Brightpearl vs. Ordoro

Brightpearl is something of a mixed bag when it comes to ease of use. While the interface itself is relatively straightforward, and much more intuitive than some competitors we’ve tried, configuring settings can be cumbersome.

Tasks like creating listings, batching products, and setting up integrations, for example, require numerous manual steps.

There is a little bit of a learning curve for new users. That said, Brightpearl offers high-quality support and extensive documentation, along with the option of dedicated training.

"While Bright Pearl is easy to use, sometimes the amount of manual steps you have to take with some of the processes are tedious."

"Sometimes you have to do things by the book and can't cut corners in processes."

"Really easy to learn and manage."

Overall, we liked the Ordoro dashboard. It’s straightforward and easy-to-use, with a clean interface. Dedicated areas for shipping, product management, purchase orders (POs), and analytics are accessed from a central toolbar across the top of the page.

Ordoro is a browser-based app, so there’s no need to download any desktop software.

“The software linked perfectly to my couriers and made shipping simple.”

“It's unbelievably functional for the price.”

“Easy to navigate and user friendly interface.”

As a cloud-based solution geared towards larger companies, Brightpearl has an extensive array of features along with high-level reporting and inventory management tools. We couldn’t find anything major that was missing.

Brightpearl operates according to a “modular” pricing structure, so users can choose which kinds of functionality they want to pay for. In the longer-term, this may prove more cost-effective than opting for a one-size-fits-all plan.

Unusually for an inventory management app, Brightpearl also has CRM capabilities, making it possible to store and manage client details and send out notifications.

The only downsides were the lack of a mobile app and a somewhat limited selection of marketplace integrations (although this is offset somewhat by intermediary connectors like SPS Commerce). We also felt that some essential features, like POS, were omitted from the plan for smaller retailers.

In terms of order, inventory, and shipping management, Brightpearl includes multiple tools for dealing with high sales volume, including automated fulfilment rules. Users can also take advantage of multi-location and multi-currency inventory control, and warehouse features like barcode scanning.

The analytics centre allows for the creation of a variety of advanced reports covering channel-specific performance, demand forecasting, customer analysis, and more.

Finally, Brightpearl has a range of offerings for companies experiencing fast growth, including the option to move over to dedicated secure servers.

We were very impressed with Ordoro’s feature-set. The platform shines in more or less every area, especially in regards to shipping functionality, integrations with third-party marketplaces, and minor features like bundling, custom workflows, and support for dropshipping.

Let’s kick off with the small handful of negatives. Ordoro doesn’t currently offer a mobile app, although you can access the dashboard through your mobile browser. We were also a bit dismayed by the lack of a Zapier integration. What’s more, some features, like warehouse integration, aren’t included in the core package, and will incur extra costs. It’s also worth noting that Ordoro doesn’t offer any manufacturing capabilities. Retailers that need software to manage deliveries of raw materials and production lines should look elsewhere.

On all other fronts, however, Ordoro excels expectations. All the usual features that retailers would expect, including multi-feature inventory management tools, integrations, fulfillment and reorder automation, barcode scanning, POS (point of sale), warehouse management, and more, are included.

The shipping toolkit is among the best in the industry. Retailers have access to an array of discounted prices from leading carriers, insurance, printer integration, and more.

Finally, users can take advantage of an assortment of reports and segmentation options through the analytics dashboard. These cover sales performance, shipping costs, and inventory metrics.

While the Brightpearl integrations library is good, we weren’t absolutely blown away by it. For an enterprise platform of this sort, we expected to see more native marketplace integrations and support for a wider selection of ecommerce platforms.

As a retailer, you will likely find everything that you need. And even when in-house integrations aren’t offered, third-party connectors make up for the gaps in functionality. Just make sure you check out what’s on offer before you purchase. Large companies will be pleased to hear that Quickbooks, Xero, and Avalara are all supported on the accounting front. Brightpearl also integrates with the desktop version of Quickbooks.

In terms of ecommerce platforms, Shopify, Shopify Plus, Magento, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, and NuORDER are all covered.

Native integrations with third-party marketplaces Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Jet, and Newegg are provided. On the surface, this looks somewhat paltry for a dedicated omnichannel solution. And while this is true to an extent, SPS Commerce and CommerceHub significantly extend marketplace functionality. Brightpearl is built to work well with both of these integrations.

