We make ShelfCall, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to be fair: each of the other four suits some bars better, and we say which.
Quick pick
- Counting by voice on a budget: ShelfCall.
- Voice with a native iPhone app and hands-free counting: Lixor.
- Tap-the-bottle counting: Partender.
- A cheaper inventory and ordering system: Backbar.
- Scales and deep reporting: WISK.
ShelfCall: best for counting by voice on a budget
You walk the shelf and talk: hold the mic button and say the bottles and counts, with open bottles in tenths, like “titos point seven”. Bring in your POS item sales report and every cocktail takes each pour it's built with, so variance is real. It suits a bar that wants the whole team counting on one price.
Price: Free for one area. $59 a month for the whole bar.
Phones: Runs in the browser on the phone you already have, plus an Android app on Google Play.
Watch for: No native iPhone app: on an iPhone it runs in the browser. And it's hold-to-talk, not hands-free.
Lixor: best for voice with a native iPhone app and hands-free counting
Lixor counts by voice too, with open bottles in tenths said as decimals, like “Tito's, point eight”. It has a hands-free mode that works with the phone in your pocket. It suits a bar that counts on iPhones, or wants both hands on the bottles.
Price: Essentials $59 a month for 1 user, no POS; Teams $129 a month for up to 5 users; Premium $219 a month with POS (Toast, Givex, Union).
Phones: Native iPhone and Android apps, plus web.
Watch for: No free plan: a 30-day trial with no card, then $59 a month for one user. POS sales are on Premium only, $219 a month.
Side by side: ShelfCall vs Lixor.
Partender: best for tap-the-bottle counting
Partender's count is visual: “Just tap where the liquor level is on the bottle and swipe to the next bottle on your shelf.” The work can be split across several iOS and Android devices, and a report gives you a purchase order sorted by distributor. It suits a bar that would rather tap than type or talk.
Price: Pro Monthly $299/mo; Pro Annual $199/mo, paid annually; Enterprise: “Call or email our sales team for enterprise quotes”.
Phones: iOS and Android apps, and web.
Watch for: No free plan: “Free for 14 days”, then you call or email their sales team to start a subscription.
Side by side: ShelfCall vs Partender.
Backbar: best for a cheaper inventory and ordering system
Backbar counts with barcode scanning: scan the UPC on a wine or whiskey to take a count or add it to your list, and it keeps counting offline. Purchasing sits beside inventory, with purchase orders sent to several vendors in one click. It suits a bar that wants inventory and ordering in one place for less.
Price: Basic $0/month; Essential $99/month, or $79/month on a yearly plan; Professional $149/month, or $129/month on a yearly plan. Per location.
Phones: Take inventory from a computer, iOS or Android device.
Watch for: The free Basic plan is one location, 6 months of report history, 10 recipes and email support only. Prices are per location.
Side by side: ShelfCall vs Backbar.
WISK: best for scales and deep reporting
WISK counts with barcode scanning and a Bluetooth scale that weighs partial bottles and kegs, with a visual method too, and it works offline. It connects to 60+ POS systems for variance reports. It suits a serious beverage program, a hotel or a multi-outlet group.
Price: Single Venue, Beverage: $249/mo billed annually, or $299/mo quarterly, plus a $750 setup fee.
Phones: Mobile app and desktop. The pages we read don't say which phones.
Watch for: No free trial (a 60-day money-back guarantee instead), no monthly billing, and a setup fee.
Side by side: ShelfCall vs WISK.
Side by side
| App | How you count | Phones | Free plan or trial | Starting price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ShelfCall | By voice, open bottles in tenths; hold to talk | Browser on the phone you already have, plus an Android app | Free plan: one area, no card | $0; $59 a month for the whole bar |
| Lixor | By voice, open bottles in tenths; hands-free mode | Native iPhone and Android apps, and web | 30-day trial, no card; no free plan | $59 a month for 1 user |
| Partender | Tap where the liquor level is on the bottle, then swipe | iOS, Android and web | Free for 14 days; no free plan | $199/mo paid annually; $299/mo monthly |
| Backbar | Barcode (UPC) scanning | Computer, iOS or Android | Free Basic plan, 1 location; one month free on paid plans | $0; paid plans from $79/month yearly |
| WISK | Barcode scanning and a Bluetooth scale | Mobile app and desktop | No free trial; 60-day money-back guarantee | $249/mo billed annually, plus a $750 setup fee |
How we chose
These are the apps that come up when bar managers ask for a bar inventory app. We read each one's own site on November 2, 2026, and took every fact about it from there. Prices change; check their pages.
Questions
What is the best bar inventory app?
It depends on how you want to count. For counting by voice on a budget, ShelfCall: free for one area, $59 a month for the whole bar. For voice with a native iPhone app and hands-free counting, Lixor. For tapping the liquor level on the bottle, Partender. For a cheaper inventory and ordering system, Backbar. For scales and deep reporting, WISK.
Is there a free bar inventory app?
Yes. ShelfCall has a free plan for one area, with room for you plus one more person, and no card. Backbar has a free Basic plan, $0 a month for one location. Lixor and Partender have trials instead (30 days and 14 days), and WISK has no free trial.
Which bar inventory apps count by voice?
ShelfCall and Lixor. Both count open bottles in tenths, said out loud: ShelfCall like “titos point seven”, Lixor like “Tito's, point eight”. Lixor also has a hands-free mode; ShelfCall is hold-to-talk. Partender, Backbar and WISK don't say they count by voice on their own sites.
Sources
Read November 2, 2026: