Inventory Management · head to head
ABC Inventory vs FastSpring
ABC Inventory
Inventory Management
Free inventory software for Windows
- From
- Free
- Rated
- -

FastSpring
E-commerce
Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Only ABC Inventory has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
- Each has a real cost: ABC Inventory the free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024; FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
- They diverge on capability: ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, FastSpring covers Global online payments.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which ABC Inventory and FastSpring actually diverge.
| Attribute | ABC Inventory | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Free | On request |
| Pricing model | freemium | transaction |
| Free tier | Yes | No |
| Platforms | Windows Desktop | web, api |
| Category | Inventory Management | E-commerce |
| Founded | 1995 | 2006 |
Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated).
What each one covers
Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.
Only in ABC Inventory
- Inventory tracking
- Purchase orders
- Sales orders
- Multi-location
- Excel export
- Barcode printing
- Label printing
- Windows Desktop support
Only in FastSpring
- Global online payments
- Subscription billing
- Branded checkout
- Tax compliance
- Fraud prevention
- Digital invoicing and quotes
What people use each for
The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.
ABC Inventory
- Desktop inventorynot FastSpring
- Order managementnot FastSpring
- Purchasingnot FastSpring
- Stock controlnot FastSpring
FastSpring
- Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot ABC Inventory
- B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot ABC Inventory
- Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot ABC Inventory
- Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot ABC Inventory
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
ABC Inventory
- The free ABC Inventory edition is single user only; multi-user access requires the paid commercial Almyta Control System upgrade, per the vendor's own page as captured by the Internet Archive on 20 November 2024
- The free licence excludes phone, email and online support, per the same capture of 20 November 2024
FastSpring
- Pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
- As a merchant-of-record, FastSpring takes on more control of the checkout and payment relationship than a pure payment gateway like Stripe.
- Revenue share pricing can become more expensive than flat per-transaction gateway fees at very high volumes.
- Primarily targeted at software/digital goods sellers, so it is less suited to physical product e-commerce.
Pricing, plan by plan
ABC Inventory
Free- FreeFree
- Full features
- Single user
- Basic support
- Network$199/month
- Multi-user
- Network access
- Priority support
FastSpring
On request- Custom$undefined/mo
- All-in-one transaction-based pricing based on sales volume
- No subscription fees or per-feature charges
- Discounted rates for ACH and wire transfers
Which should you pick?
Choose ABC Inventory if
- You need inventory tracking.
- You want to start without paying.
- You work on Windows Desktop.
- You also want purchase orders.
Choose FastSpring if
- You need global online payments.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want subscription billing.
Questions people ask
- Is ABC Inventory or FastSpring better?
- Neither clearly leads. ABC Inventory starts at Free and FastSpring at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, ABC Inventory or FastSpring?
- ABC Inventory has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for ABC Inventory and On request for FastSpring.
- Does ABC Inventory or FastSpring run on more platforms?
- ABC Inventory runs on Windows Desktop. FastSpring runs on web, api.
- Can I use ABC Inventory for free?
- Yes. ABC Inventory has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. FastSpring starts at On request.
- What is ABC Inventory best used for?
- ABC Inventory is most often used for desktop inventory, order management, purchasing, stock control. Of those, desktop inventory and order management are not what FastSpring is typically brought in for.
- What can ABC Inventory do that FastSpring cannot?
- ABC Inventory covers Inventory tracking, Purchase orders, Sales orders, Multi-location. FastSpring covers Global online payments, Subscription billing, Branded checkout, Tax compliance.
Answered from the vendors’ own pages
FastSpring: What does FastSpring cost?
FastSpring uses flat-rate, all-in-one pricing based on transaction volume, with fees withheld from payouts. There is no minimum volume or subscription fee, and pricing is typically quoted based on expected sales volume after contacting their sales team.
SourceFastSpring: Is there a free plan?
FastSpring does not offer a free plan; instead pricing is transaction-based with no upfront subscription cost, and merchants only pay a commission on completed sales.
SourceFastSpring: What does FastSpring integrate with or include compared to a payment gateway like Stripe?
FastSpring bundles international payments, subscription management, tax compliance, fraud prevention, reporting, and B2B invoicing into one price, whereas gateways like Stripe charge separately for many of these features.
SourceRelated pages
More on ABC Inventory
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- FastSpring vs TradeGecko
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- FastSpring vs Asset Panda
- FastSpring vs BlueCart
- FastSpring vs FullStory
- FastSpring vs Hotjar
- FastSpring vs Mailchimp
- FastSpring vs Contentful
- FastSpring vs Algolia
- FastSpring vs Authorize.net
- FastSpring vs Bluepark
- FastSpring vs Braintree
- FastSpring vs Checkout.com
- FastSpring vs CJ Dropshipping
- FastSpring vs eBay
- FastSpring vs Gumroad
- FastSpring vs Loox
- FastSpring vs Memberful
- FastSpring vs Razorpay
- FastSpring vs Saleor
- FastSpring vs SamCart
- FastSpring vs Stripe