Finally, a wide range of shipping connectors is provided, including ShipStation, Hermes, DHL, Royal Mail, FedEx, UPS, Parcel Force, and others. Unlike many competitors, the selection of shipping integrations caters to UK as well as US retailers.

Ordoro has a large library of integrations. It’s not the most comprehensive we’ve seen, but retailers will find everything they need. Interestingly, Ordoro also provides a number of direct integrations with third-party marketplaces, making it a viable option for multichannel sellers. The SPS Commerce integration extends marketplace options even further.

There is also a strong focus on shipping and dropshipping functionality, and few competitors match Ordoro in this regard.

The only downside is that we would have liked to see a Zapier integration, which would allow users to connect apps which aren’t directly supported. But all in all, we couldn’t find much to complain about.

Ordoro excels when it comes to supported ecommerce platforms. Many inventory management apps that we’ve reviewed are compatible only with big brands like Shopify and Magento. Ordoro, on the other hand, syncs up with WooCommerce, BigCommerce, Volusion, 3dCart, Ecwid, and others. In terms of third-party marketplaces, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, and Jet are all supported, along with some other smaller names like Reverb and Zoey.

Shipping connectors include USPS, FedEx, UPS, Canada Post, DHL, and Amazon SFP.

Users can also take advantage of Xero and Quickbooks integrations. Point-of-sale functionality is available through Shopify POS and Square.

Brightpearl operates a custom pricing model and doesn’t publish exact figures on its site. You’ll need to get in touch directly for a quote.

Broadly speaking, there are two plans available, although various levels of customization are available. The first plan is for retailers processing under 1500 orders per month; the second is for retailers with orders in excess of 1500 per month.

The first plan allows for five channels and five users, while the second allows for an unlimited number of both users and channels. Warehouse management and POS is only available on the higher-priced plan. No free trial is explicitly offered but it may be possible to organize one.

Ordoro is a slightly mixed bag when it comes to costs. It’s an unusual solution in the sense that it’s suitable for retailers of all sizes, from independent store-owners to international brands.

Generally speaking, the complete inventory management and shipping solution, starting at $499/month, is suitable only for medium-sized and large retailers. There are more inexpensive apps on the market for smaller companies. The shipping-only solution, however, which gives users access to discounted rates and fulfilment features, is only $59/month, so may prove viable for smaller sellers.

Custom-priced plans, which include a dedicated account manager, are available for large enterprises.

Brightpearl has an excellent support package. Companies in the UK and US will benefit from dedicated customer service teams in their own countries. There’s no limit to the number of technical requests that users can make.

Phone support is available sixteen hours a day. During the remaining eight hours, users can take advantage of 24/7 email support, with an average 26 minute response time.

Brightpearl also offers extensive documentation and training videos, along with access to a community of users. Companies that need extra training, whether in relation to sales order management, accounting, or the use of integrations, can purchase additional support packages.

Ordoro support is very good on the whole. Users can access customer service via email and phone, Monday to Friday, 9 AM to 6 PM CST.

Ordoro also provides extensive documentation and video guides along with a forum for developers.

Onboarding support is available on all plans but does incur an extra cost. Retailers on the enterprise-level plan, which works on a custom pricing model, will also have access to a dedicated account manager.

It would have been nice to see a live chat option, and receiving support quickly might be tricky for people outside the US, but all in all we were very impressed.

We were very impressed with Brightpearl. While we have a few minor quibbles - mainly due to the small number of native marketplace integrations, tedious configuration settings, and a lack of features on the lower-priced plan - overall we liked what we saw. Enterprise ecommerce companies will find everything they need with this inventory management solution.

It’s definitely geared towards larger retailers (with a minimum of one million dollars in yearly sales) and the cost of the software will be untenable for most smaller businesses. For larger online sellers, however, the modular pricing structure may prove more cost-effective than alternatives.

If you think it might be suitable for you, our advice is to get in touch and ask for a demo.

Ordoro is one of the best solutions we’ve reviewed. It has an excellent set of features, an extensive integrations library with support for a large number of ecommerce platforms, and is priced competitively. While the costs of the two main plans make it more geared toward medium-sized retailers, smaller retailers with multiple team-members may also find it fits within their budget.

Ordoro offers the best shipping management capabilities of any solution on the market in our opinion, with support for most major carriers in the US and heavily discounted rates. Smaller retailers can also opt for an inexpensive shipping-only package.

The only caveat is that store-owners outside of the US and Canada may struggle with the integrations and US-based support.