Best Art Inventory Software in 2026: Price, Features, and Free Tier Compared

The short answer

For most individual artists and collectors in 2026, Artwork Codex is the best starting point because it has a real free tier, a $96/year Starter plan, a $288/year Studio plan, a free plan that does not require a credit card, and a live demo you can explore without signing up. If you save personal artwork records in that demo, Keep my artworks can copy the eligible records into a new verified Free account in the same browser. For large galleries with staff and CRM needs, Artlogic remains the incumbent. For retail-first galleries with point of sale, Masterpiece Manager is still the fit. If you need an inventory-backed storefront and sales pipeline, ArtCloud is worth evaluating; its website and inventory plans serve different workflows and are priced separately.

At a glance: pricing and free tier

Prices reflect publicly listed plans as of 17 July 2026 and use annual billing where the vendor publishes annual pricing. Add-ons, setup fees, per-user charges, and regional taxes are excluded unless noted.

Feature comparison

Artwork Codex

Trade-offs: Newer entrant, with fewer third-party integrations than legacy tools; no dedicated phone support; newer native iPhone app with a smaller mobile feature surface than the web dashboard; no multi-user accounts yet.

Paid plans include a 14-day trial and require a card. The Free plan and live demo do not.

Artwork Archive

Price: Apprentice is $9/month paid annually ($108/year) for 100 pieces. Professional is $18/month paid annually ($216/year) for 500 pieces. Master is $36/month paid annually ($432/year) for unlimited pieces. No ongoing free tier, 14-day trial only.

Best for: Artists who want the longest-established brand in the category and a large documentation library.

Strengths: Mature platform; broad feature set; public artist profile; COA and QR label reports; native iOS app; good community content.

Trade-offs: Higher unlimited-artwork price than Artwork Codex Studio; no ongoing free plan; the entry tier stays capped at 100 pieces; video is handled through external YouTube/Vimeo links rather than direct archived uploads.

Detailed comparison: Artwork Codex vs Artwork Archive.

Artlogic

Price: Public artist studio management pricing starts from £42/month or $58/month; complete artist platform plans start from £95/month or $131/month. No permanent free tier.

Best for: Established artist studios and galleries with staff, multi-user CRM, website, sales, and email campaign needs.

Strengths: Enterprise gallery workflows; multi-user access; gallery websites; email marketing; art fair planning.

Trade-offs: Overkill for solo artists; pricing often requires a sales call; longer onboarding; no real free or trial self-serve entry point.

Detailed comparison: Artwork Codex vs Artlogic.

ArtCloud

Price: The Free artist tier includes 50 artworks but not CRM, invoices, or payments. Paid artist plans include $205/year for Website Basic or $313/year for Manager Basic when billed annually.

Best for: Artists or galleries that want a storefront, website, and sales pipeline alongside their inventory tooling.

Strengths: Combined inventory, storefront, invoicing, payments, and pipeline tools; gallery-focused features; viewing rooms; collateral exports including certificates and wall tags.

Trade-offs: The storefront and sales-pipeline angle is mainly useful if you need it; Website Basic costs less than Artwork Codex Studio but serves a different website-led use case, while Manager Basic costs more; public video support is closer to website media linking than a direct archived video upload; less suited to solo artists who do not need storefront distribution.

Detailed comparison: Artwork Codex vs ArtCloud.

Masterpiece Manager

Price: The current primary pricing page lists the Artist plan at $39/month. Gallery plans start much higher and may include setup fees; no free plan.

Best for: Retail galleries and framers who need point of sale, invoicing, and inventory in one place.

Strengths: POS; printing; gallery + framing workflows; industry pedigree.

Trade-offs: Aimed at retail galleries, not solo artists; older interface; higher entry price; narrower viewing-room and portfolio functionality than modern tools.

How to choose

A simple way to decide:

• If you are a solo artist or private collector, Artwork Codex is the sensible start: the free plan covers the basics and Studio is the lowest annual unlimited-artwork option in this list.
• If you are a mid-size or large gallery with staff and need CRM, consider Artlogic.
• If you run a retail gallery or framing shop and need point of sale, consider Masterpiece Manager.
• If you specifically need an inventory-backed storefront and sales pipeline, evaluate ArtCloud.
• If you want the most established brand regardless of price, Artwork Archive remains a solid pick.

Methodology and disclosures

This article is written by the team behind Artwork Codex. Where a product lists pricing publicly, the figure above is taken from the product's own pricing page as of 17 July 2026, using annual billing where available. Feature comparisons reflect the most relevant publicly listed plans for individual artists, collectors, or small galleries; add-ons and setup fees can change the real total.

Pricing checked 17 July 2026: official pages for Artwork Archive, Artlogic, ArtCloud, and Masterpiece Manager.

We try to keep this comparison honest. If you spot a factual error about another product, email hello@artworkcodex.com and we will update the page.