We make ShelfCall, so read this with that in mind. We have tried to be fair: there are bars Backbar suits better, and they're listed below.
What it costs
Monthly price for each app, by what the bar needs. Both start free: ShelfCall for one area, with room for you plus one more person; Backbar for one location, with unlimited users. Paid, ShelfCall is $59 a month for the whole bar; Backbar is $79 to $149 a month per location.
| What you need | ShelfCall | Backbar |
|---|---|---|
| One person counting one area | Free: $0 | Basic: $0, for one location |
| A whole bar, with a team | Paid: $59 a month for the whole bar | Basic: $0 for one location, with unlimited users, 10 recipes max and 6 months of report history |
| POS sales and variance | Paid: $59 a month, with POS sales and pours by recipe | Professional: $149 a month, or $129 a month yearly, per location. Essential ($99, or $79 yearly) has them “Limited” |
What each one does
| ShelfCall | Backbar | |
|---|---|---|
| How you count | By voice: hold the mic button and say the bottles and counts | By barcode: “Scan barcodes for wine or whiskey to quickly take counts or add new products to your inventory list.” |
| Open bottles | Tenths, said out loud: “titos point seven” | — |
| Phones | Runs in the browser on the phone you already have, plus an Android app on Google Play | “Take inventory from your computer, iOS, or Android device.” Apps on the App Store and Google Play |
| Users | Free: you plus one more person. $59: your whole team, each with their own sign-in | Unlimited, on every plan, free included |
| Offline counting | Yes: with no signal, each take is saved on the phone and sent when you’re back online | Yes: “Count products when offline and reconnect to sync inventory updates.” |
| POS connected directly | Square | Toast, Square and others: “Real-time depletions for perpetual inventory with select POS systems”, on every plan |
| Other POS | Any POS item sales report, as a file or pasted in | — |
| Sales and variance reports | In the $59: every cocktail takes each pour it's built with | Professional; “Limited” on Essential; not on Basic |
| Recipes | On the $59 plan | Basic: “10 Recipes Max”. Unlimited on Essential and Professional |
| Ordering | — | “Create and send purchase orders to multiple vendors with 1 click”, on every plan |
| Free plan | Yes: one area, room for you plus one more person | Yes: Basic, one location, 6 months of report history, email support only |
| Trial | No trial: start on the free plan instead | “one month free trial of the Essential or Professional plan” |
| Card to start | No card for the free plan | — |
“—” means the page it came from doesn't say.
Where Backbar is the better pick
- You'd rather scan barcodes. Backbar counts by scanning the barcode on a wine or whiskey, and keeps counting offline. ShelfCall counts by voice.
- You order from several vendors. Backbar's 1-Click Purchasing creates and sends purchase orders to multiple vendors at once, on every plan, free included.
- A team counting free. Backbar's free Basic plan has unlimited users at one location, and up to 10 recipes. ShelfCall's free plan is you plus one more person, and recipes are on the $59 plan.
- You count on an iPhone. Backbar has iOS and Android apps. On an iPhone, ShelfCall runs in the browser.
Where ShelfCall is the better pick
- Sales and variance for $59. Sales, recipes and POS report matching are in the same $59: every cocktail takes each pour it's built with. Backbar's full sales and variance reports are on Professional, $149 a month, or $129 a month yearly.
- Any POS. ShelfCall connects directly to Square, and takes other POS sales as an item sales report. Backbar connects with “select POS systems”.
- Open bottles in tenths. You say each open bottle's tenths out loud, like “titos point seven”. Backbar's pages don't say how it counts an open bottle.
Questions
How much does Backbar cost?
Backbar Basic is $0 a month. Essential is $99 a month, or $79 a month on a yearly plan; Professional is $149 a month, or $129 a month on a yearly plan. Prices are per location, and Essential and Professional start with a one month free trial.
Is Backbar free?
Its Basic plan is: $0 a month for one location, with unlimited users, 10 recipes, 6 months of report history and email support only. ShelfCall has a free plan too, for one area, with room for you plus one more person, and no card.
Is ShelfCall cheaper than Backbar?
Both have free plans, and for a team counting free, Backbar's does more: unlimited users at one location, against you plus one more person at ShelfCall. Paid, ShelfCall is $59 a month for the whole bar, with the team and POS sales included; Backbar is $79 to $149 a month per location, with its full sales and variance reports on Professional, $129 to $149.
Backbar prices and features from getbackbar.com/pricing, getbackbar.com and getbackbar.com/barcode-scan-inventory, read November 2, 2026. Prices change; check their page.
More options: the best bar inventory apps for 2026