Find your fit
Who it is for
A healthcare supply team can use lot and expiry controls for selected medicines or supplies, receive against expected quantities and see where a batch is stored. A warehouse or distributor can use the same stock, bin and shipment workflow for nonmedical items.
OpenBoxes suits an organization that can commit to reliable product data and physical stock procedures. Technical teams can self-host the free Community Edition; teams wanting hosting, backups and support handled for them can examine Lift and its changing commercial terms.
The work it supports
Core capabilities
Product and stock records. Maintain a product catalog with categories, supplier context and units of measure. See quantity by facility, bin, product, lot or serial number and expiry date; transaction history provides a trail of balance changes.
Purchasing and receipt. Create supplier purchase orders, then receive shipments against those orders or stock transfers. Receivers can record actual quantities line by line when a delivery differs from the expected amount, before directing stock to bins.
Counts and corrections. Periodic cycle counts compare selected physical stock with recorded balances. A team can use count differences and movement history to investigate errors rather than waiting for a full warehouse count.
Lot and expiry control. Selected products can require lot and expiry details at key transactions. The help guide cautions that an expired item remains counted as on hand until staff remove it physically and mark it expired, so expiry reports still need an operating procedure.
Movement and fulfillment. Transfer stock between bins, set stock thresholds for replenishment and progress outbound movements through item selection, picking, packing and sending. Statuses identify which step has been reached.
Warehouse access. OpenBoxes advertises a mobile-friendly warehouse interface. Test scanning, network access and screen layout in the actual facility before treating a phone as a replacement for desktop receiving and shipment review.
Understand the offer
Pricing and getting started
The Community Edition is free to download and self-host with no OpenBoxes per-user license charge. The organization still pays for and operates its server, SSL, backups, upgrades and administration. A hosted server chosen independently has its own bill.
OpenBoxes Lift is the managed option, with hosting, support, API access and data backups. The reviewed price page displays a $75-per-month starting figure but calls it a limited-time founding-member price; actual price depends on user count, storage and support level. Confirm the current quote and currency before committing.
The pricing page also lists a self-hosted DigitalOcean one-click path from $24 per month, but its own notice says the app is still under review. Treat that figure as a provisional infrastructure example, not a currently available packaged deployment. Optional installation, migration and support services are separately priced.
Look a little closer
Before you choose
Pilot a real receiving exception: place a small purchase order, receive a shipment with a quantity difference, confirm its lot/expiry and bin, then trace the resulting stock history. This exposes product-master and warehouse-process gaps early.
Count a small bin or product group and reconcile one difference. For expiring goods, separately test the human step of removing stock before marking it expired, because a date alone does not remove it from on-hand quantity.
Compare total operating work, not only the license fee: staffing and backups for DIY, a current Lift quote for managed use, and any implementation services. Check outbound stages and mobile usability with the users who will handle shipments.
9 distinct sources behind this profile. Research observed Oct 18, 2026. Features and offers can change.
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