ATUM and WP Inventory Manager are the two most-searched WordPress inventory plugins. Both have free versions. Both have strong user bases. But one requires WooCommerce to even activate and the other works on any WordPress site, with or without a store. That difference determines which one is right for you.
The One Difference That Decides Everything
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, this comparison is already settled. WP Inventory Manager is the only option of the two that will work for you.
What ATUM Does Well
ATUM is purpose-built for WooCommerce store operators who need more visibility into stock than WooCommerce’s native tools provide. Its flagship feature is Stock Central: a single dashboard showing all your WooCommerce products, quantities, low-stock status, supplier details, and total stock value in one view.
For an online retailer processing hundreds of orders a week, that overview is genuinely useful. ATUM also supports purchase orders, a manufacturing module, and barcode scanning. All in the Premium tier. These are serious operations features for ecommerce businesses at scale.
Best for: WooCommerce store operators managing a large product catalog with an order-driven fulfillment workflow.
What WP Inventory Manager Does Well
WP Inventory Manager is built for businesses that manage physical inventory in WordPress with or without a store. The plugin tracks items, quantities, categories, and custom fields, and displays your catalog on the front end via shortcode. It is its own system, not a WooCommerce extension.
That distinction matters more than it sounds. WooCommerce ties every stock change to a transaction. Every product lives inside the WooCommerce post type. If your inventory needs don’t revolve around checkout, you are installing a complex ecommerce platform to solve a problem that doesn’t require it.
Example: A gym tracks equipment available for member use: treadmills, kettlebells, resistance bands. None of it is for sale. There are no transactions. WooCommerce and ATUM are both irrelevant. WP Inventory Manager handles it out of the box: items, quantities, categories, and a front-end display members can browse.
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
- You don’t have WooCommerce installed. ATUM will not activate without it. WP Inventory Manager works on any WordPress site.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Browse all options at wpinventory.com/add-ons.
