Stockpile (Canvus) or Retail Scan & Stock: Free online stock or mobile counts

Stockpile from Canvus offers shared online inventory without item, user or location caps. RSS offers a different, count-first mobile replenishment workflow with explicit Free limits.

By Neil SinghUpdated: October 16, 2026

Conceptual comparison of a shelf count and a business management workspace — Conceptual illustration, not an app screenshot.

The practical difference

Stockpile's unlimited free online scope is a real advantage. Compare it with the phone and offline tasks you actually need.

Compare the working day

Main job: Retail Scan & StockStandalone physical stock work
Stockpile (Canvus)Shared online inventory records
Free scope: Retail Scan & Stock1,000 products; 1 supplier; 5 open documents; 1 device
Stockpile (Canvus)Unlimited items, users and locations advertised
Physical counts: Retail Scan & StockCompleted count documents, including Free
Stockpile (Canvus)Stock reports documented; verify current count process
Supplier orders: Retail Scan & StockReviewed min/max drafts by assigned supplier
Stockpile (Canvus)Count-to-PO/min/max workflow not clearly established
Offline evidence: Retail Scan & StockLocal counts and Free min/max offline
Stockpile (Canvus)Complete offline workflow not clearly documented
Stock figure: Retail Scan & StockLast completed count, dated
Stockpile (Canvus)Inventory transactions and reports

Start with the job

Canvus describes Stockpile as online inventory for small businesses, covering additions, returns, sales, damaged goods, user access, locations and reporting.

RSS focuses on physical products, parts and supplies: scan, count, prepare orders, record receiving or write-offs, and export Excel or CSV. It also has a web cabinet. It is not a POS or full ERP.

Understand the free offer

The vendor advertises permanently free, unlimited items, users and locations. That matters when a catalog exceeds RSS Free's limit.

RSS Free includes local offline min/max, Excel setup, multiple-count selection, calculation, order creation and export within 1,000 products, 1 supplier, 5 open documents and 1 device. Multiple suppliers require an appropriate paid allowance.

Conceptual flow from counted stock to reviewed supplier drafts — Review the workflow and its limits before ordering.

Count where the stock is

Official tutorials describe browser reports and CSV import. The referenced import and report articles date from 2014, so treat their detailed screens and restrictions as historical guidance, not verified current account behavior.

RSS shows the last completed count with its date. Receiving or write-offs do not silently turn that snapshot into a live sales balance. Test your actual catalog, including a barcode with leading zeros.

Turn a shortage into an order

Reviewed public sources do not clearly establish a current camera-scanning, offline-count-to-supplier-order or min/max workflow. This is an evidence gap, not proof these capabilities are absent. Ask for a demonstration of the exact task.

RSS uses selected completed counts. At S ≤ Min, it suggests Max − S, rounding up only for an additional order multiple. P=1 preserves fractional needs. Review separate drafts for assigned suppliers; open orders warn without automatic deduction.

Test before switching

Try real items, a stock movement, another location, user permissions and a report. Check today's import/export behavior with a small sample. Disconnect and reopen before trusting saved offline work or assuming an RSS connector.

RSS defaults to the latest selected counted line per product; sum only explicitly separate stock portions. Before completing or exporting min/max orders, teams must sync and check conflicts. RSS does not forecast demand, choose the cheapest supplier or send orders automatically.

Which workflow fits?

Retail Scan & StockRSS may fit a small business needing phone counts, reviewed replenishment and spreadsheet sharing alongside its existing sales system.

Stockpile (Canvus)Stockpile may fit if shared online records and unlimited free items, users and locations matter more than a verified offline phone workflow.

Conceptual checklist for choosing an inventory workflow — Choose for the work your business actually does.

Inspect a worked replenishment example

These educational CSV files illustrate two products and two assigned suppliers, not an app export or import template. The proposals are 18 and 12 units after pack rounding. Free can use the first supplier; two suppliers require a plan that allows them.

Questions before choosing

Does Stockpile limit free items or users?

Its official site advertises unlimited items, users and locations for free.

Does Stockpile lack barcode scanning?

That conclusion is not supported. The current scanning workflow is unclear in the reviewed public documentation.

Can I rely on it offline?

Test saving, reopening and reconnecting with real data. Online access claims do not establish offline persistence.

Official sources

Official sources checked on 2026-10-16. Terms can change; no competitor account or device test was performed.