Paper.
Spreadsheets.
Makhzen.
Three ways to manage inventory. But as your products, warehouses, and team grow, the way you manage stock matters more than ever.
See the comparisonPaper records
The traditional way. Write down products, quantities, and movements in notebooks or printed documents.
Best for
Very small inventories and simple record keeping.
Excel & spreadsheets
A more flexible approach. Use rows, columns, formulas, and filters to maintain your stock records.
Best for
Small catalogs and businesses with simple workflows.
Makhzen
A dedicated inventory system for managing products, stock, warehouses, purchasing, and your team.
Best for
Growing businesses that need a more organized inventory workflow.
Side by side
What changes when you change the way you manage stock?
Compare everyday inventory tasks across paper records, spreadsheets, and a dedicated inventory management system.
Everyday inventory
Speed and daily operations
Business organization
Access and synchronization
Comparison is based on typical workflows and built-in capabilities. Spreadsheets can be customized and connected to additional tools, while available Makhzen features can vary by subscription and application version.
Paper is simple.
But it has limits.
A notebook can work perfectly well when you have a handful of products and one person handling stock. But as records grow, finding information and keeping quantities updated can become a daily challenge.
- Searching through pages takes time.
- Updating several records requires manual work.
- Sharing stock information across locations is difficult.
- Keeping a consistent record depends on everyone's habits.
Stock Register
Inventory records / Example
"Did we update the other notebook?"
A familiar question
| SKU | Product | Quantity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| SKU-001 | Product A | 45 | Warehouse 1 |
| SKU-002 | Product B | 12 | Warehouse 1 |
| SKU-003 | Product C | 31 | Warehouse 2 |
| SKU-004 | Product D | 09 | Warehouse 2 |
| SKU-005 | Product E | 28 | Warehouse 1 |
File version
Updated manually
Stock updates
Depends on entries
Better than paper.
Not always enough.
Excel and Google Sheets are powerful tools. They make it easier to sort products, calculate totals, and maintain structured lists. For many small businesses, they're a great starting point.
The challenge appears when your spreadsheet becomes the foundation for every inventory operation: purchasing, stock movements, warehouse organization, and team coordination.
- Formulas and structures need ongoing maintenance.
- Multiple files can make information harder to coordinate.
- Stock movements still need to be recorded consistently.
- Barcode workflows and inventory operations often require additional tools.
Stop maintaining inventory records.
Start managing inventory.
Makhzen brings products, stock movements, warehouses, suppliers, purchasing, and team access into one connected application.
One product catalog
Keep product details, categories, SKUs, and supported variations organized.
Scan instead of searching
Use mobile barcode scanning to identify products during everyday inventory work.
Know your warehouse stock
Organize products and quantities across multiple warehouse locations.
Organize purchasing
Manage purchase orders and keep supplier information connected to your workflow.
Bring your team together
Give team members access to a shared inventory application.
Keep app data synchronized
Use WebSocket updates and periodic polling to synchronize supported application data.
Ready to move beyond spreadsheets?
Explore a more organized way to manage your inventory.
Make the right choice
Which inventory approach is right for your business?
The best solution depends on your inventory size, daily operations, and how your team works.
Choose paper if…
- • You manage very few products.
- • One person handles most stock records.
- • You only need simple written records.
Choose spreadsheets if…
- • Your product list is relatively small.
- • Your inventory process is straightforward.
- • You are comfortable maintaining formulas and records.
Choose Makhzen if…
- • You want a dedicated inventory system.
- • You manage multiple warehouses or team members.
- • You need barcode scanning and stock movement tracking.
- • You want purchasing and supplier workflows together.
Making the transition
You don't have to leave your spreadsheets behind.
Moving to a dedicated inventory application doesn't mean abandoning all your existing records. Makhzen supports CSV, Excel, and PDF formats, so you can continue working with familiar file formats where supported.
Explore import and exportYour existing records
Familiar file formats
Makhzen inventory
A dedicated inventory workspace
Frequently asked questions
Still comparing your options?
Are spreadsheets bad for inventory management?
Not at all. Spreadsheets are useful for small catalogs, simple stock lists, and businesses with limited inventory activity. They become harder to maintain when multiple people update stock, products are spread across warehouses, or purchasing and stock movements need to be coordinated.
Can I continue using Excel with Makhzen?
Yes. Makhzen supports CSV, Excel, and PDF formats. You can use supported import and export workflows alongside your existing spreadsheet processes. The exact operations available depend on the format and current application functionality.
Is Makhzen suitable for a small business?
Yes. Makhzen is designed for businesses that want to organize products, monitor stock, and manage inventory operations without building their own spreadsheet system.
Does Makhzen replace accounting software or a POS?
Makhzen focuses on inventory management. It is not a full accounting system or cash register/POS platform.
Can my employees access inventory from their phones?
Yes. Makhzen includes a mobile app that lets supported users access inventory features, including barcode scanning.
Does Makhzen synchronize inventory across devices?
Makhzen uses WebSocket updates and periodic polling to synchronize supported application data. It also supports webhooks for notifying external systems about supported events.
Can I use Makhzen for multiple warehouses?
Yes. Makhzen supports multiple warehouses, allowing businesses to organize inventory across different storage locations.
Your inventory deserves more than a spreadsheet.
Bring products, stock, warehouses, purchasing, and your team together with Makhzen.
Start with the inventory workflow your business needs today.