won’t be able to use ATUM. It is built as a WooCommerce extension and cannot function as a standalone inventory system.

Can WP Inventory Manager work alongside WooCommerce?

Yes, there is no technical conflict – both plugins can run on the same WordPress site simultaneously. However, they maintain completely separate catalogs with no syncing. WPIM items and WooCommerce products are two independent systems. If you need stock changes in one to reflect in the other, that would require a custom integration. Most users running WPIM are not running WooCommerce at all.

Which plugin is better for a small business with no online store?

WP Inventory Manager. It was built specifically for businesses that need to track physical inventory in WordPress without running an ecommerce store. ATUM is not an option for this use case.

How do low-stock alerts work in WP Inventory Manager?

With the Pro plan, go to WP Inventory > Settings and enable the low-quantity alert. Set the threshold quantity and the notification email address. When any item drops to or below that number, an email is sent automatically. Those items are also highlighted in red in the admin dashboard.

Can customers browse and reserve inventory without buying?

Yes, with the Reserve Cart add-on (included in All Access). Visitors can browse your catalog and submit a reservation request. You don’t have to install any payment gateway or checkout. ATUM has no equivalent feature.

Categories: How-to
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Why Your WordPress Inventory Keeps Going Out of Sync (And How to Fix It)

Thursday, June 4th, 2026

Wrong stock numbers are one of the most damaging problems a product-based business can have. You sell something you no longer have. A customer buys the last unit twice. Your purchase orders are based on counts that are days old. By the time you catch it, you’re already dealing with the fallout.

If your WordPress inventory keeps showing numbers that don’t match reality, the problem is almost always one of five things. Here is what each one looks like and how to fix it.

The short answer: most sync problems come from keeping stock in more than one place. If you do not need a shop checkout, a standalone plugin such as WP Inventory Manager (free on WordPress.org) keeps one record per item inside WordPress, so there is no WooCommerce or third-party sync to drift.

If inventory keeps falling out of sync because you’re maintaining multiple systems, see how to build a single WordPress inventory management system instead.

1. Stock Management Is Not Actually Turned On

This sounds obvious, but it’s the most common cause of inventory not tracking at all.

WordPress inventory plugins need stock management enabled at two levels: the global plugin setting, and the individual item level. If you turned it on globally but forgot to enable it on specific products, those products will never track quantity changes.

Fix: Go through your product list and confirm that stock management is active on each item. In WP Inventory Manager, this is a per-item setting in the inventory record. In WooCommerce, it’s under each product’s Inventory tab. A single unchecked box silently breaks tracking for that entire SKU.

2. Caching Is Showing Old Numbers

Your website uses caching to serve pages faster. That is normally good. But caching can hold onto old stock counts and show visitors a number that is hours out of date.

A customer sees “3 in stock.” They buy one. Your cache still shows “3 in stock.” Another customer buys one. You now have oversold.

Fix: Exclude product pages, cart, and checkout from your caching plugin’s rules. Most caching plugins (WP Rocket, W3 Total Cache, LiteSpeed) have an option to exclude specific page types or URLs. Set that up, then clear your cache manually any time you do a bulk stock update.

3. WP-Cron Is Stalling

WordPress uses a background task system called WP-Cron to run scheduled updates, including inventory syncs with third-party tools or automatic stock recalculations. The problem: WP-Cron only fires when someone visits your site. On a low-traffic site, those scheduled tasks can sit in a queue for hours before they run.

If your inventory numbers lag by one to four hours after a sale or stock update, this is almost certainly the cause.

Fix: Replace WP-Cron with a real server cron job. Your hosting provider can usually set this up in a few minutes. You schedule wp-cron.php to run every 5 minutes via your server’s task scheduler instead of relying on site traffic to trigger it. This alone eliminates the lag for most stores.

4. Two Plugins Are Updating the Same Field

This one is harder to spot because it does not fail loudly. Instead, stock counts drift in unpredictable directions.

When two plugins both write to the same inventory field, they overwrite each other. One plugin sets a product to 5 units. Another runs a sync and sets it to 12. The first one runs again and sets it back to 5. Your actual stock count becomes whatever ran last, not what is accurate.

This is common for stores that use a WooCommerce-centric inventory plugin alongside a separate inventory management plugin, or when a point-of-sale sync and an order management tool both update stock simultaneously.

Fix: Decide which plugin owns inventory data and disable stock management in the others. You should have exactly one source of truth for stock counts. If you are using WP Inventory Manager for physical stock tracking, turn off WooCommerce’s stock management so the two systems are not fighting each other.

5. Multi-Location Stock Is Tracked in One Bucket

If you sell from more than one location, warehouse, or channel and you are tracking all stock in a single field, your numbers will always be wrong.

Consider a retailer with a physical store and an online shop. A sale happens in the store. Nobody updates the WordPress inventory. The online store still shows the old count. The item gets sold online too. Now you have an angry customer and a hole in your inventory records.

Fix: Use a plugin that supports location-level stock tracking natively. WP Inventory Manager’s Locations Manager add-on lets you assign stock to specific locations so each site or warehouse has its own count. Fulfillment then pulls from the right bucket, not a shared pool that nobody fully controls.

How to Run a Quick Inventory Audit

Before you troubleshoot, you need a baseline. Here is a simple process:

  1. Export your current stock counts from WordPress to a spreadsheet
  2. Do a physical count (or pull counts from your POS or warehouse system)
  3. Compare the two side by side
  4. Identify which items are off and by how much
  5. Check each discrepancy against the five causes above

Once you have found the pattern, you can fix the root cause instead of chasing individual wrong numbers.

When the Problem Is the Plugin Itself

Sometimes the issue is not configuration. Some plugins are simply not built to handle inventory accurately at scale. Signs you have outgrown your current setup:

  • Stock counts change for no apparent reason
  • Bulk updates do not save consistently
  • The plugin has no audit log so you cannot trace when a count changed
  • You are manually correcting numbers more than once a week

WP Inventory Manager is built specifically for this. It works without WooCommerce, supports multi-location tracking, keeps a record of stock changes, and does not fight with your other plugins over the same database fields. You can start with the free version and add capabilities as your business grows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my WordPress inventory showing the wrong stock count?

The most common causes are caching serving stale numbers, two plugins writing to the same field, or stock management not being enabled at the product level. Start by checking each of those in order.

Why does my inventory update slowly after a sale?

If there is a delay of one to several hours, the likely cause is WP-Cron stalling. WP-Cron depends on site traffic to run. Replace it with a real server cron job and the lag disappears.

Can I track inventory across multiple locations in WordPress?

Yes, but you need a plugin that supports it natively. WP Inventory Manager’s Locations Manager add-on assigns stock to individual locations so each has its own accurate count.

What happens when two inventory plugins conflict?

They overwrite each other’s data unpredictably. The result is stock counts that drift in random directions. Pick one plugin to own inventory data and disable stock management in the others.

Do I need WooCommerce to manage inventory in WordPress?

No. WP Inventory Manager works independently of WooCommerce. If you are not running an online store or want cleaner inventory tracking without WooCommerce’s overhead, it is a direct alternative.

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