My Inventory ItemsCompare Excel with My Inventory Items for stock records, billing and team updates. Get a practical spreadsheet example, switching checklist and import guide.
By My Inventory Items · Sources reviewed October 12, 2026
Keep Excel when a maintained workbook meets your stock-recording needs and your team can reconcile it consistently. Trial inventory software when updating records, creating documents or coordinating edits becomes recurring work. Excel supports co-authoring in supported setups; the decision is about your workflow, not an assumption that spreadsheets cannot be shared.
Keep Excel if custom calculations are central to your process, changes are manageable and someone owns workbook quality. Agree on a single movement register, protected formulas and a regular reconciliation schedule.
Check the official documentationEvaluate My Inventory Items if you want to test a product catalog with billing and payment documents rather than maintaining separate document templates. Keep your workbook as a backup during the trial.
Explore our featuresFeatures and limits can vary by plan and region. Confirm the exact setup you intend to buy. Scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
| Workflow | My Inventory Items | Excel | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock records | Import mapped product fields and evaluate stock workflows in the app. | Design product and movement tables, formulas and reconciliation rules. | Compare closing quantities after the same receipts and sales. |
| Team updates | Confirm team access and permissions for your intended plan. | Co-authoring is supported with compatible versions and cloud storage. | Have two staff members record different movements and review the result. |
| Billing documents | Business document types and PDF download are listed in plans. | Build or adapt templates and maintain links to your product data. | Check product codes, tax, totals and the exported customer document. |
| Maintenance and costs | Compare store allowances, daily document limits and subscription costs. | Include license costs and time spent maintaining formulas and templates. | Record the actual time your team spends on the sample workflow. |
An illustrative test, not benchmark results
Illustrative example: opening stock is 40 units, receipts add 15, sales remove 12 and a write-off removes one. Closing stock should be 42 units: 40 + 15 − 12 − 1. Use those same movements in a workbook and a software trial.
A product catalog is only one part of your business data. Keep a backup and confirm supported fields before moving the full file.
Excel and CSV product import guideChoose the plan that covers your actual workload, then include billing frequency, taxes, hardware, connections and onboarding. My Inventory Items lists one store and five documents per day on Free; paid plans add higher allowances, barcode labels and thermal printing. Confirm the current plan limits before choosing. We do not quote competitor prices here because plan terms can change.
Yes, a workbook can hold product records, movement logs and stock calculations. Its suitability depends on the workbook design, reliable entries and regular reconciliation. Use a trial to compare that maintenance effort with dedicated software.
Excel supports co-authoring in compatible versions with supported cloud storage. Check Microsoft's requirements for your setup. Shared editing still requires rules for how movements are recorded and formulas are maintained.
There is no universal product-count threshold. Movement frequency, document volume, locations and the time needed to correct records are better signals. Test your daily workload before deciding.
Start with a small sample, review your documents and choose the plan that fits your business.