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ERP · head to head

Blue Link ERP vs Unanet

Blue Link ERP logo

Blue Link ERP

ERP

Enterprise software for wholesale distribution

From
$500/month
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Unanet logo

Unanet

ERP

Project ERP and CRM built for government contractors and architecture and engineering firms

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Blue Link ERP no QuickBooks integration; Unanet no pricing is published for any Unanet product; every line is quoted per user per month with separate implementation fees, so a small contractor cannot budget the first year without a full sales cycle.
  • They diverge on capability: Blue Link ERP covers Distribution management, Unanet covers DCAA-oriented timekeeping.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 31 August 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Blue Link ERP and Unanet actually diverge.

Attributes where Blue Link ERP and Unanet differ
AttributeBlue Link ERPUnanet
Starting price$500/monthOn request
Pricing modelsubscriptionquote
PlatformsWeb, iOS, AndroidWeb, Cloud, iOS, Android
Founded1992Unknown

Identical on both: free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (ERP).

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 Blue Link ERP

  • Distribution management
  • Inventory control
  • Order management
  • Warehouse management
  • Financial management
  • QuickBooks
  • Shopify
  • Amazon

Only in Unanet

  • DCAA-oriented timekeeping
  • Indirect rate management
  • Contract type support
  • Project accounting
  • Resource planning
  • Unanet CRM
  • Compliant invoicing
  • Unanet ERP AE

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Blue Link ERP

  • Wholesale distributionnot Unanet
  • Multi-warehouse operationsnot Unanet
  • B2B commercenot Unanet

Unanet

  • A federal contractor moving from QuickBooks and spreadsheets because it has won its first cost-reimbursable contract and needs an accounting system that survives a DCAA adequacy reviewnot Blue Link ERP
  • A services firm that must calculate and true up provisional indirect rates each year and cannot do it credibly in Excel any longernot Blue Link ERP
  • An architecture and engineering practice tracking utilisation and project profitability across dozens of concurrent jobsnot Blue Link ERP
  • A government contractor consolidating a separate CRM, timekeeping tool and accounting package into one system so pipeline and backlog reconcilenot Blue Link ERP

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Blue Link ERP

  • No QuickBooks integration
  • Outdated user interface that some users find difficult to navigate
  • Requires third-party integrations for sales tax calculation and credit card processing
  • Occasional technical issues during peak usage periods such as timeouts and freezing

Unanet

  • No pricing is published for any Unanet product; every line is quoted per user per month with separate implementation fees, so a small contractor cannot budget the first year without a full sales cycle.
  • Implementation is a project rather than a signup, involving chart of accounts design, indirect pool structure and data migration, and third parties report implementation fees reaching five figures for mid-sized deployments, an amount easily missed when comparing per-user rates.
  • The interface is dated compared with modern SaaS finance products, which raises training time for staff who only touch it to enter a timesheet and increases the support burden on the finance team.
  • ERP and CRM are separate products with separate contracts, so a firm that wants pipeline, backlog and actuals in one place pays twice and still deals with an integration boundary between them.
  • Its value is concentrated in United States federal and state contracting compliance, so a firm that does no public-sector work is paying for indirect rate machinery and DCAA audit behaviour it will never use, and a non-US firm gets almost nothing from the product’s main differentiator.

Pricing, plan by plan

Blue Link ERP

$500/month
  • Professional$500/month
    • Core distribution
    • Inventory management
    • Order processing
  • Enterprise$1000/month
    • Multi-warehouse
    • EDI integration
    • Advanced analytics

Unanet

On request
  • Unanet ERP GovCon$undefined/year
    • Project accounting with indirect rate pools
    • DCAA-oriented daily timekeeping and audit trail
    • Cost-plus, T&M and fixed price contract billing
  • Unanet ERP AE$undefined/year
    • Project accounting configured for architecture and engineering firms
    • Resource planning and utilisation reporting
    • Priced per user per month, quoted
  • Unanet CRM$undefined/year
    • Pursuit and opportunity tracking
    • Proposal content library and reuse
    • Sold separately from ERP; quoted

Which should you pick?

Choose Blue Link ERP if

  • You need distribution management.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want inventory control.
Blue Link ERP review

Choose Unanet if

  • You need dcaa-oriented timekeeping.
  • You work on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
  • You also want indirect rate management.
Unanet review

Questions people ask

Is Blue Link ERP or Unanet better?
Neither clearly leads. Blue Link ERP starts at $500/month and Unanet at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Blue Link ERP or Unanet?
Blue Link ERP starts at $500/month and Unanet at On request.
Does Blue Link ERP or Unanet run on more platforms?
Blue Link ERP runs on Web, iOS, Android. Unanet runs on Web, Cloud, iOS, Android.
What is Blue Link ERP best used for?
Blue Link ERP is most often used for wholesale distribution, multi-warehouse operations, b2b commerce. Of those, wholesale distribution and multi-warehouse operations are not what Unanet is typically brought in for.
What can Blue Link ERP do that Unanet cannot?
Blue Link ERP covers Distribution management, Inventory control, Order management, Warehouse management. Unanet covers DCAA-oriented timekeeping, Indirect rate management, Contract type support, Project accounting.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Blue Link ERP: Does Blue Link ERP offer a free trial?

Blue Link ERP does not offer a free trial, but prospective customers can request a free demo and access product videos to explore features.

Source
Unanet: What does Unanet cost?

Nothing is published. Pricing is per user per month and quoted, with implementation fees charged separately on top of the subscription.

Blue Link ERP: Can Blue Link ERP integrate with QuickBooks?

No. Blue Link ERP does not integrate with QuickBooks, which is a limitation for businesses that use QuickBooks for accounting.

Source
Unanet: Does Unanet make you DCAA compliant?

No software does. Unanet provides the timekeeping controls, audit trail and indirect rate accounting that an adequacy review looks for; the policies and their enforcement are still yours.

Blue Link ERP: What platforms does Blue Link ERP support?

Blue Link ERP is cloud-based and accessible via web browsers and mobile applications. Native apps are available for both iOS and Android.

Source
Unanet: Is Unanet CRM included with the ERP?

No. Unanet CRM, built on the acquired Cosential platform, is a separate product with its own contract.

Blue Link ERP: What industries does Blue Link ERP serve?

Blue Link ERP is designed for wholesale, distribution, retail, and eCommerce businesses, with specific solutions for apparel, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, construction, and furniture industries.

Source
Unanet: How does it compare with Deltek?

Unanet typically targets smaller contractors than Deltek Costpoint and is quicker to implement, but has less depth for very large multi-segment organisations.

Blue Link ERP: Does Blue Link ERP require third-party tools for taxes and payments?

Yes. US sales tax calculation requires integration with third-party tools like Zip2Tax or Avalara, and credit card processing requires separate third-party software.

Source
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