Best Barcode Workflow Management Tools for Small Businesses

Our Picks for Barcode Workflow Tools

Barcode scanning is one of those technologies that sounds straightforward until you realize how many different ways businesses actually use it. Some scan barcodes to count inventory. Others scan to verify package contents before shipping. And a small but growing number of businesses scan barcodes to move orders through production stages on a workshop floor. These are fundamentally different workflows, and the tools built for each one are not interchangeable.

Understanding the distinction matters because choosing the wrong type of barcode tool wastes money and creates frustration. Here is how five popular barcode-capable platforms compare, and which type of barcode workflow each one actually supports.

What Is Scan-to-Move?

Before diving into individual tools, it is worth explaining a concept that most barcode software does not offer: scan-to-move.

In a traditional barcode workflow, scanning reads information. You scan a product to look up its stock level, or you scan a shipping label to confirm the right item is in the box. The scan is a query — it asks a question and gives you an answer.

Scan-to-move is different. When you scan an order's barcode, it performs an action: it advances that order to the next stage in your workflow. A worker at the cutting station scans the order barcode, and the order automatically moves from "Cutting" to "Sewing." No clicks, no screen navigation, no typing. The physical act of scanning is the workflow trigger.

This matters on production floors where workers have their hands full, where gloves make touchscreens impractical, and where stopping to navigate software interrupts the rhythm of work. Scan-to-move turns barcode scanning from a passive lookup into an active workflow driver.

TrackMy.Shop — Best for Scan-to-Move Production Workflows

TrackMy.Shop is the only tool on this list that uses barcode scanning to move orders through production stages. You define your workflow — stages like "Order Received," "Design," "Production," "Quality Check," and "Ready to Ship" — and every order gets a printable barcode label. When a worker finishes their step, they scan the barcode, and the order advances to the next stage on the Kanban board automatically.

This workflow is purpose-built for workshops, small manufacturers, and custom product businesses. The Kanban board gives managers a visual overview of every order's current stage, making it easy to spot bottlenecks. If ten orders are piling up at "Assembly" while "Quality Check" is empty, you can see that immediately and reallocate resources.

Branded customer tracking pages update in real time as orders move through stages. When a worker scans an order from "Engraving" to "Curing," the customer's tracking page reflects that progress within moments. This closes the communication loop without anyone having to send a manual update.

TrackMy.Shop generates its own barcode labels for orders, so you do not need to buy specialized barcode hardware beyond a basic scanner (or use a phone camera). The free plan supports 30 orders per month.

Pros: Only tool with scan-to-move for production workflows; Kanban board with custom stages; branded tracking pages update automatically on scan; works with basic barcode scanners or phone cameras; free plan available.

Cons: Barcode scanning is focused on order movement, not inventory counting; does not generate shipping labels natively (integrates with Shippo for that).

ShipStation — Best for Shipping Verification Scanning

ShipStation uses barcode scanning in the context of shipping. The primary use case is scan-to-verify: scan items as you pack them to confirm the right products are going into the right box, then trigger label printing. This reduces shipping errors, which is valuable for businesses processing high volumes of orders.

The scanning workflow is linear — scan items, verify contents, print label, done. There is no concept of production stages, no Kanban board, and no way to track what happened to an order before it reached the packing station. If you already have your products made and ready to ship, and your concern is making sure the correct items go out the door, ShipStation's barcode features serve that purpose well.

ShipStation starts at $9.99/mo with no free tier. The barcode scanning features are available across plans, but the depth of automation and number of shipments vary by tier.

Pros: Effective scan-to-verify for reducing shipping errors; integrates with many carrier services; strong batch processing; well-established platform.

Cons: Scanning limited to shipping context; no production stage tracking; no free plan; no Kanban board or workflow management.

Veeqo — Best for Warehouse Inventory Scanning

Veeqo brings barcode scanning into the warehouse fulfillment context. Workers scan items during the pick-and-pack process, which speeds up order fulfillment and helps maintain accurate inventory counts. The platform also supports scanning for receiving inventory shipments from suppliers.

