Inventory Management · head to head
DEAR Inventory vs FastSpring

DEAR Inventory
Inventory Management
Complete inventory and order management system
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -

FastSpring
E-commerce
Merchant-of-record commerce platform for global payments, subscriptions, and tax compliance
- From
- On request
- Rated
- -
The short version
- Each has a real cost: DEAR Inventory dEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator; FastSpring pricing is not published and requires contacting sales for a quote, making cost comparison difficult upfront.
- They diverge on capability: DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, FastSpring covers Global online payments.
Where they differ
Only the attributes on which DEAR Inventory and FastSpring actually diverge.
| Attribute | DEAR Inventory | FastSpring |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | subscription | transaction |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based | web, api |
| Category | Inventory Management | E-commerce |
| Founded | 2013 | 2006 |
Identical on both: starting price (On request), free tier (No), 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 DEAR Inventory
- Inventory management
- Manufacturing
- Purchase orders
- Sales orders
- Accounting
- Xero
- QuickBooks
- Shopify
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.
DEAR Inventory
- Manufacturing managementnot FastSpring
- Order processingnot FastSpring
- Stock controlnot FastSpring
- Financial integrationnot FastSpring
FastSpring
- Selling software or SaaS internationally without a local tax entitynot DEAR Inventory
- B2B invoicing and custom quotes for enterprise SaaS dealsnot DEAR Inventory
- Recurring subscription billing for digital productsnot DEAR Inventory
- Reducing fraud and chargebacks on digital purchasesnot DEAR Inventory
Where each one falls short
Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.
DEAR Inventory
- DEAR Inventory is now sold as Cin7 Core with four named tiers (Standard, Pro, Advanced, Omni) but no dollar figures are published, only an ROI calculator
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
DEAR Inventory
On request- Standard$249/month
- Core features
- 5 users
- Standard support
- Professional$449/month
- Advanced manufacturing
- 10 users
- Priority support
- Enterprise$849/month
- Full features
- Unlimited users
- Dedicated support
FastSpring
On request- Custom$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 DEAR Inventory if
- You need inventory management.
- You work on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based.
- You also want manufacturing.
Choose FastSpring if
- You need global online payments.
- You work on web, api.
- You also want subscription billing.
Questions people ask
- Is DEAR Inventory or FastSpring better?
- Neither clearly leads. DEAR Inventory starts at On request and FastSpring at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
- Which is cheaper, DEAR Inventory or FastSpring?
- DEAR Inventory starts at On request and FastSpring at On request.
- Does DEAR Inventory or FastSpring run on more platforms?
- DEAR Inventory runs on Web, Mobile app, Cloud-based. FastSpring runs on web, api.
- What is DEAR Inventory best used for?
- DEAR Inventory is most often used for manufacturing management, order processing, stock control, financial integration. Of those, manufacturing management and order processing are not what FastSpring is typically brought in for.
- What can DEAR Inventory do that FastSpring cannot?
- DEAR Inventory covers Inventory management, Manufacturing, Purchase orders, Sales orders. 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 DEAR Inventory
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- FastSpring vs Katana
- FastSpring vs Brightpearl
- FastSpring vs Finale Inventory
- FastSpring vs NetSuite
- FastSpring vs Odoo Inventory
- FastSpring vs Linnworks
- FastSpring vs Spocket
- FastSpring vs Acumatica
- FastSpring vs inFlow
- FastSpring vs Lightspeed Retail
- FastSpring vs Megaventory
- FastSpring vs Oberlo
- FastSpring vs Sellbrite
- FastSpring vs TradeGecko
- FastSpring vs Unleashed
- FastSpring vs ABC Inventory
- 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
