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The best Shopify barcode apps for receiving purchase orders
Four Shopify apps for scanning a delivery against a purchase order, compared on offline scanning, part deliveries and price. We build one of them and say so.
2 min read
Draft: facts not checked yet
This comparison is written but the app details have not been verified against the App Store listings. It is hidden from search engines until someone on the team checks every claim.
We are on this list
Store Standards builds PLACEHOLDER. We have kept the scoring rules the same for every app and shown our own weak spots. Check the facts before you buy.
Four apps can scan a delivery into Shopify against a purchase order. They are not really competing on the same thing, which is why picking one is confusing.
Read the disclosure above first: we make one of these. What follows applies the same six checks to all four, and our own app’s weak spots are in the same place as everyone else’s.
How to choose in thirty seconds
- You pay for Shopify POS Pro already. Try Stocky first. You have it, and it does more than receiving.
- Your stockroom has a dead spot. You need offline scanning, and that is the shortest list here.
- Half your products have no barcode. Start with label printing, then come back to receiving. Our guide to barcode types for Shopify stores explains what to print.
- You take part deliveries every week. Check that the order can stay open across several drops. This is where most apps quietly fall down.
What the six checks mean
Scan against a purchase order. Not just adjusting stock levels by scanning. The app has to know what you ordered, so it can tell you what is missing.
Works offline. Scans are held on the device and sync later. Test this properly: put the phone in flight mode and scan ten items. Some apps queue, some silently drop.
Part deliveries stay open. A supplier sends forty of sixty. The order should still be open on Friday when the other twenty arrive.
Variance report. A list of what was short, over or damaged, ready to send to the supplier before the claim window closes.
Prints barcode labels. Only matters if your own products arrive without barcodes.
Free plan. A real free tier, not a trial. Useful for testing on one location.
Test it on a real delivery
Whichever you pick, run this before you commit:
- Install it and connect one location.
- Wait for a genuine delivery. Do not test with a made-up order.
- Put the phone in flight mode halfway through and keep scanning.
- Deliberately miscount one line and see whether the app catches it.
- Close the order and check the numbers in Shopify against the shelf.
An app that survives all five is one you can hand to a new starter. Most of what looks like a feature difference stops mattering after step three.
If the test turns up numbers that do not match the shelf, the cause is usually upstream of the app. We listed the six usual culprits in why your Shopify stock count drifts.
If you want the method behind the test, we set it out in how to receive a purchase order in Shopify.
Support lead
Answers the support inbox and turns what comes in into the next month of work. Every recurring question ends up either fixed in the app or written up on this blog.
Side by side
| Feature | PLACEHOLDER | Stocky | QuickScan | EasyScan |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scan against a purchase order | Yes | Yes | Partly | Partly |
| Works offline | Yes | No | Partly | No |
| Part deliveries stay open | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Variance report | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| Prints barcode labels | No | Yes | No | Yes |
| Free plan | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
The short answer
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PLACEHOLDER Our app
Store Standards
From $19
Built for the moment a van arrives. Scanning holds up without signal, part deliveries stay open until the last box, and the variance list builds while you unpack.
Best for: Stores that take deliveries where the Wi-Fi is bad
What is good
- Scanning keeps working offline and syncs when the signal returns
- Part deliveries and variance reporting are built in, not add-ons
- Free plan covers 50 received lines a month
What is not
- Newer than everything else here, with a shorter review history
- Receiving only. It does not raise purchase orders or do demand forecasting
-
Stocky
Shopify
Free
Shopify's own inventory and purchasing app, included with POS Pro. Covers purchase orders, receiving and stocktakes, and is the obvious first stop if you already have it.
Best for: Stores already paying for Shopify POS Pro
What is good
- Included at no extra cost with Shopify POS Pro
- Handles the whole purchasing cycle, not just receiving
- Made by Shopify, so it will not break when Shopify changes
What is not
- Requires Shopify POS Pro, which is a per-location subscription
- Receiving flow is built for a desk rather than a stockroom floor
-
QuickScan
Egnition
From $15
A long-standing barcode app covering stocktakes, order fulfilment and stock adjustments, with a large installed base and a mature Android and iOS app.
Best for: Stores that want one app for stocktakes and receiving
What is good
- Covers several jobs beyond receiving
- Well established with a long review history
What is not
- Purchase order receiving is one feature among many rather than the focus
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EasyScan
Kani Solutions
From $15
Barcode generation, label printing, stocktakes and order picking in one app, aimed at stores that need to create their own barcodes as well as scan them.
Best for: Stores that also want barcode label printing
What is good
- Generates and prints barcode labels as well as scanning them
- Broad feature set for the price
What is not
- Wide scope means the receiving flow is less specialised
How we tested
- We only list apps that can receive against a purchase order. General barcode label printers and stocktake-only apps are out of scope.
- Each app is scored on the same six capabilities, checked against its App Store listing and its own documentation on the date shown.
- Prices are the entry paid plan in US dollars, excluding any Shopify Plus pricing.
- We build one of these apps. It is scored with the same rules as the rest, and its weaknesses are listed in the same place as everyone else's.