Materials Inventory vs Thrive Inventory Managementfor Shopify (2026)
Both Materials Inventory and Thrive Inventory Management boast a perfect 5/5 rating in the Shopify app store, indicating high user satisfaction. However, Thrive Inventory Management has a significantly higher number of reviews (99) compared to Materials Inventory (49), suggesting a larger and possibly more diverse user base. Materials Inventory is specifically positioned as an inventory management solution for makers and manufacturers, emphasizing features like bills of materials, raw material tracking, and profitability calculations. Thrive Inventory Management, on the other hand, takes a broader approach, aiming to provide a comprehensive inventory, catalog, and reporting solution for running a healthy business. The key difference lies in their focus. Materials Inventory caters to businesses that need to closely manage the relationship between raw materials and finished goods, optimizing for production environments. Its strength is in its BOM and cost tracking features. Thrive Inventory Management offers a more all-encompassing solution, extending to multi-channel syncing, demand forecasting, and integration with POS systems, making it a potentially better fit for larger or more complex businesses with multi-channel sales and potentially higher volumes of inventory management needs.
At a Glance
Materials Inventory
49 reviews
Thrive Inventory Management
99 reviews
Detailed Overview
Materials Inventory
Inventory management for makers & manufacturers. Create bills of materials & track profitability
Key Features
- Stop overselling: The app updates your Shopify inventory in real-time
- Plan ahead: Know your real-time inventory of bundles, products & raw materials
- Easy to use: Intuitive & easy to use so you can focus on your business
- Informative: Costs & profits per product. Full history of inventory movements
- Low inventory alerts. Thresholds dynamically adjusted. Custom Purchase Orders
Thrive Inventory Management
Power up your store with the inventory, catalog, and reporting tools to run a healthy business.
Key Features
- Unlock tons of prebuilt reports for real-time insights
- Custom alerts, reorder levels, and automated purchase orders
- Connect multiple Shopify accounts and leading point of sale platforms
- Utilize a barcode scanner to quickly count, order and receive product
- AI assistant tools for importing purchase orders and invoices for quick logging
Feature Comparison
| Rating | 5/5 | 5/5 |
Rating Materials Inventory5/5 Thrive Inventory Management5/5 | ||
| Reviews | 49 | 99 |
Reviews Materials Inventory49 Thrive Inventory Management99 | ||
| Target Merchant | Makers & Manufacturers | Broader Shopify stores |
Target Merchant Materials InventoryMakers & Manufacturers Thrive Inventory ManagementBroader Shopify stores | ||
| Key Features (Focus) | Bill of Materials, Raw Material Tracking, Profitability | Demand Forecasting, Multi-Channel Syncing, Robust Reporting |
Key Features (Focus) Materials InventoryBill of Materials, Raw Material Tracking, Profitability Thrive Inventory ManagementDemand Forecasting, Multi-Channel Syncing, Robust Reporting | ||
| Ease of Use (Implied) | Intuitive & Easy to use | N/A (Implied: potentially more complex due to broader feature set) |
Ease of Use (Implied) Materials InventoryIntuitive & Easy to use Thrive Inventory ManagementN/A (Implied: potentially more complex due to broader feature set) | ||
| Value Proposition | Optimize production and track profitability by managing raw materials | Comprehensive inventory management to run a healthy business |
Value Proposition Materials InventoryOptimize production and track profitability by managing raw materials Thrive Inventory ManagementComprehensive inventory management to run a healthy business | ||
| Integration | Custom Purchase Orders | Multiple Shopify accounts and leading Point of Sale Platforms |
Integration Materials InventoryCustom Purchase Orders Thrive Inventory ManagementMultiple Shopify accounts and leading Point of Sale Platforms | ||
| Automation | Low inventory alerts, dynamically adjusted thresholds | Custom alerts, reorder levels, automated purchase orders |
Automation Materials InventoryLow inventory alerts, dynamically adjusted thresholds Thrive Inventory ManagementCustom alerts, reorder levels, automated purchase orders | ||
Our Verdict
For Shopify merchants who are makers or manufacturers needing precise control over raw materials, bills of materials, and product profitability, Materials Inventory is the clear choice. Its focus on these specific needs makes it likely to be easier to use and more effective for businesses in that segment. The smaller number of reviews should not be a deterrent given the strong 5/5 rating.
On the other hand, Thrive Inventory Management is better suited for merchants with more complex inventory requirements, multiple sales channels, or a need for advanced reporting and forecasting. While potentially requiring a steeper learning curve, Thrive's broader feature set and integration capabilities make it a more robust solution for scaling businesses needing a holistic view of their inventory and sales operations across platforms.
Common Questions
Which app is easier to set up and use?
Based on the description, Materials Inventory explicitly states it's 'Intuitive & easy to use', suggesting a simpler setup. Thrive Inventory Management, while powerful, might involve a more complex initial configuration due to its wider range of features and integrations.
Which app is better for tracking the cost of goods sold (COGS)?
Materials Inventory directly addresses COGS tracking by mentioning the tracking of 'raw materials costs and your products profitability'. While Thrive Inventory Management likely includes COGS calculations as part of its broader reporting, Materials Inventory appears to offer more granular control and insight specifically related to production costs.
Which app is better for businesses selling both physical products and digital downloads?
Neither app explicitly mentions digital downloads. However, Thrive Inventory Management's multi-channel syncing and broader scope might make it more adaptable to managing inventory across different product types, even though its core features likely revolve around physical stock.
Which app has better support?
The app descriptions do not provide information on support. The number of reviews for Thrive Inventory Management being higher may indicate either better adoption or more users who have had an experience (positive or negative) that prompted a review. The information available is insufficient to make a reliable judgment.
Does either app offer kitting functionality?
While 'bundles' is explicitly mentioned as a tracked inventory type in Materials Inventory, 'component-level tracking' is mentioned within the description of Thrive Inventory Management. Both apps seemingly provide some method for tracking inventory with multiple parts. The specific functionality may need to be vetted in a trial version.
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