Best Art Inventory Software in 2026: Price, Features, and Free Tier Compared
There are five tools that come up in nearly every conversation about art inventory software. This post compares them on the things that actually matter: pricing, free tier, catalog features, viewing rooms, certificates of authenticity, public portfolio, and whether you can try the product without booking a sales call.
The short answer
For most individual artists and collectors in 2026, Artwork Codex is the best starting point — it has the lowest Pro price ($9/month), a free plan that does not require a credit card, and a live demo you can try in under 30 seconds without signing up. 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.
At a glance: pricing and free tier
| Product | Starting price | Free tier | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Artwork Codex | $9 / month | 5 artworks, 3 PDFs, 1 viewing room | Artists and collectors who want a modern, full-featured tool at the lowest price point |
| Artwork Archive | ~$14 / month | 14-day trial only | Artists who want the most established brand in the category |
| Artlogic | From ~$70 / month | Demo call only | Mid-size and large galleries with staff, multiple users, and CRM needs |
| ArtCloud | From ~$25 / month | Free starter tier, limited | Galleries that also want to sell via an integrated marketplace |
| Masterpiece Manager | From ~$75 / month | No free tier | Larger retail galleries and framers with point-of-sale needs |
Prices reflect publicly listed entry-tier plans as of April 2026 and exclude annual discounts, add-ons, and per-user charges. Artlogic and Masterpiece Manager pricing is indicative — both publish pricing on request only.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Artwork Codex | Artwork Archive | Artlogic | ArtCloud | Masterpiece Manager |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artwork catalog | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Viewing rooms | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No |
| Certificates of authenticity | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Public artist portfolio | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Try without signup | Yes | No | No | No | No |
Artwork Codex
Price: Free plan (5 artworks, 50 images, 1 viewing room, 3 PDF catalogs); Pro at $9/month (unlimited artworks, up to 5,000 images, unlimited viewing rooms, 200 catalogs); 14-day Pro trial with credit card.
Best for: Individual artists, collectors, small studios, estates, and emerging galleries who want the widest feature set at the lowest price, and who prefer modern software over enterprise tooling.
Strengths: Live demo without signup; single low flat Pro price; PDF catalog generator with branded layouts; COA generator; printable labels with QR codes; public portfolio at a personal subdomain; CSV import and export; ZIP image export; onboarding adapts to artist, collector, or both.
Trade-offs: Newer entrant — fewer third-party integrations than legacy tools; no dedicated phone support; no multi-user accounts yet (single-user Pro).
Try it: live demo or sign up for free.
Artwork Archive
Price: From around $14/month on entry plans; 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; good community content.
Trade-offs: Higher entry price than newer tools; no ongoing free plan; viewing room functionality is limited compared with dedicated viewing room software.
Detailed comparison: Artwork Codex vs Artwork Archive.
Artlogic
Price: Gallery-tier pricing, typically from $70/month and up depending on scale; no self-serve free trial.
Best for: Mid-size and large galleries with staff, multi-user CRM, email campaigns, and art fair management 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: Entry plans from around $25/month; limited free starter tier available.
Best for: Galleries that want an integrated marketplace alongside their inventory tooling.
Strengths: Combined inventory + consumer-facing marketplace; gallery-focused features; viewing rooms.
Trade-offs: The marketplace angle is mainly useful if you plan to list on it; higher entry price than artist-focused tools; less suited to solo artists who do not want marketplace distribution.
Detailed comparison: Artwork Codex vs ArtCloud.
Masterpiece Manager
Price: From around $75/month; 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, start with Artwork Codex — the free plan covers the basics and Pro is the cheapest full-feature option.
- 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 are specifically planning to list work on a gallery-style marketplace, 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 April 2026. Where a product requires a sales call, the figure is an indicative range based on publicly reported pricing from current customers; treat those as directional rather than exact. Feature comparisons reflect the default plans at the lowest paid tier.
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.
Try the lowest-priced full-feature option
Artwork Codex starts at $0, Pro is $9/month, and the live demo runs in the browser with seeded artworks, contacts, and a viewing room — no signup, no card.
Free plan. 14-day Pro trial. Cancel anytime.