Inventory.lrsys vs spreadsheets
Spreadsheets are great for numbers, not for inventory
If you're using a spreadsheet to track stock across shelves, vans, workshops, and units, you're probably one copy-paste mistake away from a headache. inventory.lrsys is built to fix that.
inventory.lrsys inventory app
Purpose-built stock control
- Live multi-location quantities in one dashboard
- Barcode & camera scanning built in
- Movement history, reasons, and user tracking
- Low stock highlights and read-only access between licenses
Spreadsheets
Generic tool, manual setup
- Version control by email attachments or shared drives
- Formulas and filters to build and maintain yourself
- No built-in movement history or audit trail
- Anyone can overwrite data if they have edit access
Feature-by-feature
What you get from a dedicated inventory system vs a spreadsheet grid
Multi-location stock in one view
See quantities per location and total. Transfers are logged automatically.
Multiple tabs, manual sums, and copy-paste between files. Easy to lose track.
Real-time updates
Changes sync instantly across your organisation. Everyone sees the same numbers.
Different versions emailed around. Someone always has the “wrong” copy.
Barcode & camera scanning
Scan items with USB scanners or your phone camera. No manual typing.
Manual typing or copy-paste into cells. Typos and duplicate entries are common.
Movement history & audit trail
Every in/out movement logged with user, time, and before/after quantity.
No built-in history. Hard to know who changed what or when something went missing.
Access control & roles
Owner, admin, and member roles. Limit who can adjust stock.
Anyone with edit access can change anything. No clear accountability.
Low stock alerts
Items below your threshold are highlighted automatically.
Requires formulas or filters you need to maintain manually for every change.
Save time
Quick adjustments, scanning, and transfers instead of editing cells.
Know what changed
Movement history shows who changed what and when.
Built for speed
Keyboard shortcuts and scanning designed for day-to-day use.
Team friendly
Invite teammates with clear roles instead of sharing one file.
When spreadsheets start to hurt
Spreadsheets are fine at the very beginning. They become a problem when…
- You have stock in more than one place
- Multiple people need to update quantities
- You’re never quite sure if the numbers are right
- Re-ordering means scrolling around a giant sheet
- You’ve accidentally overwritten formulas or data before
inventory.lrsys keeps things sane
Use locations and storage labels instead of extra columns. Track movements instead of overwriting cells. Give each person their own login instead of sharing one file.