Wine Inventory App Sharing: Four Apps Compared

Four wine inventory apps handle sharing differently

The four apps differ on three practical points: how the other person gets in, what that person can do once inside, and what the feature costs. The table puts those side by side, and each app then gets its own short section.

The Shelvin price is the App Store listing for its Premium Plan. CellarTracker's support articles do not say whether sharing is part of the paid subscription, and Vinotag's site gives no price for sharing. For a wider comparison of wine inventory apps on shelf locations, pricing and scanning, see "Wine Inventory Apps: 5 Cellar Trackers Compared".

Shelvin invites by QR code and shares with authorized users

To bring someone into Shelvin, you show them a dedicated QR code, and they register through it to get the cellar information. The US App Store listing says inventory is shared between authorized users and names families and restaurant staff as a good fit.

Shelvin's team sharing is in the Premium column of its pricing table, so check the plan before you invite staff. The US App Store lists the Premium Plan at $6.99 for one month. Shelvin (App Store)

InVintory's free plan adds collaborators with access levels

InVintory lets you add collaborators or family members and adjust the access level for each of them. The pricing page puts that option in the Free plan column.

You can bring a partner into InVintory without paying, and you set the access level yourself. The pricing page does not describe what each level lets a person see or change, so check the app before you rely on a specific limit. Premium is $149.99 a year.

CellarTracker gives the person you add full control

CellarTracker's account sharing lets you give specific users complete control of your cellar. That includes adding, editing and deleting bottles and tasting notes. The support article gives one example: a storage facility that manages your wine can help with the bottles in its care.

What you hand over is not a view-only link: the other person can delete bottles and tasting notes as well as add and edit them. You set sharing up on the full desktop website, and the person you add then switches between the accounts they can reach. While they are in your cellar, social integration and sharing settings are not available to them.

The transaction log records which user account made a change, although the support article says there are no detailed audit logs. The site and app are free, with a paid subscription for extra features, and neither support article says whether sharing is part of that subscription.

Vinotag opens cellar management to your household

Vinotag has a share function that gives other members of your household or close circle access to the management and contents of your cellar. The site also shows the cellar as a graphic view on your phone, with the precise location of each bottle.

Vinotag's sharing is aimed at the people you live with or know well. The site gives no price for sharing itself. It does say that new accounts include 50 free scans and that a Premium option adds more.

Who you share with decides which app fits

Sharing a cellar with a partner and sharing stock with a restaurant team look alike, but the details that matter are different. At home the question is how easily the other person joins and what that person may change; at a restaurant it is whether every staff member sees the same stock during service.

Partners and families avoid buying the same bottle twice

A shared cellar can keep two people from buying the same wine. Shelvin's listing gives that exact use for families and partners: share which wines you can open tonight so nobody buys a duplicate or opens a bottle by accident.

For a couple, the choice comes down to how you want to add the other person and how much you want them to change. Shelvin adds a partner by QR code, InVintory lets you adjust the access level on its Free plan, and Vinotag opens the cellar to your whole household.

For restaurant staff, Shelvin shares stock in real time

Shelvin's site says that the whole family or all store staff can share inventory in real time, including what is in the back room and what has already been opened. Shelvin's listing and site both point to staff sharing, and the site places team sharing in the Premium column.

If you need to know who changed a bottle, CellarTracker's transaction log records which account made each change. For how to count and organize a restaurant's wine stock, see "Bar Inventory for Wine: Records, Vintages, Sharing".

Pick an app by who you share with and what they can change

For a partner or family, Shelvin adds people by QR code, InVintory adds collaborators with an access level you adjust, and Vinotag opens the cellar to your household. If you want someone to run the whole cellar for you, CellarTracker gives that person complete control. For restaurant staff, Shelvin's listing names staff and its site puts team sharing in the Premium column.

Match the app to the person: choose by how they join and by how much they should be allowed to change. Only two costs are public: Shelvin's Premium Plan is listed at $6.99 for one month, and InVintory's Free plan includes collaborators. CellarTracker and Vinotag have not published what sharing costs.

If you want to stop buying duplicates at home, Shelvin's listing names that use for families and partners. Shelvin (App Store)