Unleashed vs Cin7 Core (formerly DEAR Inventory) for Wholesalers and Manufacturers

Where Logistify AI fits

Logistify works alongside Unleashed. It is a managed service, not an inventory system, and it doesn't replace Unleashed, Cin7 Core, Katana or Xero. With Unleashed, the Sales Order Service enters customer orders that arrive by email, PDF, Excel, EDI, WhatsApp, SMS, voicemail or paper as sales orders, creates sales quotes for quote requests, and replies to the buyer with the quantity available on each line. The Procurement Service follows up with suppliers on open purchase orders. The Accounts Receivable Service matches payments from your bank file to open invoices and records them in Xero or QuickBooks Online, whichever you use. Logistify operates in every region where Unleashed is sold.

• It doesn't do stocktakes, stock adjustments, warehouse transfers or assemblies in Unleashed, and it doesn't create, receipt or return purchase orders.
• It doesn't choose a warehouse or set batch numbers, serial numbers, bins or units of measure on orders.
• It doesn't chase customers for payment.

Side by side

Is Cin7 Core the same as DEAR Inventory?

Yes. Cin7 says Cin7 Core was formerly known as DEAR Systems, also called DEAR Inventory, before it joined Cin7 and was renamed. Cin7 Omni is a different product: it was originally the product called Cin7. If you are reading older reviews of DEAR, they describe what is now Cin7 Core.

How do the prices compare?

Unleashed publishes prices in British pounds, Australian dollars, New Zealand dollars and US dollars, all excluding applicable taxes. Cin7's pricing page publishes US dollars only, excluding taxes, and says the prices are for new customers. In US dollars, Unleashed Core is $399 a month and Pro $729, against Cin7 Core Standard at $349, Pro at $599 and Advanced at $1,199. Both sell add-ons on top, so price the modules you need, not just the base plan. Unleashed also sells annual plans: in the UK, Core is £2,959 a year and Pro £5,489.

How many users and sales orders do you get?

This is the largest difference in the base plans. Unleashed includes 3 users on Core and 5 on Pro, and 100 sales orders a month on every plan. If you go over, Unleashed's help center says your bundle moves up a tier after three months in a row above your allowance: Small (up to 500 a month), Medium (1,500), Large (3,000) or Unlimited. Cin7 Core includes 5, 10 or 15 users and 6,000, 24,000 or 120,000 sale orders a year, depending on the plan. A wholesaler with a small team and a few hundred orders a month can fit either; one with many users or high order volume should price both carefully.

Which is better for manufacturing?

Unleashed's Production module covers bills of materials, Assemblies, Sub-Assemblies, Disassemblies and Auto-Assemblies, which are created from a sales order when there isn't enough stock. Multi-level bills of materials can be viewed from the parent, but Sub-Assemblies are created by hand from the parent Assembly and must be completed before it. Production is a paid module on Core and included on Pro. Cin7 Core includes assembly manufacturing with multi-level assemblies on every plan. Its Advanced Manufacturing module adds production BOMs with operations, work centers, resource capacity, a Capacity Planner, a Scheduler and a shop floor app, and it is an add-on.

How does each one work with Xero?

Both connect to Xero and QuickBooks Online. Unleashed sends transactions one way to Xero, including the accounting entries for shipments, receipts and stock adjustments, and puts product details on each transaction line rather than keeping separate items in Xero. Each Unleashed account connects to one Xero organization. Cin7 Core exports its products to Xero as items, always exports sale invoices, can sync payments both ways, and creates manual journals for COGS, assemblies, stock adjustments and transfers. Cin7's help center says Cin7 Core doesn't support Xero inventory tracking and tells you to turn it off.

Who should choose which

• Choose Unleashed if you are in the UK, Australia or New Zealand and want prices published in your own currency, a small team, and assemblies with batch and serial tracking.
• Choose Unleashed Pro if you want production, forecasting (AIM) and multi-bin warehouse management in one plan, since all three are included on Pro.
• Choose Cin7 Core if you need more users or a high annual sales order volume in the base plan.
• Choose Cin7 Core if you want point of sale, a B2B portal, or capacity-based production planning from the same vendor.
• Run a trial of both with a week of your real orders and products. Unleashed offers a 14-day free trial; Cin7 offers a free trial and demos.