Because Veeqo is owned by Amazon, the platform is tightly optimized for businesses that sell on Amazon alongside other channels. Shipping labels are free through Veeqo, which is a genuine cost advantage. The inventory scanning workflow is practical for businesses that manage stock across multiple warehouse locations.

Where Veeqo falls short is anything related to production. There are no workflow stages, no Kanban visualization, and no way to use scanning to track an order through a making process. If your barcode needs revolve around warehouse operations and shipping, Veeqo is a strong free option. If you need production floor scanning, it will not help.

Pros: Free shipping labels; solid warehouse pick-and-pack scanning; good inventory management; multi-warehouse support.

Cons: No production workflow scanning; Amazon-owned platform raises data concerns for some sellers; no custom workflow stages; no branded tracking pages.

inFlow — Best for Inventory Barcode Management

inFlow is an inventory management platform that uses barcode scanning extensively for stock control. Scan items to receive shipments, adjust stock levels, conduct physical counts, and look up product details. The platform supports printing custom barcode labels for products and warehouse locations.

For businesses whose primary barcode need is knowing how much stock they have and where it is stored, inFlow is comprehensive. It handles purchase orders, sales orders, and inventory valuation. The mobile app supports camera-based scanning, so you do not necessarily need dedicated barcode hardware.

However, inFlow is not an order management or production tracking tool. It does not have workflow stages, a Kanban board, or any concept of moving an order through a production process. And at $110/mo for the starting paid plan, it is the most expensive option on this list. The free tier is limited to 100 products, which is fine for testing but constraining for real use.

Pros: Deep inventory scanning features; supports physical counts and stock adjustments; prints custom barcode labels; good mobile scanning app.

Cons: Expensive at $110/mo; no production workflow features; no order tracking beyond basic sales orders; barcode scanning limited to inventory operations.

Sortly — Best for Simple Asset and Inventory Tracking

Sortly takes a simpler approach to barcode scanning. It is designed for tracking physical items — equipment, supplies, tools, inventory — with QR codes and barcodes. The focus is on knowing where things are and how many you have, with a visual, photo-based interface that makes item identification easy.

For small teams that need basic asset tracking or want to keep tabs on supplies and equipment, Sortly works well. The interface is approachable, and setting up QR-code-based tracking takes minutes rather than hours.

Sortly is not built for order management at all. There are no workflow stages, no order tracking, no customer-facing features, and no shipping integration. It occupies a different category than the other tools on this list — it is a thing-tracker, not an order-tracker. We include it here because people searching for barcode workflow tools sometimes land on Sortly, and it is worth understanding what it does and does not do.

Pros: Simple and visual; good for asset and supply tracking; easy QR code generation; approachable for non-technical users.

Cons: Not designed for order management; no workflow stages; no customer tracking; no shipping features; limited to tracking items rather than orders.

Buying Guide: Which Barcode Workflow Do You Actually Need?

The key to choosing the right barcode tool is identifying which type of scanning workflow matches your business:

Production floor scanning (scan-to-move). You make or customize products and want to track each order through production stages using barcode scans as the trigger. Workers scan to advance orders, and customers see real-time progress. This is what TrackMy.Shop does. No other tool on this list offers it.

Shipping verification scanning. You pack and ship pre-made products and want to scan items to confirm the right products go into the right box. ShipStation and Veeqo handle this well.

Inventory management scanning. You need to count stock, receive shipments, and track warehouse locations using barcode scans. inFlow, Veeqo, and Sortly serve this purpose at different price points and complexity levels.

If you need more than one type, consider pairing tools. TrackMy.Shop for production workflow scanning pairs naturally with ShipStation or Pirate Ship for shipping. inFlow for inventory management can coexist with a separate order tracking system.

The Bottom Line

Most barcode tools treat scanning as a way to look up or verify information. TrackMy.Shop is the only platform that treats scanning as a way to drive production workflow — scan a barcode and the order moves forward. If you run a workshop, small factory, or custom product business where hands-free order advancement matters, that distinction makes TrackMy.Shop the clear choice. For shipping verification, warehouse inventory, or simple asset tracking, the other tools on this list each have their place.