SOS Inventory review

SOS Inventory is cloud-based inventory, order management, and manufacturing software for businesses using QuickBooks Online. It adds workflows that QuickBooks users may need beyond basic stock counts: sales and purchase orders, shipments, invoices, returns, and pick tickets. It also tracks inventory across locations and can follow items by serial number or lot, with cost history and product traceability.

For production, SOS Inventory supports assemblies, work in progress, and co-products or by-products. Shipping tools cover packing slips and partial shipments, with inventory updated when items ship. Barcode tools let teams generate, scan, and track barcodes.

The plan choice matters. Companion is positioned for basic inventory; Plus adds serial and lot tracking and unlimited locations; Pro includes job costing and work orders. The pricing page lists a 14-day free trial. The product is built around QuickBooks Online, so businesses comparing it with a standalone manufacturing system should check whether that connection and its available external connections fit their workflow.

SOS Inventory’s main appeal is the range of inventory and production work it puts around QuickBooks Online. Instead of tracking only finished-product quantities, teams can manage orders, shipments, returns, serial or lot details, and manufacturing workflows in one system. That may suit a small manufacturer that wants to keep QuickBooks as its accounting system while adding inventory controls.

The plan ladder also makes some capabilities easy to identify:

• Companion costs $74.95 monthly or $62.46 per month with annual billing, and includes two users, one location, unlimited items or SKUs, and one external connection.
• Plus costs $144.95 monthly or $120.79 per month annually. It includes three users, unlimited locations, serial and lot tracking, and two external connections.
• Pro costs $199.95 monthly or $166.63 per month annually. It includes five users, unlimited locations, job costing and work orders, and three external connections.

A Reddit commenter comparing SOS with Katana described SOS as cheaper, though the thread does not provide a like-for-like price comparison. That makes SOS worth considering when QuickBooks fit and lower entry pricing matter more than choosing a broader standalone platform.

Workflow fit is the key risk, especially for businesses with unusual production stages. In a Reddit thread about nursery inventory, one user said SOS could technically track plant production but disliked having to build each individual plant by plant lot, particularly when planting hundreds of varieties weekly. That is one user’s account, not proof that every nursery will hit the same obstacle, but it is a reason to map out production steps before switching.

The plans also impose practical caps. Companion includes one location, one custom field, two users, and one external connection. Plus raises the included users to three and external connections to two; Pro includes five users and three connections. Only Plus and Pro list unlimited locations. Additional external connections cost $25 per month each.

Additional-user pricing is inconsistent in the published pricing details: plan cards list $30 monthly or $300 annually, while the FAQ and comparison table list $25 monthly. Confirm the current charge before budgeting. Annual prices are monthly equivalents with two months free, so the lower rate requires annual billing.

SOS lists three plans, with monthly billing or annual billing that gives two months free. Companion is $74.95 per month, or $62.46 per month billed annually. It includes two users, one location, one custom field, unlimited items and one external connection. Plus is $144.95 monthly or $120.79 annually per month. That jump adds serial and lot tracking, unlimited locations, three custom fields and a second connection. Pro costs $199.95 monthly or $166.63 annually per month; it includes five users, unlimited custom fields, job costing and work orders, and three connections.

The tier jumps are substantial: Plus is $70 more per month than Companion on monthly billing, and Pro is another $55. Additional external connections are listed at $25 per month each. Additional-user pricing is inconsistent: plan cards say $30 monthly or $300 annually, while the FAQ and comparison table say $25 monthly. Confirm the rate before budgeting. SOS offers a 14-day trial; a free plan is not listed.

SOS Inventory is built to add inventory, order management and manufacturing workflows to QuickBooks Online. That makes QuickBooks Online a key dependency: businesses not using it are a poor fit, and changing accounting systems could mean replacing or reworking those connected workflows. The published product information does not describe migration services, import formats, data export options or how historical transactions transfer, so treat those as questions to settle with SOS before switching. Ask for a sample export and confirm whether item, lot or serial records, orders and manufacturing data can be moved back out in usable formats.

We also don’t have Reddit posts or comments in the published material, so we can’t substantiate claims about why users leave. The fit concerns here are narrower: SOS may be a poor choice for nurseries tracking many growing stages, teams seeking a simple setup, or businesses outside QuickBooks Online. Test your actual workflows during the 14-day trial and confirm what happens to your data if you cancel.