Unleashed Software vs. TradeGecko

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."

TradeGecko is one of the best platforms we’ve sampled when it comes to ease-of-use.

The login shows a snapshot of your store’s performance, including total sales, costs, and profit. You’ll also see a breakdown of sales by channel. A simple options bar leads you to the dashboards for inventory management, orders, analytics, and so on.

The one downside is that TradeGecko only provides limited help with setup - around two hours on higher-priced plans - although the simplicity of the interface will often mean that more assistance is not needed.

“Overall it solves most of the business issues and overall we're happy with the product and with Tradegecko.”

“I really like the software and Customer support is always very helpful in every aspect.”

“I have had a few bumps along the way with Tradegecko, but overall I love it.”

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.

TradeGecko has a relatively large feature set. Some features, such as a native POS system, are lacking, but integrations make up for any shortcomings.

TradeGecko offers an iPad and iPhone app, which can be used to manage orders, scan barcodes, and access your catalog. Unfortunately, an Android app is not available. As a browser-based app, TradeGecko does not have an offline mode.

Support and training are generally very good, and TradeGecko provides a high level of general customer service with 24/7 email tickets. On the “Small Business” plan and above, users have access to a member of the onboarding team to ensure a frictionless setup. The “Premium” and “Pro” plans also have dedicated support managers.

The analytics dashboard includes a standard set of reports, covering sales, orders, and historical performance. Integrations are available to extend the core functionality of the TradeGecko analytics dashboard with features like demand forecasting and data insights.

Finally, TradeGecko prioritizes user privacy and data protection. It’s a fully cloud-hosted solution that runs on Amazon Web Servers (one of the most secure options available). Managers can also take advantage of permissions to restrict team members from accessing areas of the app or seeing certain types of information.

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.

Our opinion of TradeGecko’s integration library was somewhat mixed. What’s on offer is reasonable, but it’s not as extensive as some other inventory management solutions we’ve reviewed.

In terms of ecommerce platforms, TradeGecko is compatible with Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, Amazon, PrestaShop, eBay, BigCommerce, 3dcart, and others. If you’re using a well-known provider, then the likelihood is that you’re good to go.

Beyond this, however, TradeGecko starts to falter a little. The list of integrations with third-party marketplaces is satisfactory but not brilliant. The big players like Amazon, eBay, Etsy, and Walmart are all covered.

TradeGecko doesn’t have an in-house POS (point of sale) system, so you will need to opt for either Shopify POS or Lightspeed.

A good selection of 3PL, shipping, and EDI integrations are also provided. On the accounting side of things, only Quickbooks and Xero are supported. Finally, users can take advantage of additional reporting integrations to extend the functionality of TradeGecko’s native analytics tools.

If you’re thinking about opting for TradeGecko, make sure you take a look at the integrations library first to ensure that you’ll have access to all the functionality you require. While the level of support for third-party platforms is good, it’s not out of this world.

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.

TradeGecko plans are priced very competitively. The lower-tier options are suitable for smaller retailers, and medium-sized stores will find a lot to like in the “Business” and “Premium” packages.

The downside is that the “Founder” and “Lite” plans, which cost $39/month and $59/month respectively, lack some features that many retailers would consider essential. Only one sales integration is allowed on these plans, for example, and there is no automation on the “Founder” plan. What’s more, demand forecasting and integration with FBA (Fulfillment by Amazon) are only available on the “Business” plan, which costs $479/month.

Discounts are available on all plans for an annual subscription.

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.

We were very impressed with the level of customer service offered by TradeGecko. Users on all plans have access to 24/7 email support. An account manager is also assigned to subscribers on the “Small Business”, “Business”, “Premium”, and “Pro” plans. User reviews of customer service are generally very positive.

The one small downside is that onboarding managers only provide limited support - two hours on the “Small Business” plan and four hours on the “Business” plan. That said, the user interface is very easy to use and invariably only requires a minimum of training.

TradeGecko also offers extensive written and video materials. There is no community forum.

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.

Despite a few flaws, TradeGecko is an excellent option for retailers that process between 50 and 5000 orders per month. Although some in-house functionality, such as a point of sale (POS) system is missing, integrations tend to plug up any shortcomings.

You’ll find everything you need in the feature-set, including connectors with third-party marketplaces, warehouse management, manufacturing materials tracking, reporting tools, barcode scanning, automation, multiple language support, and more.

Smaller businesses that need an inexpensive and straightforward solution that doesn’t sacrifice functionality should definitely consider TradeGecko. The superb 24/7customer support is also a big plus.

Larger retailers (in excess of 5000/month), on the other hand, will likely need a more powerful and customizable inventory management platform.