Stocky is discontinued as of August 31, 2026. This comparison is for merchants choosing the workflow that follows it. It is not a choice between two active applications. Historical export access and migration limits are described in Shopify’s transition guide.
LineNow’s Shopify purchase order software fits stocked ecommerce businesses that buy from multiple suppliers and need to coordinate the order after sending: confirmations, changed prices, partial shipments, receiving and invoice context. Shopify’s own purchasing workflow should also be on the shortlist.
Compare the jobs you need to keep
| Buying job | What to evaluate now |
|---|---|
| Create purchase orders and receive inventory | Test Shopify’s native workflow first; these tasks do not inherently require LineNow |
| Decide what to reorder | Test the planning tools against real demand, supplier packs, lead times and quantities already on order |
| Review supplier confirmations and changes | In LineNow, inspect a supplier reply and the proposed PO update together |
| Coordinate a partial delivery | Check received and outstanding quantities, who records the receipt and how the mapped stock location updates |
| Give accounting the purchase history | Verify the agreed cost, receipt evidence and reviewed bill handoff with your accounting setup |
| Preserve Stocky history | Export and retain available records; separately agree what can be imported into the replacement |
Where LineNow earns a place
Consider a supplier who confirms only part of an order and changes the price on the remainder. The buyer needs the revised commitment, the warehouse needs the correct expectation, and finance needs to understand the invoice. A shared living purchase order keeps those changes attached to the purchasing record.
LineNow can read supported supplier emails into reviewable order updates. The buyer checks the changed quantities, costs or delivery dates against the message. Receiving records what actually arrived. Product and location mappings determine how the supported Shopify inventory update is applied; the presence of a connected store alone is not sufficient setup.
The Whitmans story describes how one retailer uses supplier pack and price context together with reviewable replies. It is evidence for that customer's workflow, not a guaranteed result for every Stocky migration.
What to prove in a trial
Use one supplier order from your own business:
- Map the sellable variant to the supplier SKU and purchasing pack.
- Review a reorder quantity and any outstanding purchases.
- Send the PO through the agreed supplier channel.
- Review a changed confirmation with its source message.
- Receive part of the order and verify the outstanding balance.
- Check the mapped Shopify stock location and the accounting handoff.
Do not record the same receipt in two systems that both increase Shopify stock. Decide which system owns each step during setup. A LineNow order and a native Shopify purchase order are separate records; do not assume connecting the applications creates identical PO or transfer records in Shopify.
When another path may be sufficient
If the problem is creating a supplier order and receiving it, start with the native Shopify PO workflow. If the main difficulty is forecasting, compare inventory-planning tools using the same demand and supplier constraints. If you need extensive warehouse or ERP functionality, include products designed for that scope.
LineNow is worth evaluating when supplier execution is substantial enough to need its own shared workflow. Compare the full Shopify software shortlist and check current LineNow pricing against your business units and intended setup.
Preserve the buyer's familiar routine
Have the employee who used Stocky complete the evaluation: review stock, choose a supplier, check quantities and costs, review the purchase order, and record a partial receipt. Note where terminology, missing columns, or extra steps create friction. The buyer completing the work is stronger evidence of familiarity than a feature list.
Try the LineNow stock-review sample. The stock and PO panels explain the routine; receiving uses the actual checklist with local sample operations. It does not copy Stocky's interface, import historical data, or connect to Shopify. Review the actual connection scope separately.
Migration next steps
Preserve available history, reconcile open supplier commitments and select a receiving owner before introducing new purchases. The Stocky migration guide includes an opening-position checklist and a partial-delivery pilot.
Sources checked
Reviewed September 4, 2026: