Comparison · Scanwiz or HERO Software
Scanwiz vs. HERO: stock control without a licence per head.
HERO is German trades software for quotes, invoices and time tracking – inventory management only comes with the HERO OS plan, licensed per user. Scanwiz is the HERO alternative for businesses that want material and tools under control: unlimited users, an offline mode and monthly cancellation. Every detail about HERO comes with a source.
Data as of 9 October 2026 · Sources & method · All comparisons
At a glance
Scanwiz as a HERO alternative: six differences for your stock.
Both come from Germany, store data on servers in Germany, scan by smartphone and can be tested for 14 days without a credit card. The difference: HERO is business software with inventory as one building block, while Scanwiz specialises in stock, material and tools.
What you buy
When you get inventory
In every plan, from Starter at €45 a month.
Only from HERO OS at €119 a month on an annual contract. The entry plan HERO Select has no inventory.[1]
Who can book
Unlimited users – everyone who takes material gets their own login at no extra cost.
One office licence is included, each additional one costs €69. Every field worker pays €22 a month for the app.[1]
Without signal
Offline mode in the app: bookings and stocktakes carry on and sync once you’re connected again.
HERO describes real-time cloud synchronisation. An offline mode for inventory bookings is not documented.[2]
Tools & inspections
Part of your stock: issue to people, vehicles and sites with a signature, inspection intervals with reminders on the same asset.
Tools can be planned as a resource on the scheduling board.[6] Handover with a receipt and inspection dates for your own tools are not documented.
Contract term
Cancel monthly, with a 10% discount for annual payment.
Annual contract paid in advance or more expensive monthly plans. No cancellation during the term.[4]
Cost calculator
What does your inventory cost in the first year?
What does the HERO alternative cost compared with inventory in HERO OS? Set how many items you manage, how many people book and how many of them work in the office. HERO counts office and app licences separately.
Determines your Scanwiz plan. With HERO, the number of items doesn’t affect the price.
Everyone with their own login – in the stockroom, the workshop or on site.
Office licences at HERO, one is included in the plan. Everyone else books with an app licence.
Scanwiz
Starter
–in the first year
HERO Software
–
–in the first year
List prices as published on hero-software.de and by Scanwiz, as of 9 October 2026, both excluding VAT in euros. Calculated with HERO OS, the smallest HERO plan that includes inventory management.[1] Not included: HERO OS Plus with implementation service, additional AI usage, hardware and taxes. On its inventory page, HERO also advertises inventory as an add-on for €29 per business; we use the pricing page here.[2]
Day to day
One stock app for everyone, not a licence for each.
HERO plays to its strengths when quote, job, material and invoice come together in one system: stock items are reserved from quotes, withdrawals are assigned to the project and reordered from wholesalers via IDS Connect or DATANORM.[2] For that, everyone who books needs their own licence.[1]
As a HERO alternative, Scanwiz starts where material and tools move inside your business: withdrawals by scan, handing out to people and sites with a signature, PPE in every size, inspection dates on the asset, stocktaking at the shelf – even in a basement without signal. And because users cost nothing extra, everyone who takes something books with their own login.
- Any smartphone or tablet, plus USB and Bluetooth scanners
- Book offline, synced automatically once you’re back in signal
- Set up yourself via Excel import, cancel monthly
Feature comparison
HERO alternative for your stock: twenty criteria in detail.
Based on HERO’s pricing and feature pages plus independent reviews. Anything not stated there is marked “not documented” – not as missing.
| Criterion | Scanwiz | HERO Software |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started & cost | ||
| Price for inventory | €45 / €145 per month, inventory in every plan | From HERO OS: €119 a month on an annual contract, €135 monthly[1] |
| Users | Unlimited in every plan | 1 office licence included, more at €69; app licence €22 per person[1] |
| Contract term | Cancel monthly | Annual contract in advance or monthly plan; no cancellation during the term[4] |
| Trial | 14 days, no credit card | 14 days, no credit card[4] |
| Stock & material | ||
| Scanning | Smartphone, tablet, USB and Bluetooth scanners | QR and barcode scanning with the camera in the HERO app[2] |
| Locations | Unlimited: shelf, vehicle, site box | Stock ledger documented; vehicle stock not documented |
| Reorder point | Per item, variant and location, with order list | Stock alert[3] |
| Variants (e.g. PPE sizes) | Separate stock per size and version | Not documented for inventory |
| Batches & expiry dates | From Growth: stock per batch, expiry alerts | Not documented |
| Stocktaking | Four types by scan, blind and offline too | Simple stocktaking: record corrections in the app[2] |
| Project and job reference | Assignment to site or project, usage per site | Reservation from quotes, packing list per job, post-calculation[2] |
| Reordering from wholesalers | Order list per supplier from Growth, no wholesaler interface | IDS Connect and DATANORM[2] |
| Material requests from the team | Catalogue, reservation, pick-up with signature Business | Not documented |
| Tools & equipment | ||
| Issuing to people | Assigned to person, vehicle or site – with return | Tools planned as a resource on the scheduling board[6] |
| Handover with signature | Digital signature, PDF receipt on the profile | Signature for quotes and delivery notes; not documented for tool handovers[7] |
| Inspection dates for own tools | Intervals per asset, reminders, checklist, records | Not documented |
| Technology & data | ||
| Working offline | Captured offline, synced automatically | Not documented; real-time cloud sync[2] |
| Data processing | Data centres in Germany | |
| AI & interfaces | AI Connect (MCP); REST API in the Business plan | HERO Voice and HERO Command, API from HERO OS; MCP not documented[1] |
| Quotes, invoices, time tracking | Not offered | The core of HERO, from HERO Select[1] |
On parScanning with a smartphone · reorder point with alert · servers in Germany · 14-day trial without a credit card[2][4]
“Since introducing Scanwiz, we have a much better handle on material management: stock levels are traceable at any time, and withdrawals and deliveries are documented properly.”
Decision guide
Which solution fits your business?
When Scanwiz is the right HERO alternative – and when HERO is the better choice. That’s part of an honest comparison.
Scanwiz fits if …
- you want stock, material and tools under control – without changing your business software.
- everyone should book with their own login, without a licence per head.
- you need to manage PPE in sizes, batches or expiry dates properly.
- tools should carry handover, signature and inspection dates on the same asset.
- people book in basements, containers or on site without signal.
HERO fits if …
- quotes, invoices, time tracking and scheduling should run in one system.
- material should be reserved straight from quotes and assigned to projects.
- you order from wholesalers via IDS Connect or DATANORM.
- post-calculation per job matters more to you than tool management.
- you want an AI phone assistant for incoming calls.
Already on HERO Select?
HERO Select covers quotes, invoices and time tracking but no inventory, and is aimed at businesses with up to five employees.[1] Instead of upgrading to HERO OS just for inventory, you can add Scanwiz for material and tools. Both systems run separately; you bring your items over once via Excel import.
Getting started with Scanwiz
Set up your stock in an afternoon.
Switching to a HERO alternative doesn’t have to be a project: your item list – from HERO, your wholesaler or Excel – is the template for Scanwiz. On the Growth plan, we set up categories, locations and the first profiles together with you in a personal onboarding.
- 01
Prepare your list
Put your items with name, category, barcode and quantity together in an Excel sheet.
- 02
Import
Bring in items, categories, locations, quantities and values via Excel import.
- 03
Scan
Existing barcodes work straight away. Where there isn’t one, print QR labels for items or locations.
- 04
Count
The first stocktake by scan checks the imported figures and becomes your opening stock.
FAQ
Scanwiz as a HERO alternative – quick answers.
How much does inventory management cost with HERO?
Inventory management is included from the HERO OS plan. It costs €119 a month on an annual contract or €135 when paid monthly, each with one office licence. Each additional office licence costs €69, each app licence for field workers €22 a month (monthly €79 and €25). All prices exclude VAT.
Is inventory included in HERO Select?
No. HERO Select covers quotes, invoices, time tracking and scheduling, but no inventory management. Inventory comes with HERO OS.
How much does Scanwiz cost by comparison?
Scanwiz costs €45 a month for up to 500 items and €145 for up to 2,000 items, each with unlimited users and a 10% discount for annual payment. Batches and expiry dates are included from Growth. You can try it free for 14 days without a credit card and cancel monthly.
Can I use HERO and Scanwiz together?
Yes. Many businesses write quotes and invoices in their trades software and need more depth for their stock. You then manage material and tools in Scanwiz. Both systems run separately – there is no ready-made interface between HERO and Scanwiz; you bring your items over once via Excel import.
Does HERO inventory work offline?
HERO doesn’t document an offline mode for inventory bookings; it describes real-time cloud synchronisation. Scanwiz captures bookings and stocktakes offline and syncs them automatically once you are connected again.
Is Scanwiz a HERO alternative for the whole business?
No. Scanwiz doesn’t offer quotes, invoices, time tracking or scheduling. Scanwiz is the alternative for the part this page is about – stock, material and tools.
How current is this information?
As of 9 October 2026. Details about HERO come from HERO’s pricing and feature pages and from independent reviews; sources are listed at the end of the page. If you spot a mistake, let us know.
Sources & method
We only compare what HERO publishes itself or what independent review sites document, retrieved on 9 October 2026. We compare HERO’s inventory with Scanwiz – not the whole trades software. Details on Scanwiz come from our pricing overview and feature pages, such as equipment management, tool management, batch management and stocktaking.
HERO is a trademark of HERO Software GmbH; this page is not affiliated with HERO. If you spot a mistake, let us know – we’ll correct it.
- HERO – Prices & plans – HERO Select without inventory for businesses with up to five employees; HERO OS with inventory from €119 (monthly €135) incl. one standard licence, additional standard licence €69, app licence €22; API access from HERO OS. In German.
- HERO – Inventory management for trades – Feature list of HERO inventory: app scanning, stock ledger, project reference, simple stocktaking, reservation from quotes, IDS Connect and DATANORM, cloud sync; add-on note €29 per business. In German.
- HERO – Inventory management FAQ – Stock alert, mobile inventory in the app with bookings, stocktaking and scanning. In German.
- trusted.de – HERO costs 2026 – Contract terms and cancellation, 14-day trial without a credit card, servers in Germany, HERO Software GmbH in Hanover. In German.
- Für-Gründer.de – HERO review – GDPR and GoBD compliant, data on servers in Germany, inventory only from HERO OS. In German.
- App Store – Sonepar HERO – Digital scheduling board for resources such as staff, vehicles, machines and tools.
- HERO – Digital signature – Have quotes, delivery notes and other documents signed in the app. In German.
- HERO press – HERO inventory – Launch of HERO inventory as an extension of the business software with QR and barcode scanning. In German.
More than 250 customers already trust Scanwiz
Stock under control. No licence per head.
Try the HERO alternative free for 14 days with your material, your tools and your whole team – no credit card. Or let us show you Scanwiz in a personal demo.
4.9 out of 5 stars from more than 120 verified customer reviews
