Quick Start Guide

Get your hosted OpenBoxes instance up and running in under 10 minutes. This guide walks you through the signup wizard and logging into your new supply chain management platform.

Prerequisites#

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A valid business email address (personal email works for trials)
  • A payment method: a credit/debit card or a US bank account. Nothing is charged during the 30-day free trial.
  • A modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, or Edge)
  • A name for your organization and a preferred subdomain (e.g., acme for acme.openboxes.cloud)

No software installation is required. OpenBoxes Lift is fully cloud-hosted.

Step 1: Create Your Account#

  1. Visit openboxes.cloud and click Start Free Trial.
  2. You will be redirected to the signup form at app.openboxes.cloud.
  3. Fill in your name, email address, and a secure password (at least 12 characters, including 3 of the following: an uppercase letter, a lowercase letter, a number, a special character) — or sign up with Google, Microsoft, or GitHub.
  4. Confirm your email address: we email you a 6-digit code, and you type it straight into the signup form — you never leave the page and there is no link to click. (Signing up with Google, Microsoft or GitHub normally skips this step, since the provider has already confirmed your email address; in the rare case the provider can't confirm your address, contact us through the support chat and we'll verify your email with you.)

Your portal account uses single sign-on (SSO), so you only need one set of credentials to access both the management portal and your OpenBoxes instance.

The rest of signup is a five-step wizard: Account (done), Organization, Free trial, Import / Migrate, and Go Live. There is no plan-picker step — the wizard signs you up for the plan you arrived with.

Step 2: Your Plan#

Plan Price Users Storage Best For
Shared $150/mo Up to 10 10 GB Small teams and pilot projects
Dedicated $600/mo Up to 50 100 GB Mid-size organizations needing isolated resources
Enterprise $1,800/mo + add-ons 100 included 250 GB included Organizations that need availability and change-control commitments in a contract
  • Start Free Trial on the website signs you up for the Shared plan. To start on Dedicated instead, use the Dedicated option on the pricing page or go straight to app.openboxes.cloud/auth/signup?plan=dedicated — it is self-serve too. Enterprise is sales-led: use Contact Sales.
  • Every Shared and Dedicated signup starts with a 30-day free trial. (Enterprise agreements start active, with no trial.) You add a payment method (card, or a US bank account via instant bank login) in the Free trial step, but nothing is charged until the trial ends, and you can cancel during the trial without being charged.
  • Founding-member pricing. Signups before 2026-12-31 get the FOUNDING50 discount applied automatically: $75/mo for Shared, $300/mo for Dedicated, for 24 months. Annual billing saves 20% ($120/mo Shared, $480/mo Dedicated, billed annually — $60/mo Shared and $240/mo Dedicated billed annually for founding members).

If you are evaluating the platform, the Shared plan is a great starting point. You can upgrade at any time without losing data.

Step 3: Organization and Subdomain#

In the Organization step, enter your organization name and choose a subdomain that identifies your organization. This will be the URL your team uses to access OpenBoxes:

https://your-subdomain.openboxes.cloud

Subdomain tips:

  • Use your organization name or a short abbreviation
  • 3-32 characters; only lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens are allowed
  • Keep it short and easy to remember
  • Some names are unavailable — platform-reserved words and names too close to OpenBoxes branding. The signup form checks availability as you type.

Step 4: Import / Migrate#

The Import / Migrate step asks where your data is coming from, so the portal can line up the right import path once your instance is live:

  • Start with a fresh instance — an empty OpenBoxes with a guided getting-started checklist
  • Migrate from self-hosted OpenBoxes — bring over an existing OpenBoxes server
  • Migrate from another inventory system — mSupply, OpenLMIS, ERPNext, Odoo, Shopify, QuickBooks, and more
  • Import from a spreadsheet or file — CSV or Excel, with column auto-detection

Pick the option that fits — it only tailors your setup, and you can always change course later. You can stage a file here if you have one ready; the full import wizard is always available afterwards from Import Data in the portal sidebar. See Migrating Data.

Step 5: Go Live#

The final Go Live step starts provisioning. The platform will:

  1. Set up your isolated database
  2. Initialize all OpenBoxes modules
  3. Create your admin account
  4. Configure your subdomain

This process usually takes a few minutes on both Shared and Dedicated plans. You will see a progress indicator in the portal dashboard.

Step 6: Log In to OpenBoxes#

Once provisioning is complete, you will see a Launch OpenBoxes button on your portal dashboard. Click it to open your instance.

You are automatically signed in through SSO. No separate login is needed.

If you prefer to go directly, visit your subdomain URL in any browser:

https://your-subdomain.openboxes.cloud

What to Do Next#

Now that your instance is live, here are the recommended next steps:

  1. Set up your first location — Create a warehouse or depot that represents your primary facility. See Your First Instance for a walkthrough.
  2. Invite your team — Add team members from the portal so they can access OpenBoxes with their own accounts. See Account Setup.
  3. Add products — Start building your product catalog by entering items manually or importing from a spreadsheet. See Migrating Data.
  4. Explore the interface — Familiarize yourself with the navigation, dashboard, and key modules. See Navigating OpenBoxes.

Need Help?#