Cin7 vs. Unleashed Software

Ease of use is the one area where Cin7 doesn’t perform as well as its competitors. While the dashboard itself is relatively straightforward, the sheer number of features and tools, along with a myriad of configuration options, makes getting to grips with Cin7 a bit of a chore. Onboarding an entire team is even more of a hassle.

In its defence, Cin7 makes up for this shortcoming by offering superlative customer support and a dedicated onboarding manager for larger companies. There is an ample collection of video and written tutorials.

"It can be overwhelming. When you first land in Cin 7 there are so many buttons and options that it can overwhelm you, especially if you are new to inventory management."

“There is an expectation to learn and adapt, much the same as with any stock and business the executives stage this thoroughly. Cin7 has incredible help and documentation to assist to relieve this.”

“The implementation does take a while and there is a lot to think about how you set it up for longer term growth.”

Unleashed is a cloud-hosted solution and access is through a browser app. It’s a good option for companies that don’t want the hassle of maintaining desktop software.

All in all, the Unleashed dashboard is fairly intuitive and easy to use. It follows a traditional format, with a left-hand menu providing access to the management areas for order processing, customer details, production processes, integrations, and analytics.

“Using Unleashed I finally have a process for everything inventory related in my business from purchasing, manufacturing, through to pick/pack/dispatch/invoice and everything in between.”

“Unleashed is a necessity for small businesses growing in the e-commerce industry.”

"Outstanding. We went live with Xero and Unleashed on October 1, 2018. We chose both on the basis of their respective features, and the tight integration."

Cin7 is a cloud-based browser app, so you don’t have to handle any backend tasks yourself. Users have expressed a small number of concerns relating to technical errors. But on the whole, Cin7 is quick to remedy any bugs, and the quality of support is very high.

Unfortunately, Cin 7 doesn’t offer a mobile app, so you’ll only be able to complete tasks from a desktop computer. You can use third-party tools that integrate with Cin7 that do have mobile apps, however. So, depending on your needs, some smartphone access may be possible.

On the training front, Cin7 provides a dedicated onboarding manager to help get businesses on enterprise plans up and running as quickly as possible. While there aren’t any long-term account managers, the quality and speed of support going forward are good, and there is an extensive library of training resources.

So what about analytics? Cin7 has extensive reporting facilities to streamline tasks like forecasting, restocking, inventory management, warehouse space allocation, and so on. Automation features enable retailers to take advantage of “smart insights” without having to crunch huge quantities of data.

Finally, Cin7 has implemented a number of security measures to safeguard sensitive data and ensure GDPR compliance. All team-members have unique logins (shared logins are not supported) and data is encrypted using “Transparent Data Encryption” or “TDE”. End-to-end encryption is available.

Unleashed has a very large set of features and is suitable for both manufacturers and retailers. The platform has everything users need to run a store efficiently. Main features include inventory, reorder, and management tools, analytics, POS, barcode scanning, materials and production tracking, warehouse connectors, and a reasonably extensive library of integrations. The one big downside is that native integrations with third-party marketplaces like Etsy and eBay aren’t available.

Retailers looking for a solution accessible from mobile devices will feel very at home with Unleashed. The Apple and Android apps are suitable for a range of tasks, including displaying online catalogs, checking stock, and making sales (both online and offline). It’s a great tool for sales teams and one of the best inventory management mobile apps we’ve seen.

Training and customer service are also excellent. UK businesses will benefit from fast email support on UK hours, with the option to upgrade to premium phone and live chat support for an extra £119/month. Team members also have access to “Unleashed University”, which is a structured and in-depth set of training materials for new users.

On the reporting front, Unleashed offers a comprehensive collection of twenty-one reports, covering areas like purchases, sales, reorders, and so on. Analytics functionality can further be extended with integrations.

Cin7 excels on the integrations front. Large companies that want to build a fully synced and integrated tech stack will struggle to find a solution that offers more options.

Cin7 integrates with over 450 third-party apps, spanning areas like accounting, sales and marketing, shipping, logistics, analytics and more.

It’s compatible with all the main ecommerce platforms, including Magento, WooCommerce, Shopify, and BigCommerce. Equally, a broad array of marketplaces are covered, including but not limited to Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Walmart, and Wayfair. EDI (electronic data interchange) links with companies like ACE Hardware, Accent, and Amazon Dropship are also offered.

A wide host of marketing tools (Salesforce, Mailchimp, Capsule, etc.) are supported, along with a complete selection of payment processors for managing transactions according to your preferences.

Finally, Cin7 provides a software developer kit (REST API) and is compatible with intermediary tools like APICAL, which is great for situations when a direct integration is not offered.

So far, so good, right? But there is one note of caution that needs to be sounded. While it’s evident that Cin7 has put a lot of effort into building out its library of integrations, it shouldn’t be taken as a given that they will all be included in whatever plan you opt for (“Starter”, “Momentum”, or “Advanced”). Cin7 doesn’t operate a straightforward tiered subscription model, opting for custom pricing instead. Users have mentioned in reviews that Cin7 sometimes charges extra for certain integrations.

We were a little disappointed with the Unleashed integrations library. The “App Marketplace” isn’t anywhere near as extensive as some other solutions we’ve reviewed. It’s not terrible - and for many businesses it will be entirely sufficient - but it’s not brilliant either.

Unleashed also relies quite heavily on “connector” integrations like Zapier and OneSaaS, which allow users to link up with third-party apps via an intermediary service, rather than syncing directly. Functionality is sometimes limited by this approach. What’s more, features that retailers may consider essential, such as a point-of-sale system, are only provided through integrations, which often incurs extra costs. It would have been nice to see more in-house Unleashed options for retailers that want to take advantage of additional functionality.

Magento and Shopify are the only ecommerce platforms which are natively supported. Further compatibility, for example with WooCommerce and BigCommerce, is provided through OneSaaS. On the accounting front, both Xero and Intuit Quickbooks are available.

A point-of-sale system is available through Vend or Shopify POS, both well-respected solutions. Shipping is managed with the ShipStation integration. Finally, Unleashed offers an in-house app for building a B2B ecommerce portal, which is a nice extra. Users can also take advantage of a mobile app, downloadable on either Apple or Android.

Cin7 is a touch towards the pricey side but not overly so. Rather than charge a set amount for each of the three different packages - “Starter”, “Momentum”, and “Advanced” - Cin7 works on a custom subscription model. You will need to get in touch directly to discuss pricing.

Plans start at $299/month. This price-tag will likely be too high for smaller retailers, who will find alternatives like TradeGecko or Handshake more suitable. For enterprise solutions, however, Cin7 has positioned itself competitively. And, depending on your needs, it may be the most financially-viable option (due to the custom subscription structure). Keep in mind that plans from enterprise competitor Skubana start at $999/month.

We thought that Unleashed was very affordable. Retailers will appreciate the custom pricing model (the monthly cost increases for every extra user), along with annual discounts and a 14-day free trial.

The one downside is that there are the additional “hidden” costs for premium support and a compulsory onboarding fee of £139/month for the first three months.

The entry-level “Medium” plan, which includes three users, costs £149/month when paid annually or £159/month when paid monthly. Every extra user costs approximately £50/month on all plans. The “Large” plan is £299/month and is suitable for between eight and twenty users. The “Large Plus” plan costs £519/month and accommodates upwards of twenty users.

Support from Cin 7, which is via phone and through tickets, is excellent. Numerous reviewers attest to the quality and speed. Cin7 has also committed to continuously improve its customer service, and intends to add 24/7 availability and live chat to its support package.

Users can also choose to access a dedicated onboarding manager who will be available during the often-tricky transition period. This one-on-one help is a big plus for companies that need to train staff quickly. Cin7 has also built an extensive training library.

The one downside is that even the highest-priced enterprise plans don’t come with a dedicated support specialist after the initial set-up period.

On the whole, support is good. Unleashed customer service teams are available from GMT 8 AM to 6 PM, which will be of benefit to retailers based in the UK who might not be able to access direct support from companies based in other countries. Email and community/forum support are included on all plans. For help via phone or live chat, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium support package, which costs an extra £119/month and has a four-month minimum term.

The big downside in the pricing structure is the inclusion of compulsory “managed onboarding”, which essentially hikes up the monthly price by £139 for the first three months.

Cin7 has many excellent features, including industry-leading customer support, extensive functionality (covering all areas of inventory management), and a large library of integrations for a seamlessly connected tech stack.

It’s definitely an enterprise-level solution and will appeal to retailers that are selling in excess of 5000 units per month (as a minimum). Smaller store-owners will likely benefit from a lower-priced platform. Plans start at $299/month, which is about mid-range for this type of software. The custom pricing model also means that you may be able to make savings which wouldn’t be possible if you opt for a one-size-fits-all package.

In short, it’s a feature-rich and reasonably priced platform that medium and large retailers should certainly consider.

On the whole, we were very impressed with Unleashed. It’s definitely not suitable for certain kinds of retailers, especially those that process high volumes of sales on third-party marketplaces and use unsupported ecommerce platforms. But other retailers will find it ideal. If you’re based in the UK, run manufacturing as well as retail, and require a high-quality mobile app to manage sales and orders, then Unleashed is well worth considering. Despite some semi-hidden costs, it’s also one of the best-priced solutions available. Many retailers will appreciate the custom subscription model.

If you’re thinking about giving it a whirl, just make sure that your ecommerce platform is supported first. And don’t forget to take advantage of the free trial.