Short answers to the questions people ask most about Inventory Cat. New to it? Start with our guide on how to keep track of inventory on iPhone.
Is Inventory Cat free? Is there an item limit?
Yes, it's free, and there's no limit on how many items you add. Scanning, counting, low stock, CSV export and backup files are all free, with no watermark, no ads and no sign-up. There's no trial and no subscription. Inventory Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase for four extras: Stocktake, Import a spreadsheet, Barcode labels and Low-stock reminders. More on the Inventory Cat page.
Where are my items? Do I need to sign in?
There's no account and no sign-in. Your items are on the Inventory screen, grouped by place (items without one are under No location). Search by name, place or barcode. Every change is saved as you make it. In the app's words: "Your items are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them." Deleting an item asks first and can't be undone, so make a backup file if you might want it back.
Does it work offline?
Yes. There's no account, and nothing you do with your items needs a connection: you can add, scan, count, export and back up offline. Low-stock reminders are notifications from your device. Buying or restoring Pro goes through the App Store, so that needs a connection.
How do I scan a barcode? Do my items need one?
Tap Scan on Home, then Use camera. Inventory Cat asks for the camera only then; if you said no, tap Turn on in Settings. No camera, or a worn label? Type the code and tap Find. If an item has that code, tap − or + or Set count, or turn on Add 1 on every scan of this code to count by scanning. If it's a new code, tap Add as a new item. Barcodes and QR codes both work, and a barcode is optional: you can add any item by hand. Two items can't share a barcode. On the list, swipe a row to Add 1 or Remove 1.
I changed a count by mistake. Can I undo it?
Yes. Open the item: History lists every count change ("Was 5, now 3"), newest first. Tap Undo last to put the last one back, and again for the one before. Counts changed by a stocktake or an import are in the history too.
How do I see what's running low?
Open an item, tap Edit, turn on Flag when running low and pick the number ("At 5 or fewer"). Flagged items show Low, Home says how many are running low, and ⋯ › Low stock lists them, furthest below their number first. With Pro, Low-stock reminders send a daily notification at the time you pick, only on days when something is running low.
How do I get my inventory into Excel or Google Sheets?
Tap ⋯ (top left of Home) › Export and backup › Export CSV. You get one row per item with every field: name, barcode, quantity, location, low-stock number, whether it's low, and when it last changed. It opens in Numbers and Google Sheets; in Excel, use Data › From Text/CSV. Barcodes keep their leading zeros. Bringing a spreadsheet in is Pro: Import a spreadsheet reads columns by their names (Name or Product, Barcode or SKU, Quantity or Qty, Location or Bin, Low stock at or Reorder point) and shows every change before anything is saved.
How do I back up my inventory, or move it to a new iPhone?
Tap ⋯ › Export and backup › Make a backup file, then save it to Files or AirDrop it to another iPhone or iPad. It keeps every item and its history, and goes only where you save or send it. On the other device, tap ⋯ › Export and backup › Restore from a backup file and pick it. Restoring replaces the whole inventory there, so it asks first. There's no iCloud sync: the backup file is how you move items between devices. Your items are also in your own device backups.
Can I print barcode labels?
Yes, with Pro. Tap ⋯ › Barcode labels, choose the items (all, or one place), the copies (One per item or One per item in stock) and the paper: A4, 24 per sheet or Letter, 30 per sheet. Tap Print or share to print the PDF or save it. Items without a barcode that can be printed are left out; add one under Edit.
I bought Inventory Cat Pro. How do I get it on a new iPhone?
Open Inventory Cat, tap ⋯ at the top left of Home, then Inventory Cat Pro, then Restore purchase. Use the same Apple Account you bought it with. When Pro is on, the menu row says "On".
Something else?
Tap ⋯ on Home › Report a problem or Suggest an idea, or email [email protected].