AirTags vs Sortly: Visual Inventory vs Real-Time Tracking
Sortly knows what your inventory looks like. AirPinpoint knows where it is.
These tools solve fundamentally different problems. Sortly is a visual inventory management app: you photograph items, tag them with QR codes, organize them in folders, and track quantities. AirPinpoint is a real-time location tracking platform: you attach a beacon to an asset and see its position on a map, automatically, without anyone scanning anything.
The confusion happens because both get called "asset tracking." But cataloging what you own and knowing where it is in real time are different capabilities.
Head-to-Head Comparison
| Feature | Sortly | AirPinpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Core function | Visual inventory catalog | Real-time location tracking |
| How it works | Photos + QR/barcode scanning | Apple Find My beacons (automatic) |
| Location tracking | Manual (scan to update) | Automatic (no scanning needed) |
| Live map view | No | Yes |
| Geofence alerts | No | Yes |
| Movement alerts | No | Yes (after-hours, boundary exit) |
| Location history | No | Full timeline with export |
| Photo inventory | Yes (core feature) | No |
| Custom fields | Yes | Tags and notes |
| QR/barcode labels | Yes (print from app) | Not needed (beacon-based) |
| Low stock alerts | Yes | No |
| API access | Yes (paid plans) | Yes (REST API + Zapier) |
| Free plan | 100 items | No |
| Team access | Varies by plan | Unlimited team members |
Sortly Pricing vs AirPinpoint Pricing
Sortly charges per plan tier, not per item. AirPinpoint charges per tracked device.
| Plan | Sortly | AirPinpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 100 items, 1 user | N/A |
| Starter | $29/mo (unlimited items, 1 user) | N/A |
| Advanced | $49/mo (unlimited items, 3 users) | N/A |
| Ultra | $149/mo (unlimited items, 5 users) | N/A |
| Enterprise | Custom pricing | Custom pricing |
| Business | N/A | $11.99/device/mo |
| Enterprise | N/A | $14.99/device/mo |
At 50 tracked assets: Sortly Ultra costs $149/mo for inventory cataloging. AirPinpoint costs $599/mo for real-time location tracking. The price difference reflects the capability difference.
At 200 assets: Sortly still costs $149/mo (flat rate). AirPinpoint costs $2,398/mo. But if even one $15,000 piece of equipment gets recovered because of real-time tracking, the annual subscription pays for itself.
What Sortly Does Well
Sortly is genuinely good at visual inventory management. Give credit where it's due.
Photo-First Cataloging
Every item gets a photo. For businesses that need visual identification (which generator model is that? what condition was the drill in when we sent it out?), this is valuable. AirPinpoint doesn't do visual cataloging.
QR and Barcode Scanning
Print labels, stick them on items, scan to check in/out. This creates an audit trail of who had what and when. It's manual, but it works for tool cribs and equipment rooms where items pass through a single checkout point.
Folders and Organization
Sortly's folder structure lets you organize inventory by site, department, category, or any hierarchy. Custom fields add flexibility: serial numbers, purchase dates, warranty info, condition notes.
Low Stock Alerts
Track consumable quantities and get notified when stock drops below a threshold. Useful for supplies, parts, and materials. AirPinpoint doesn't track quantities.
Where Sortly Falls Short
Sortly's limitations become obvious once assets leave a controlled environment.
No Real-Time Location
This is the fundamental gap. Sortly's "location" is whatever someone last typed or scanned. If a trailer moves from Site A to Site B and nobody scans it, Sortly still shows it at Site A. There's no GPS, no BLE, no automatic tracking.
For office inventory that sits on shelves, this is fine. For construction equipment that moves between job sites daily, it's a liability.
Manual Scanning Dependency
Every location update requires a human with a phone to scan a code. At scale, this breaks down. People forget. People are busy. People scan the wrong code. The data degrades over time, and you end up with an inventory system that's only accurate when someone just finished a full audit.
No Movement Alerts
If someone drives your excavator off-site at 2 AM on Saturday, Sortly won't tell you. There's no geofencing, no after-hours alerts, no movement detection. You find out Monday morning when the crew arrives.
No Location History
Even if you diligently scan every item at every location, Sortly doesn't give you a timeline. You can't answer "where has this asset been for the last 30 days?" or "how often does this equipment actually get used?"
What AirPinpoint Does Better
Automatic Location Updates
Attach a beacon once. It broadcasts its position via Apple's Find My network continuously. No scanning, no human intervention, no degrading data quality. Location updates happen whether or not anyone remembers to check in.
Geofence and Movement Alerts
Draw a boundary around your job site. Get alerted if equipment crosses it. Set up after-hours monitoring so overnight movement triggers a notification. These are the alerts that prevent theft, not just document it after the fact.
Location History and Reporting
Every location update is stored. Generate reports showing asset movement over days, weeks, or months. Use this data for utilization analysis, insurance claims, or proof of delivery.
7-Year Battery Beacons
AirPinpoint's custom NRF52810 beacons last 7 years. Deploy them and forget about battery management. On 100 assets, that's 100 battery changes per year you don't have to do.
Who Should Use What
Use Sortly if:
- You need a visual catalog of what you own (photos, condition, serial numbers)
- Your assets stay in controlled locations (warehouse, office, storage room)
- QR/barcode check-in/out workflows fit your operations
- You need low-stock alerts for consumables and supplies
- Budget is tight and you don't need real-time location
Use AirPinpoint if:
- Your assets move between locations (job sites, client sites, vehicles)
- You need to know where things are right now, not where they were last scanned
- Theft prevention and after-hours alerts matter
- You need location history for insurance, compliance, or utilization analysis
- Multiple team members need live visibility into asset locations
Use both if:
- You want Sortly's visual cataloging for office/warehouse inventory AND AirPinpoint's real-time tracking for high-value mobile assets. They solve different problems and can run side by side.
Making the Switch
If you've outgrown Sortly's manual tracking and need real location data:
- Identify high-value mobile assets that move between locations or are theft targets
- Sign up at airpinpoint.com and order beacons for those assets
- Attach beacons with peel-and-stick installation
- Set up geofences around your job sites and storage yards
- Keep Sortly for visual cataloging of stationary inventory if it still serves you
You don't have to replace Sortly entirely. Many businesses layer real-time tracking on top of their existing inventory system, covering the gap that photo-based cataloging can't fill.
The Bottom Line
Sortly is a solid inventory management app for businesses that need to catalog what they own. Photos, QR codes, custom fields, folder organization. For stationary inventory in controlled environments, it works.
But inventory management and asset tracking are not the same thing. When your equipment moves across job sites, cities, or state lines, you need a system that tracks location automatically. AirPinpoint provides live location, movement alerts, geofencing, and location history through Apple's Find My network, without requiring anyone to scan a code.
If you're searching for a Sortly alternative because you need real-time location, you're not looking for a better inventory app. You're looking for a tracking platform.
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